Best-Practices Leadership

Why innovation needs its own space

August 8, 2019
Creativity is stifled in a risk-averse environment, usually in companies that cannot get past memories of failed efforts and apparently, in their view, unacceptable costs. What is needed is a different thought process and the space to encourage it.

Celebrate the beauty of constraints

July 11, 2019
Research is showing more and more that working with limitations and constraints is a contributing factor to innovation and possibility. If you learn to embrace them, the constraints that might at first appear stifling could open up new creative opportunities.

Organizational agility: The essential 21st century mandate

July 11, 2019
In a world of constant disruption, organizational agility has become essential for long-term growth and sustainability. It involves seeking out new information, driving innovation and embracing change in a collaborative way.

How to spot the innovators

July 11, 2019
Spotting innovators early on and identifying what makes them true originals is difficult. We tend to look for certain markers that someone is poised for success. And those markers can be misleading.

Once, Sears was the whole world

June 13, 2019
While the Amazon model is unique and modern, there have certainly been other companies that have strived to be all things to all people. In 1908, that company was Sears.

‘I invented this!’ ‘No, I did!’

June 13, 2019
Throughout history, there have been many cases of inventions and discoveries made independently by different people at the same time. Here are some examples.

The problem with ‘dream teams’

June 13, 2019
When it comes to assembling a team, most people look for the best talent. But what actually happens when you have a whole team of stars?

In business with friends: A mistake?

May 9, 2019
For every warning against doing business with your friends, there’s also plenty of expert advice and evidence to argue the contrary.

Should your company close for a week to innovate, plan?

April 25, 2019
Even if a leader advocates for employees to be creative and pursue new ideas, organizations rarely allocate time and resources. Enter the “organizational charrette,” a new management practice in which the entire company closes shop for one week so every employee can focus on innovation and future planning.

Don’t worry about motivation; hire self-motivated people instead

April 22, 2019
There’s a philosophy out there that you can motivate almost anyone to do their job. It implies we can motivate someone, as well as take away their motivation. Although this viewpoint is typically well-intended, it is counterproductive to greater success.