These videos are from Chris Brogan’s Over Night Success Series. There are 9 videos total covering topics such as Grinding vs Clocking – Time and the Overnight Success, Pity Party, Small Talk is Big, Belief Systems, The Competition, What it Takes, No Excuses & A Call to Arms. These videos are great even if you aren’t an over night success, even if you aren’t a success. These 3 are my favorite (although it was hard to pick) Take time off – I’ve said it before you need your down time but I’m always happy to point out when others say the same thing. :-) Don’t believe the hype – I included this one because Chris says – by over night success I mean 10 years of hard work. Here’s another bag of money – on excuses. We all make excuses that become between us and our goals. Decide what your priorities are. Stop making excuses. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Share on FriendFeed Buzz it up Share on netvibes share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Buzz it up Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Tell a friend
Innovation
The Seven Deadly Sins of Innovators
Do you know what they are? Are you committing them? 1. Lust: Innovating in a space you have no business being in. 2. Gluttony: Trying to create too many initiatives with too few resources. 3. Greed: Taking short-term profits at the expense of long-term growth. 4. Sloth: Taking short cuts—not doing the hard work, not following the proven process. 5. Wrath: Being so focused on your competition that you miss the same opportunities your rivals are missing. 6. Envy: In the context of innovation, envy means launching a “me too” product instead of finding a space you can own. 7. Pride: You won’t give up on your favorite idea—even when the numbers prove you’re wrong. From a Business Week article on the sins of innovation and how you can stop yourself from committing them. See the full article for complete description and most importantly, how to stop yourself from committing them. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Share on FriendFeed Buzz it up Share on netvibes share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Buzz it up Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Tell a friend
Want to Innovate? Stop Working So Hard
Putting in all those extra hours, either from the office or home, isn’t helping you. At least not with creativity, innovation or those ah-ha! moments. Some of our greatest moments of insight happen where we least expect them to. From the Wallstreet Journal: It happened to Archimedes in the bath. To Descartes it took place in bed while watching flies on his ceiling. And to Newton it occurred in an orchard, when he saw an apple fall. From the same article but even more interesting: Left to its own devices, our brain activates several areas associated with complex problem solving, which researchers had previously assumed were dormant during daydreams. Moreover, it appears to be the only time these areas work in unison. Of course it’s not as simple as just lounging about in your robe & fuzzy slippers. You have to prepare in order to enable those insights to happen. From Fast Company: The researchers found support for the idea that blinding insights favor a prepared mind–that is, you’ve got to really internalize the problem at hand if you’re to find any sort of solution. But to actually bring those insights to life, you’ve got to step back. More Readings A Wandering
The Hazards of Leading Culture Change
I’m thinking about change and culture and innovation a great deal these days so I’m reading everything I can get my hands on. I came across this paper, or manifesto – The Hazards of Leading Culture Change. Its concise but packed with good stuff! Some of my favorite points: When you are up to your backside in alligators, it is hard to remember you were there to drain the swamp. …the illusion of advancement is far worse than none at all. Three turtles sat on a log in the edge of the swamp. One decided to jump in. How many are now on the log? Nope, there are still three. Deciding and doing are not the same thing. Leaders sometime achieve their positions through competencies in other than superior leadership of people. Without hands-on trial and error and confrontation of outdated behaviors – all done with a helpful but unswerving facilitator – employees will not likely give up obsolete tasks Old ways can die hard – for employees and for customers. Even if the old way has been a negative to customers, they have learned to deal with it. They also can harbor some of the same cynicism as employees,
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