Are you getting the results you want from your innovation efforts? Business Week recently conducted a survey of 65 senior executives from diverse industries across the globe. These executives said they believe that breakthrough innovations and business model changes are needed to fuel the growth engine...

A Culture of Innovation in the Family Business   One of the reasons so many family businesses fail to transition from one generation to the next is they do not pay sufficient attention to innovation in their business, industry and marketplace. Although innovation drives the early years of the family...

You can learn to innovate!  Remember when people thought that leaders were born, not made?  Many people now think the same thing about innovation.  Talk to people who are successful in either of these fields and you will find people who think (a lot) about what they are doing.  Successful people,...

The Secretary of the Treasury came up with a plan to avert a national economic crisis.  The president endorsed it and asserted that it must be adopted immediately.  Some Members of Congress objected, some because they did not like the plan and some because they had ideas that had not been considered....

Innovation is a big buzz-word these days, but what does it really mean?  Many think of breakthrough inventions that advance the state of technology.  Some confuse innovation with creativity.  Others think innovation is simply marching to the beat of a different drummer. Think of this simple definition,...

It may sound like an oxymoron but learning to focus your strategic thinking may be the difference between adequate and outstanding personal performance.   To excel as an innovator, start by looking at your own thinking. I recently read a short interview with Bill Gates in Fortune magazine where he...

THE FOUNDATION – what innovation is and why it is important “The countries, the towns and the businesses that can grow through innovation are those that are going to be competitive and standing tall in 5, 10, 15, 20 years. For those that fall behind, it’s going to be tough getting back in the race,...