The cover article of the new March – April edition of Harvard Business Review* is on Better Brainstorming and includes a number of interesting ideas. It’s written by Hal Gregersen, who is a faculty member at MIT and author of a forthcoming book, Questions are the Answer. Gregerson has invented a process he calls “Question Burst” which focuses the brainstorming process on … [Read more...] about Better Brainstorming
innovation
Lean Innovation
Once I was teaching a group of executives about generating innovation through the power of setting almost impossible goals (read more here if you are interested). One executive responded: “So, you want me to risk bankrupting my organization by placing a big bet on a new idea?” “Uhhh, no," I responded. Some people think that innovation is an all or nothing deal and they … [Read more...] about Lean Innovation
How to Become a True “Original”
If you are interested in spurring creativity in your team, leading change, and/or being even more entrepreneurial, then I recommend Adam Grant’s newest book, Originals (2016), to you. Grant was inspired to research creativity and originality after he chose not to invest in the idea for a new company developed by some of his graduate students because they did not fit his … [Read more...] about How to Become a True “Original”
Nonprofits, Innovation, & Lean Startups
You want to drive innovation throughout your nonprofit, but you don’t think you have the time or money to try new things. You would benefit from learning about the “Lean Startup” method – which is the current model that businesses use to develop new products and entrepreneurs use to start new companies. Here are some of the key ideas of Lean Startup that apply to … [Read more...] about Nonprofits, Innovation, & Lean Startups
Tug-of-War: Strategy vs Culture (Part 1)
Mission impact is driven by strategy. Yet there is very little written on the reality that strategy is driven by culture. As president of a small, independent college in mid-America who embraces the teachings of Rob Sheehan in Mission Impact, I'd like to share from the trenches why a nonprofit CEO should not overlook the cautionary adage, “culture eats strategy for … [Read more...] about Tug-of-War: Strategy vs Culture (Part 1)