Innovation: The Who's Where's and How's

Let's face it. We are different. Very different. In. So. Many. Ways. And leadership abilities run the gamut. Consistently, however, we all seem to want empathetic leadership and in the eternal search for it, we have made serious mistakes. Nothing can delay progress more than a weak, egocentric leader.  And nothing can kill ambition and inspiration faster than un-empathetic leader. So, let us try to vet leaders in better ways. And let us aim to find those that have empathy and that wish for others to succeed beyond themselves.  Yeah, I know, hard in today's world. They are out there, however. There is one very simple test that we can start with. It is so simple is laughable. In my experience doing business across multiple cultures, this one pronoun will consistently reveal the truth about where a leader is in the empathetic, ego-less scale. That pronoun is: I Someone many years ago suggested trying to write everything without using "I." It is hard. Very har...

"Ok, so now you have been "managing" the future via innovation imperatives for a bit," my friend blurted out over dinner a few years back. So, "invent the killer product of the future," he continued. "You know what the trends are and now you know how to build products and develop new business models." "What is holding you back?" This conversation happened over a couple of pints and while working for a Fortune 60 company trying to reinvent itself in the face of massive disruption. The answer was simply this: While there may be strong desires, passions and intentions to invent the next internet, what matters is the operational capacities to make it happen.  Most companies still act with analog operational tools and mindsets. Many companies still have old product development tools based on gating systems and six sigma mandates that will kill product innovation. Like someone once said: "Six Sigma is for exploitation. Design Thi...