Gregg Fraley

It occurred to me that Innovators need music as much as, maybe more than, everyone else. Music is an unparalleled source of inspiration for many people, so why would innovators be any different? So, what would the inspired Innovators ultimate playlist be? I’ve created the ultimate playlist for innovators — based on experience, and suggestions from friends on Twitter and Facebook. Now, it’s a given that there might be different playlists for different innovator mind-frames, like, what to play when doing research, or what to play when building a prototype, doing idea generation, etc.  Those might come later.  But this list is the generic all purpose one. I say Innovator in my title, but this is a post for Entrepreneurs

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I feel compelled to write something about J.D. Salinger. I loved his work and read all of it, which sadly for fans such as I, wasn’t really that much.  Beyond Catcher in the Rye, there was Franny and Zooey, Nine Stories, and Raise High the Roombeam Carpenters, and Seymour an Introduction. This is his body of work. And, what incredible work. These stories are gifts, they are some of the richest, most colorful, romantic, accessible, entertaining, and multi-layered fiction written in the last 100 years. For me personally it was an introduction to writing as an art form, but also to the world beyond my provincial Cincinnati. It was a glimpse into Oz-like New York, into genius, insanity, fantasy, humor,

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I have no idea who Steven Weber is, but I’m going to find out. He posted a piece on The Huffington Post today that I think is brilliant. In my view, it’s one of those things that needs to be said more often.  The simple fact Steven brings up is this: creativity leads to prosperity. Value is created with creative thinking. Now, Steven actually said “Creativity and Prosperity: Not as Incompatible as You Think”. His focus is on the entertainment industry in the piece, but the broader truth is, it’s a cross-industry thing. Many managers believe that creativity is not something you want because it means a loss of control. And when creativity is suppressed they have the illusion of

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I’m a big fan of keeping an idea notebook. There’s been research done that indicates it’s a real aid to creative effectiveness.  Any innovator worth his — or her — salt should be keeping some kind of idea notebook. I’ve been researching and speaking about famous notebook users and it occured to me (okay, I was told…) that all my examples — Edison, DaVinci, Kerouac, etc. — are men.  The first woman that came to mind, Madame Curie, probably kept lab notebooks, but I can’t seem to find documentation to support the claim. Google, for once, let me down — couldn’t seem to find women idea note-bookers. I put out a call to my network for examples of Idea-Notebook-using-women, and

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“Giving back” is the phrase one often hears from celebrities who use some of their fame and fortune to help others.  Successful business people often give back as well, but we don’t usually hear about it. That’s why I was taken by the story of HUM Girlfriends (HUM is the Hindi/Urdu word for “We”). Innovators are made, not born, and it’s fascinating how support, encouragement, and cultural values make a big difference in success. HUM Girlfrirends is the moniker of seven remarkable women of Indian origin.  The seven met at a recent ESOMAR (market research industry) conference in Switzerland.  It dawned on Anumita Sharma (of the third eye Marketing Intelligence Research) as she watched six other women of Indian origin

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I do a few book reviews here. Mostly, books about innovation, creativity, or entrepreneurship.  A press release landed on my desk yesterday related to a new book titled “Swimming From Under My Father” by Michael O’Keefe. Michael O’Keefe is an actor.  And bad news/good news, is probably best known for playing the role of Danny Noonan in Caddyshack (and well done, I’ve always had a perverse love for that film). He’s done other interesting roles in various TV shows and films, including Michael Clayton with George Clooney and The Great Santini with Robert Duvall. For more about Michael’s career, and interesting life, click through to Wikipedia. So, I’d heard about his new book on Facebook before seeing the press release

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Last weekend 5 tons of cobblestones were delivered to my meadow. Over the next three days a small team of three carved a space out of the woods (no trees were sacrificed!) and created a Chartres Cathedral style Labyrinth.  It was very hard work carrying all that stone and laying it down — my hamstrings still ache from pushing that wheelbarrow around. When we completed the 11 “circuits” and walked the path for the first time, I emerged with some insights about a challenge in my life I’ve been confronted with. It felt like magic. Now for the skeptics among my readers let me just say that I was where you are, and not so long ago. For a few

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I am a huge fan of TED. I’ve never been in person but have watched countless inspirational video’s.  TED is amazing, and, TED is a puppy, a youngster, compared to CPSI.  CPSI is the Creative Problem Solving Institute and it’s the longest running creativity conference in the world, 55 years. If you think you know creativity, think again, and get your…self…to CPSI. It’s coming up in June (21st – 24th in Boston) so still time to register and attend. They have featured keynote speakers like Dean Kamen (inventor) and Sarah Miller Caldicott (author and grand daughter of Thomas Edison),  but the real power of CPSI is in the cross-pollination that occurs between participants and leaders. It’s hard to say if

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I don’t watch The Apprentice often, although I will be from now on. (UK version) I watched last night and was astounded by the bad business practices that are rewarded — and the good ones that are not.  It’s a study in bad innovation practice watching these young candidates struggle. So much so that another show could be produced simply to show how it ought to be done! I’ve got an idea for you Sir Alan! The basic premise of the show seems to be about survival.  It makes for good entertainment, but I think Corporate Darwinism does not make for good innovation in the real world. I could write 5000 words on this, and maybe I will later, but

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Creative inspiration is everywhere you look. When I see something interesting I make an effort to connect it — use it — to help me with some challenge I’m processing. These five dresses were hung up at an open market in High Wycombe. I found them intriguing because of the color, and the diversity of looks (polka dots!), and it was a bit of a nice surprise to turn the corner and see them. The technique is called Forced Association and it forms the basis for many creative thinking tools. It’s not always easy — because you are creating a brand new connection in your mind — nothing may come to you immediately.  If you can’t seem to make a

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