Innovation

Why aren’t you celebrating failure?

May 26, 2017
Most leaders like to celebrate success. But if you want employees to innovate, think about the benefits of celebrating failure, too. After all, no less sweat, toil or creative energy goes into major projects that don’t happen to pan out.

Churn your creativity 24/7

April 19, 2017
For Ramin Djawadi, the composer of “Game of Thrones,” the hit TV show, the creative process never shuts off.

Ask the edible spoon guy about patience

February 4, 2017
When you hit rock bottom, it’s tempting to cut your losses and give up, to drag out plan B and settle for something different than success. But resilient leaders find that perseverance pays off.

The lessons of innovation

December 26, 2016
In building its list of the world’s most innovative companies, the editors of Fast Company found precious few repeats from last year.

Dare to get gutsy with your brand

December 16, 2016
Jim Andrews publicized his unusual staffing philosophy—and made it a central part of his brand.

The benefits of downtime

December 16, 2016
A man nicknamed “the Giant Sloth” came up with the idea for a commando unit that became the prototype for special operations teams.

Score two for ‘slacktivism’

December 7, 2016
Finally, there’s some good news for development directors and other nonprofit leaders.

Tap bright outsiders for fresh ideas

August 27, 2016

In the cosmetics business, the push for new products never ends. Consumers clamor for breakthroughs. As CEO of Sephora Americas, Calvin McDonald has made innovation a top priority. In March 2016, he launched the Sephora Innovation Lab. Based in San Francisco, the lab enables the French-owned cosmetics chain to conduct research with the help of outside partners. The goal is to create a space where employees can collaborate and test ideas without fear of failure.

Take these 6 steps to think big

January 13, 2016
If you want to solve a big problem, harness technology to advance toward your goal. But beware of getting too emotionally wedded to a narrow objective or overinvesting in high-end tools.

Creativity stifled? Tap outsider input

December 28, 2015
What happened when one executive dared to crowdsource the solution to a business problem? Resentment among the staff—and an actual solution.