Detroit – From Decay to Opportunity
The story of Detroit (my home town) is an unfinished book. We can continue to point fingers, cry in our soup, and long for the days gone by. Or we can DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. We can own it, fix it, and rebuild it. This is our time. This is our defining moment.
Read MoreThe Seven Deadly Sins of Creativity
Don’t let these Evil Seven poison your thinking and murder your imagination. Remain vigilant, and when these nefarious forces emerge, don’t wait for the authorities to arrive – take matters into your own hands.
Read MoreThink Like a Jazz Combo
I’ve had the privilege of performing jazz guitar on stage for nearly 30 of my 40 years. Live improvisation is an adrenaline rush like no other. Spontaneous creativity in real-time.
Read MoreLessons from Charlie Sheen
Along with millions of others this past week, Charlie Sheen’s dramatic and self-destructive rants captivated me. Although disturbing, we all noticed and paid attention. Coffee shops and water coolers were all abuzz about Charlie, and not about Milton down in accounting.
Read MoreISMs
Altruism. Sexism. Nationalism. An “ism” is a suffix that refers to a strong principle or belief. It is a set of values so powerful, it drives behavior and serves as a beacon for those who subscribe. The best companies and leaders have ISM’s of their own driving their success.
Read MoreSPECIAL EDITION: Disciplined Dreaming
After two years of research, I am thrilled to announce that my new book has launched and is widely available for purchase. Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity offers a 5-part process that will transform your organization – and your career – into a non-stop creativity juggernaut.
Read More21 Quotes on Creativity
This week, I decided to share the wisdom of others. Here are 21 hand-picked quotes on creativity.
Read MoreThink like a Startup
I’m often surprised that the most innovative breakthroughs come from startups with almost no money, experience, or resources.
Read MoreGreenhouse vs. Prison
A friend of mine’s passion is growing orchids. We’re talking perfect, exotic, contest-winning orchids.
Read MoreArt is the New Math
I was recently helping my 13-year-old son Noah with his math homework. Long division. By hand. Ewwww.
Read More“I have an IDEA” vs. “I have a CONCERN”
In meetings, what do you suppose the ratio is at your company between these two phrases? What do you think the ratio was five years ago? What is the ratio at Google?
Read More2011: The Year of Creativity
Most of us set bold resolutions at this time each year. Unfortunately, most of us will fall short. Losing those pesky ten pounds, landing your dream relationship or getting that raise are too often based on wishful thinking instead of actually being resolved. We don’t miss the mark due to lack of good intentions… we […]
Read MoreThree Magic Questions
In an era where creativity and original thought are the currency of success, three simple questions will lead you to more (and more astounding) breakthroughs. Tape these to the walls, make them into a screensaver, and tattoo them on your teammates: 1. Why? 2. What if? 3. Why not? Most of us have become trained […]
Read More11 Thoughts for My New Nephew
My sister Sarah had a baby on Saturday morning – a big beautiful boy named Lane. It got me thinking about what advice I’d give to someone who will graduate high school in 2029, have kids of his own around 2040 and, with advances in healthcare and a little luck, should ring in the year […]
Read MoreDeer in Headlights Die
We can all picture that hapless deer. Frozen with fear and awaiting the inevitable, the immobilized soul locks up instead of leaping to safety. As decent people, we just wish that sorry creature would get moving and avoid the Mack truck, racing 70 miles per hour to put an end to this innocent being. With […]
Read More“My Hands Are Tied”
I’m sorry sir, my hands are tied.” These were the appalling words I heard twice in the last week – one from a large mobile phone network, and one from a health insurance carrier. Both were from customer service reps that were clearly un-empowered, bitter, and really didn’t care much about helping me (so much […]
Read MoreGet SNUBA’d
The scuba industry in Hawaii was facing a real problem. Declining sales, increased competition for shrinking entertainment dollars, and new consumer alternatives were creating a downward spiral. While scuba diving was an incredible experience, it was a real burden to customers. It requires certification, carrying heavy tanks, and restrictions on when you can fly home […]
Read MoreThe Downside of Traditions
If you live in the U.S., you’ll probably be celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday. And if I asked you what you were serving for dinner, you’d give me a puzzled look and think to yourself, “who is this idiot?” Like a couple hundred million others, you’ll be enjoying turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and all the other […]
Read MoreMe Too No More
There’s a pattern in business in which an original, breakthrough idea is launched to great fanfare success; then it’s copied repeatedly by the pack of followers. As a result of copy-cat innovation, many industries are swimming in a sea of sameness. The airline industry, for example, is full of me-too players whose offerings are virtually […]
Read MoreThe Long List
When developing ideas, we’re always told to shoot for quality over quantity. Here’s a powerful technique that flips the model, and drives higher quality by way of quantity… In my undergraduate work at the University of Florida, I was an Advertising major. One time, I was in a course about creating magazine and newspaper ads. […]
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