Dinosaur or Dynamo? How to Stay Relevant in a Rapidly Changing World Hasn’t the internet rendered public libraries nearly obsolete? That was the question in my mind as I watched Patrick Losinski, CEO of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, receive his “CEO of the Year Award” from Columbus CEO Magazine. I was wrong, at least about …
A Short Meditation on Customer Needs (Modeled after “If-by-whiskey,” the famous 1952 speech by Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat, Jr.) On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me where I stand concerning the commonly held belief that …
Increase Your Innovation Reward While Reducing Risk Many executives believe that innovation carries a risk-reward trade-off that dictates, “Any money invested in innovation can generate higher returns only if there is a commensurate higher risk of failure.” While the risk-reward trade-off theory makes a lot of sense when investing in mutual funds, it should not …
How to Innovate: Start With the Customer Innovation isn’t just for technologists or scientists. At its core, innovation is about finding a new way to address an unmet need. Organizations that learn how to identify their customers’ unmet needs before generating ideas can become excellent at innovation. If you ask the right questions of the …
Why I Went Into Business I grew up wanting to be a psychologist or a journalist. I lived in a community in Philadelphia where business was seen as crass, as selfishly grasping for material wealth instead of seeking to make a positive difference in the world. But shortly after graduating from college, I found myself …
Is the ‘Streetlight Effect’ Keeping You From Success? German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, “Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen. Few in pursuit of the goal.” Today we might say, “Many are stubborn in pursuit of followers and likes. Few in pursuit of the goal.” Gaining followers and likes on …
What Most Companies Miss When Trying to Drive Innovation Innovation enables companies to differentiate, establish competitive advantage, and drive revenue growth, so it isn’t surprising that nearly every executive wants his or her company to be innovative. When I ask executives how they are driving innovation, people often tell me about their tactics to encourage …
3 Steps for Adapting to Disruption Disruptive innovations are working their way through the economy, leaving creative destruction in their wake. There is no way to bulletproof a business from disruption, but here are three steps you can take to adapt to and participate in it. 1. Get clear about what business you are in …
What Businesses Can Learn From Twitter’s Slowdown Twitter’s strategy is in a flutter. Its user growth rate has slowed and its revenue from ads dropped below Wall Street targets last quarter, resulting in a 30 percent drop in its stock price since April. After eight years, the company is still struggling to explain its business …
Why You Should Forget About Exceeding Customer Expectations Our modern business literature is filled with books and articles from experts who advise businesses to exceed customer expectations and over-deliver as a way to delight customers, build loyalty, improve retention, increase referrals and drive growth. This thinking is so entrenched in corporate America that it often …
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