Strategic plans become outdated the moment they’re created. Instead, create a one-page strategy map. Having run the internal strategy consulting group at HP, and then consulting to both startups and big companies like Disney, Visa, Colgate, Medtronic and others, I’ve created hundreds of strategic plans. Business strategy used to be a clear and methodical process. No more. Today’s discontinuous technologies and…
Trust is the currency of business success. Here’s how to build it into your corporate culture. Leading organizational change to create a corporate culture that delivers continuous innovation is one of today’s most strategic business imperatives. But how do you do that? We’ve seen what happens to companies when customers lose trust in their brands – just think Target (data breach),…
Our communities are getting really smart. Here’s what to expect. I’m sitting here in a large convention center in Los Angeles about to deliver the closing keynote at the Southern California Public Power Authority annual conference. It’s basically a gathering of the top municipal utilities in Southern California that serve more than 5 million people and deliver…
Change your company’s structure to get bigger and better ideas. Just about everyone wants more creativity and innovation these days. But what’s the secret to getting it? While most companies agree that innovation is vital, few actually spend time creating structures or devising rewards systems hinged on creativity. Many leaders also struggle with the fact that innovation comes from culture, something…
Innovation is as much about choosing what not to do as it is about deciding what you’re going to do. I’ll never forget the words of a client of mine, an executive at PepsiCo: “We can do anything, but we can’t do everything,” he said to me. So true. But most companies forget this fact. They…
Large scale 3D printing farms will create the next industrial revolution When it comes to business and the economy, there’s constant buzz about Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook. There’s also been lots of attention lately on middle America and the loss of manufacturing jobs. At times these topics seem at odds – the new high-tech guard disrupting the old,…
Every bold innovation involves messiness. The Chief Product Officer at Adobe reveals how to use it to succeed. In my work advising and consulting to some of the world’s most innovative companies, I see the best of the best practices for managing innovation. I also get a behind-the-scenes view of what really goes on during the innovation process itself–and…