Paul Sloane is the author of The Leader’s Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills and The Innovative Leader. He writes, talks and runs workshops on lateral thinking, creativity and the leadership of innovation. Find more information at destination-innovation.com.
Have you seen the movie The Day of the Jackal? [...]
Most new products and services are developments or combinations of [...]
Paul Sloane discusses ways to collaborate remotely over Zoom, drawing on inspiration from the musical duo The Postal Service, in this new article.
In times of severe recession should you cut costs and focus on survival or take the opportunity to invest in innovation so that you can benefit from the eventual recovery? Let's have a look at a case study of Kellogg's, which took a leap to invest in a new type of cereal - and that paid off even in the face of extreme adversity.
If you want to lead a transformation in the business, then you have to sell the idea over and over again to people throughout the organisation. In particular, the leader has to answer these questions which are present in people’s minds even if they are unspoken.
We hear plenty of advice for leaders on what they should do to drive entrepreneurship and innovation in their organizations. It might be smarter to just stop making some of the common mistakes which inhibit innovation.
The magical potency of positive thinking has been a common theme among motivational speakers for a long time. In 1952 Norman Vincent Peale published his seminal book, The Power of Positive Thinking. He advocated that you should always be optimistic. You should build a mental picture of yourself succeeding.
In 2008, Dave Carroll, a Canadian guitarist and songwriter, flew with United Airlines from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Omaha, Nebraska with a stop at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. During the layover at O’Hare a fellow passenger saw the baggage handlers throwing baggage including Carroll’s precious guitar.
Not sure how to improve your product - or to come up with a new one? Try Contradictory Innovation, which could lead you to a stroke of brilliance.
Until 1954 there was only one television channel in the UK. It was the publicly owned BBC. In that year the government auctioned licenses for commercial TV stations. These would be regional operations which could offer advertising on TV for the first time.
Akio Morita was born in Nagoya, Japan in 1921. His father owned a business brewing sake. It had been in the family for 14 generations and it was expected that Akio, the oldest son, would step into the business but the boy was more interested in electronics than in brewing.
Zebra stands for Zero Evidence but Really Adamant. Zebras are people who see things in black and white. They are sure of their own opinions and they disdain information or science which undermines their beliefs. The king of the Zebras is Donald Trump.
How can you assess how innovative your business is? The Innovation Sophistication Index is a list of just 24 statements. For each statement you score one point if you fully agree with it for your organization. Please try the list below.
In his book, “Messy,” economist Tim Harford argues cogently that we are wrong to strive for order and tidiness because openness, adaptability and creativity are inherently messy. We should appreciate the benefits of untidiness.
In 2010, the Gillette brand, which is owned by Proctor and Gamble, held 70% of the U.S. market for razors. It boasted continuous innovation in product design, and enjoyed a gross margin of around 60%. Its market share has now slid to around 50%. It has suffered at the hands of two start-up companies, which went direct to consumer (DTC). They are Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club.
