Innovate or Fritter: A Story of Life
An essay on BIF2015. Attending the Business Innovation Factory (BIF) Summit is an experience of 32 storytellers and over 400 attendees sharing their perspectives, initiatives, fears, and joys. Determining a common theme is challenging, yet some emerge. The subject mix is diverse, as are the people. Education, business, social good, music, and food are just…
3 Things Highly Successful People Master Consistently
Guest Post by Stephanie C.N. Our culture has always been fascinated by highly successful people. We study their habits, lifestyle choices and strategies in order to best figure out ways to mimic and apply their methods of success. In fact, there are many books, blogs, articles and movies dedicated primarily to helping people achieve personal success…
5 Tips for Building Creative Communities
It’s no secret that Millennials are a creative bunch. In fact, we’ve been dubbed the most creative generation in history on more than one occasion. I see it clearly myself. Practically every Millennial I know is carving their own path. They’re making lemonade out of lemons. They’re diversifying themselves. They’re playing up their strengths and…
Is Innovation Stalled? Not at BIF10.
Attending #BIF10 was rewarding. I am a first time attendee and am grateful to Deb Scofield for providing the final nudge to my registration. BIF stands for Business Innovation Factory, and they host an annual conference where storytellers share their experiences and insights into the why, how, and what they innovate and create. The conference…
Why Title and Experience Don’t Matter: 3 Questions that Anyone Can Ask
Guest Post by Patti Johnson Unexpected contributors Emma Scheffler had big plans to play soccer and have a high school experience to remember. She and her family learned why she hadn’t been feeling well during a four day stay in the hospital. She was diagnosed with diabetes. Could she carry on with her love of…
What Solving Puzzles Can Teach Students
Guest Post by Ben Russel Most of us have dealt with solving puzzles at a very tender age and never really think about how puzzles enhance our very capability to reason or understand situations. Puzzles, at the most basic level, are disjointed, colorful pieces of cardboard, which come together to form a bright and interesting “drawing”…
Empower Innovation with Millennials
Deloitte (an alma mater of mine) recently published their annual survey results on Millennials and innovation. The results are always enlightening and highlight the importance of moving to a Conscious Capitalism model of business. Conscious Capitalism takes a broader view of business, focusing more on purpose, engagement, and community all which will enhance innovation and…
The Impact of Millennials: Big and Bold
Many different surveys and infographics highlight expectations and challenges ahead for Millennials, the largest generation standing at 14% of the population. A special thanks to Ryan at USC for sending me a link to the Nonprofit Colleges Online infographic. Here are some key findings in it: Millennials are more tolerant than any other generation by…
Wanna Work Smarter? Cool Down on Multitasking
Is multitasking a good thing? Do you work smarter when multitasking. Here are some ideas on how to do both in a better way.
Are Connections Overshadowing Collaboration?
We are hyper-connected today, and there are real metrics to showcase. Just look at the counts. Whether it is connections in LinkedIn, people in Google+ circles, followers in Twitter, or likes in Facebook, there are numbers to track. Dig below the surface though. Do we find collaboration in those connections? It is a question I…
Does Innovation Go Too Far at Times?
In the Wall Street Journal, a puzzling question blazed as a headline: “Is Innovation Killing the Soap Business?” There is an interesting thing happening in the soap industry. In early 2012, Tide® Pods™ were introduced. In a press release, this bold statement was made by P&G: “In a world where innovation and technology are constantly…
Innovation Generation: Insights Learned from Nick D’Aloisio
He has been all over the news the past week. It is a story we find amazing. Nick D’Aloisio, a 17-year old, sold his company, Summly, to Yahoo for an estimated $30 million. It is the American dream of innovation. Today, it is a global dream, as Nick lives in London and will join the…