management

Innovating with Meaning: Elements of the "Innovation Field"

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:21:39 -0500

Often our clients ask us: how do we know if we are an innovative organization and how can we measure if we are improving? Based on our experience practicing, teaching, and consulting in Innovation Management, we developed an empirically-based model or framework to view innovation from a team and organization-wide perspective.

The Curious Case of Manny Ramirez

Rip Empson — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:35:04 -0500

I think that many would argue that the role of a professional athlete in an organization, especially a famous one, is a bit of an anomaly compared to the daily reality of most other inhabitants of Planet Earth -- even if these athletes are part of a “business”. And therefore anything that might be said about parallels between their profession and any of ours must be valuated with this in mind.

Seven Smart Questions Customers Ask About Customer Experience Design

Mike Wittenstein — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:03:43 -0500

Overview article on customer experience design and how it can help your business.

Leadership in tough times

Peter Lucash — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:33:08 -0500

Many times, good leadership is in the small things. There are two recent examples that set a positive tone in difficult times.

Thinking Inside the Box

Tony Mariani — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:39:34 -0500

I hate the term "thinking outside the box".

No doubt you will hear it a lot given the economic turmoil. I think its used because the prognosticators don’t have answers and want to re-invent the wheel.

We allow technology and gurus to change the way we do business. Like….

Voice mail. Let’s let our paying customers go through a jungle of press 1, press 2 to speak to a live human being, that is if your lucky to get a live person.

How Leadership is Like Selling

Mitch McCrimmon — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:31:31 -0500

Leadership and selling are both forms of influence. They differ primarily in the fact that selling is self-interested. It’s a way of making a living. The salesperson is interested in making money by selling products or services. Leadership also influences people to do things they might not do otherwise, but is not self-interested. For example, a green leader like Al Gore promotes more environmentally friendly living by pointing to the benefits for the environment. He is not selling a product to make a living.

Bio and Interests: Michael Kaleikini

Michael Kaleikini — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:47:10 -0500

Michael H Kaleikini, B.A., ABETA is a long time Marketing and Promotions entrepreneur who has moved mostly through the realm of entertainment. However, since 2004, he has branched out into other marketing realms to include; resort sales, sports promotions, advertising and media. Lately he has been studying the Social Media marketing concept and its effectiveness on generating and creating new business.

How to Write a Great Individual Development Plan (IDP)

Dan McCarthy — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:08:47 -0500

An individual development plan (IDP) is a tool that helps facilitate employee development. It’s a two-way commitment between an employee and their manager on what they are going to do to grow.

Why “Leaders” Can’t Fully Empower Employees

Mitch McCrimmon — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:43:17 -0500

“Leaders” can’t fully empower employees as long as we continue to associate leadership with position, whether senior executive or “team leader”. Organizations desperately need to empower employees more fully in order to foster more innovation faster. But they won’t get as far as they need to until they start recognizing that front-line knowledge workers who promote new products are showing bottom-up leadership and that the role of the person in charge is to be a facilitator, coach, developer, catalyst or enabler.

Leadership Lessons from... Classic Toys

Michael Waddell — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:47:07 -0500

Associated Press staffer Mae Anderson wrote a very interesting article for TIME about the value of old-school toys in these tough economic days.

In Hard Times, Nostalgic Toys Strike a Chord
By AP / MAE ANDERSON

Get Ahead by Giving Thanks

Tom Musbach — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:35:03 -0500

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Innovating with Meaning: You Reap What You Sow

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:56:18 -0500

We would like to briefly share key lessons from the bestselling book, The Seeds of Innovation. From our experience conducting research, teaching, practicing, and consulting in Innovation Management for over 20 years, we see that innovative thinking can be enhanced by improving core competencies (i.e., knowledge, skills, an

The Leading Edge - Why Obama Will Succeed

Mark Goulston — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:34:25 -0500

As Goodness as It Gets – Why Obama will succeed

Women & Leadership (Diversity)

Tory Clarke — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:38:06 -0500

WOMEN & LEADERSHIP

While it is encouraging to know that ‘women in leadership’ is now viewed as the norm rather than an oxymoron, it remains disappointing that only a select few women are making it to top management.

Stop Trying to Teach the Pig to Dance!

Paul Glover — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:11:43 -0500

My father was a farmer, a blacksmith, and an electrician who worked the hoot owl shift at a General Motors plant to pay for his farming addiction. He was also a pragmatist. After observing me engaged in a passionate argument with a person who clearly was not listening to what I had to say and had no intenti

Management Reborn for the 21st Century

Mitch McCrimmon — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:11:38 -0500

Everyone wants to be a leader. No one wants to be a manager. Why is leadership glorified and management reviled? Someone said that you can manage things but only lead people. Leadership, as a result, is overburdened. It’s like saying get rid of marketing; sales can handle both functions. Where did we get this negative attitude toward management and how can we rid ourselves of it? Management’s fall from grace happened in the late 70’s when the U.S. was reeling from the shock of the Japanese commercial invasion.

What is Leadership?

Mitch McCrimmon — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:36:27 -0500

In my view, we need to reinvent leadership for our digital age. The power to move people is switching to ideas because of the increasing role of innovation. We need to move away from leadership-as-position.

Introducing Paul Worthington

Paul Worthington — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:47:55 -0500

PaulWorthington.com is a personal blog that explores how we think, learn, manage our world, and succeed. It's for everyone interested in the unexpected ways everything is connected, with a focus on beauty, simplicity, and life. I write from my unique blended background of the arts and technology, from philosophy to technical consulting.

Tales from a Road Warrior

Lesley Harris — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:04:56 -0500

For many of us travel is part of our daily work lives – we are Road Warriors. In today’s economy we strive to save money for our companies on these trips without giving up our sanity. We want the flight booked, our hotel reserved with a mint on the pillow (free Internet would be a nice bonus) and to be home by Friday. There are resources to help get you and your business where you need to be – you just need to know how to use them.

The Leading Edge - "Field of Leaders and Dream makers"

Mark Goulston — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:38:13 -0500

Leading is easy, the hard part is getting people to follow.

Here's an Automotive Bailout Plan that is Second to None

Ross Reck — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:12:46 -0500

A couple of friends of mine put together an automotive bailout plan that is far superior to anything that the Detroit automotive companies or the Congress have come up with. If you like this plan, please send it to your Congressperson.

Leadership of Outsiders

Mitch McCrimmon — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:00:38 -0500

In my efforts to find a new way to differentiate leadership from management, it has occurred to me that there are lots of examples where leadership is shown by people who are not in a position to manage the implementation of their proposals.

Consider:

How Leadership Differs from Management

Mitch McCrimmon — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:17:53 -0500

Leaders are portrayed as super managers because they are more inspiring and emotionally engaging. Managers are seen as controlling or as having a narrow focus on keeping things ticking over. Leaders are thus painted into a corner. If you can't inspire people you can't be a leader. Further, management is given an extremely negative, limited role. We need to upgrade management to take on a greater organizational load and free leadership from its style restriction.

Innovating with Meaning: Build a Shared Understanding

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:54:00 -0500

Through our work in organizations, with clients, as well as with students in both public administration and business administration courses, we have witnessed a wide range of definitions of “innovation.” Some of these, of course, are better than others. These definitions typically include references to “creative thinking,” “brainstorming,” “new products and services,” “breakthrough technologies,” and/or “radical business models.”

The Meaning of Leadership

Mitch McCrimmon — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:16:23 -0500

How our understanding of leadership needs to change in a knowledge driven age when the power to move organizations is shifting from position to the ability to innovate.