The bias against creativity is one of the 12 defensive traps that leaders have to overcome, if they want fresh bold ingenious high-potential people to bring forward a stream of fresh bold ingenious high-potential ideas. This article from Quartz says creativity is often perceived as a threat, even by the executives who want it. When the C-suite is threatened by [...]
With all of the volatile complex ambiguities facing anyone in business today, no wonder it takes resilience - grit - tenacity - optimism - courage to turn adversity into opportunity and thrive. But what happens when a leader’s Courage is so overpowering that it stifles the initiative - confidence - enthusiasm of coworkers or subordinates? And inhibits rather than vitalizes innovation? According to [...]
If you're an innovation leader who's been asked to build a strategy that can take a product, technology, alliance or service to a new level of value-creation - or transform a line of business to stay competitive in a volatile uncertain complex aggressive (VUCA) market - don't be surprised when your Courage is tested along with your intellect, creativity and [...]
"Before we wrote a single line of code or sketched our first product idea, we watched our buyers and users and saw their problems. We understood their frustrations - and saw what cost them time, money and misunderstandings. We understood how they worked and what they would and would not do with technology." That's what Mallorie Brodie and Lauren Lake told [...]
If you're "only" VP or Director (in American, not British, management levels) - it's tempting to look up the chain of command and ask, "Are our C-level leaders doing all they can to create an innovation culture?" And the answer, most of the time, is "No." So - what can you do if you're handed an assignment that asks you [...]
Groupthink. Maybe we should call it "the Theranos trap" - when a high-power hard-charging visioning true-believer CEO refuses to listen to risk assessments - and assumes her best hopes are validated because high-status marquis-value celebrities who know little about the business are WOW'd by the vision. Check out this post - and the article from the Washington Post about "the [...]
Case study: You be the coach - with this new Supply Chain Director This post is a real-life case we faced - working with the Global Supply Chain Director in a global pharma R&D corporation. The client's identity is disguised, of course. But the facts are real. After reading the facts, you be the coach - and offer your suggestions to [...]
Case study #1 for LDP participants: You be the coach-orig Dear LDP colleague: This private post is for VWR LDP participants, sponsors, HRBPs, faculty and alumni. We will use it for online discussions - and as a forum for you to share leadership ideas. This blog will give you the first opportunity to share your leadership thinking and your ideas with the LDP community. In this post, [...]
Google's Project Aristotle asked why some of their innovation teams soar and others sputter. Their results were reported in the New York Times. According to Google's research, innovation teams that soar create "psychological safety" for each other. But "safety" doesn't mean settling for what's easy, routine, average. With "psychological safety," teams that soar PowerUP imagination, initiative, take-charge can-do possibility thinking and Courage - [...]
How do you deliver the message, so your Next Year Performance Discussion (and Last Year Retrospective) is an ennobling, uplifting motivating call to action? The 5 PowerUP Steps give you a formula that will keep the dialogue positive even if there are though messages to take to heart. Here's how: 1. AIM high. Define success in the coming year. Show your [...]
