The Transaction (a short story): I recall an encounter a few years back at a local auto parts national chain store where I stood in line behind a gentleman shopping for auto supplies. When the gentleman, whose name I later learned was Rick, approached the counter, he was greeted with a welcoming “how may I
Johnny once came to me to volunteer for a project assignment. I knew Johnny quite well and knew that he would fail miserably at the task, as both his skills and personality were not suited for that specific assignment. One part of me, the coach and mentor side, screamed to give Johnny a chance –
Insights on the role of a Chief Innovation Officer and optimal ways to establish a productive dialog and enduring relationship. If you think you’ve got your Chief Innovation Officer contact understood, take a step back and think again. Chances are you are misreading his or her (hereinafter “his” for brevity) intentions, misunderstanding his vocabulary and
It has become an established dogma within enterprises, especially ones structured with traditional hierarchies, that #leadership is a function one must grow into through on-the-job experience, dedication, long work hours and training. “Starting at the bottom” to work yourself to a leadership position is touted as the architected, tried and proven way to cultivate upper management. The
One of the most transformative discussions I’ve recently taken part in during a meeting of innovation leaders in New York was around what will work look like in the future. Like the industries themselves, work within those industries is undergoing radical disruption as well. Most of it is driven by the capabilities of Third
Fable has it that during the inaugural performance of George Handel’s Messiah choral masterpiece, attended by the royalty and elites of England, King George suddenly stood up just as the final, and probably most re-callable of the parts – the Hallelujah Chorus, was about to be performed. As royal protocol would dictate, everyone in the cathedral
As big data permeates an increasing number of facets of both business and personal life, is its value being optimally realized? Traditionally the science of big data has been bifurcated into distinct data and insights components. Big data scientists have become masters of finding the “needle in the haystack” across voluminous data sets and
If you think you’ve got your Chief Innovation Officer client contact understood, take a step back and think again. Chances are you are misreading his intentions, misunderstanding his vocabulary and completely missing the drivers that he considers important, including the impact criteria that he is being measured on by his organization. The Chief Innovation Officer
Creative Dissonance
I recently had the opportunity to attend a beautiful orchestral performance by a contemporary composer. The music was serene, with a soothing melody aimed to evoke a sensation of calm and order. One could clearly hear the musicians all aligned in the single purpose of carrying the balanced message forward, each instrument contributing its tone
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