Importance of Asking the RIGHT Questions
“The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of the wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question” ~ Peter Drucker How much time are you spending in exploring your real challenge, problem or opportunity? How often do you jump from an initial problem to a brainstorming session? Or, how often do you jump from the initial challenge to a solution? ...
Read MoreIn All Seriousness, Play to Perform with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
I guest blogged for LearningLens, Inc. The topic…LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. Yes, play IS good for business. Trade in your stuffy, boring, unproductive meetings for engaging, focused, fun and productive meetings. Engaging teams with the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology during business meetings helps to: Create strategies rooted in shared insights Uncover real wants and needs Align on...
Read MoreThink Innovatively in Design
A colleague on a LinkedIn group recently submitted this question: “What are some techniques for helping leaders in organizations really think innovatively in the design process?” Here are some techniques I suggested to think innovatively in the design process: A key element of innovation is design for mutual benefit to create value. At the beginning of the design process, identify...
Read MoreFuture belongs to Design not Communication
I just read an interesting article on the Sustainable Brands website about the importance of designing for meaningful experiences in the context of what consumers (“human beings”) really want. It is the EXPERIENCE we have because of things – not things – that matters. Thus, Steven Johnson advocates that we focus on designing for meaningful experience (whether it is a...
Read MoreThe Power of Networks: Leverage Keyhubs
In 2009 I wrote a review of Linked by Albert-László Barabási for the MN Organization Development Network’s Voices newsletter. I brought it up recently in a meeting about a social network analysis (SNA) tool from Keyhubs because Linked helps to explain the history behind and the power of networks. Click here for the full Linked Book Review Book Review Excerpt From the beginning of my...
Read MoreCreative Leadership for a Complex World
We live in a volatile, ill-defined, ambiguous and complex world where changes seem ever-present. In IBM’s 2010 CEO study, IBM spoke with over 1,500 CEOs from around the world. They identified three themes facing business today: Complexity is here to stay and will likely accelerate in the coming years Their orgainzations do not currently have the skills or capacity to effectively deal with...
Read MoreDieter Rams on Design
Check out this Dieter Rams (world-famous designer, I mean architect) interview on Fast Company’s Co.Design: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663906/our-interview-with-dieter-rams-the-greatest-designer-alive-video?partner=co_newsletter A few insights from Rams: Design should be about making our lives a little bit easier and better. His credo: “Less but better.” He advocates that...
Read MoreCreative Habit: An Oxymoron
Innovate or die… many of us are likely familiar with the idea that organizations must innovate to stay competitive and survive. But, what does it mean for an organization to innovate? Innovation is creativity in action. It is applied creativity. Organizations that develop a habit of applied creativity or a “creative habit” are more likely to be innovative and have long-term...
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