Gregg Fraley

I’m a fan of the work of Richard Florida. Florida has written several books about the “creative class”.  He examines why certain places seem to be hotbeds of creativity and innovation. Simply put, “creative” communities that are tolerant, and have an interesting arts scene, tend to also be communities that attract new business development. You don’t have to read Florida to intuitively know that some places just “feel” like better spots to start a business.  Silicon Valley, if you’ve ever been there, has that feel. Austin, Texas has that feel.  Apparently New Zealand and Singapore have that feel.  And, those areas are indeed hotbeds for entrepreneurial development. Florida did the studies that proved this out. I’m going to go a

Read More..

For about a week I’ve been struggling with how to frame Grant McCracken‘s latest book, Chief Culture Officer, How to Create a Living , Breathing, Corporation.  I like the book a great deal — it makes me want to run out and get a degree in anthropology.  To start, this book has a wealth of insight and perspective on how culture — and I mean that in the broadest of all possible ways — impacts innovation. That said, I didn’t have a theme for my comments, but it came to me this morning, and the theme is… “holistic.” Holistic Innovation is something I preach and it’s amazing it took me this long to connect the dots of my current mantra and

Read More..

One Young World — it almost sounds like a Disney song, all sweetness, light, and hope. It’s not a Disney song — it’s an innovative new non-profit organization dedicated to giving young adults a voice. One Young World intends to allow, for the first time, future leaders to shape the agenda of the world they are stepping into. They’re doing this by setting up a global conference — of 25 year olds! Sounds pretty idealistic doesn’t it? Sir Bob Geldof, Kofi Annan, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are among those who think so and are actively supporting the effort.  Professor Nick Haysom (United Nations Director of Political Affairs), Carole Stone (Managing Director of YouGovStone) and Elio Leoni Sceti (Chief Executive, EMI

Read More..

News reports of the vast numbers of children, particularly in the USA, who are receiving anti-psychotic drugs is alarming. The number of kids taking these drugs has doubled in the last five years. I’m not a medical expert but clearly something is wrong here. I believe the reason for the increase in these prescriptions is a combination of not enough parental attention, the need to control naturally energetic children, and a drug industry that is only too ready to provide a solution. I’m sure these drugs have there place, but the numbers are so starkly wacky that this screams inappropriate prescribing. Kids have lots of energy, but what they need is exercise, attention, and avenues for self-expression. Their excess energy

Read More..

It occurred to me that I don’t often share my very different thinking and frankly wacky ideas. I have a lot of ideas. I get paid to have them for my clients and because they are in the corporate for-profit context I’m not able to talk about them. However, I have ideas about a lot of things, products, the environment, government, services that just come to me from out of the blue (and observations). Here are a few I’ve been thinking about lately in no particular order. Feel free to send me builds — that’s what blogs are for. 1. Create a Great American Car I heard Bill O’Rielly on the radio a couple days ago and he was talking

Read More..