Growing by Design
Shine Your Light
There is a marketing concept that is so critical in branding and innovation…point of difference, or POD. What is it that is unique about you, your idea, your business? If you don’t know what is distinctive, how can you make the impact you hope to have? With that...
Hidden in Plain Sight
I am often shocked by how simple design thinking innovation is. It is breakthrough and yet simple. I am also constantly amazed at how design thinking can be useful in so many contexts from creating products to business strategy to health care. For instance, Design...
The Five Aspirations
There are glass half empty people and glass half full people. Both are useful at given moments. In innovation, however, I think there is a need to be optimistic and aspirational. The creative act requires it.Recently I read The Five Dysfunctions of a...
WOW-the power of failure!
I just finished teaching my graduate school class on design thinking for business. For a few weeks each fall I have graduate marketing, research, finance and mba students learning how to solve a classic business/marketing problem using design thinking methods and...
The kitchen table of innovation
The heartbeat of a home is usually the kitchen table. It is where people gather around for meals, homework, coffee. It draws people in and it invites conversation. I have noticed that, just like a kitchen table is the pulse of a home, most innovation studios that are...
Innovation is rose colored
As a child, my parents would say "Cindy you wear rose colored glasses." It was meant as a compliment and a commentary on how naive I was, not seeing the world for its bumps and bruises. I think innovation is rose-colored. It requires seeing possibility and expecting...
What is your “have to”?
What is your have to? Time is fleeting. Where you spend it says a lot. I just spent 3 days focused on filling my bucket at BIF10. A little inspiration. A lot of conversation. Meeting new people who are interesting and who opened up my mind to...
Who is your hero?
Who is your hero? If you ask this question typically you get a person named and a great story. If you look at business' actions, you typically conclude their business is the hero, here to swoop in and fix all your issues. "Calgon! Take me away!" In human centered...
A Great Big Small World
What is this a picture of? Give up? It is who, geographically speaking, has visited my site/blog over the past 12 months. WOW. I am surprised, humbled, excited, wondering, all at the same time. Surprised by the global reach of a small town girl's...
Complex doesn’t have to be complicated
We live in a complex world. Interdependent like never before. Flat. Volatile. The US Military coined it as VUCA--volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. True in world powers. True in business. Sometimes I hear people longing for the good old days when things...
