How do we get more companies on board to do the new dance, the Idea  Management Adoption Slide?  It’s Holistic! I wrote an article two years ago that stated managers will lose their jobs, at some point, for not adopting Idea Management Systems (IMS).  Those who read this blog know I’m an advocate and believer in IMS, and I’ll point you to the original article (Idea Management, the Measure of Innovation) for all the good reasons and concrete benefits. I’m not the only one who thinks this, I found a more recent blog post by Ron Shulkin, who wrote comprehensive piece on the topic. I haven’t heard of anyone losing their job yet, and there is anecdotal evidence of more adoption

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If It’s Not a Creative Solution, I’m Not Interested. The tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has me thinking about political discourse in the USA. My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones, and my heart goes out to all Americans. Once again we grieve over guns and politics. As a “Boomer” it takes me back to another time, in a sad way.  I am once again sitting in grade school and hearing over the loud speaker that John F. Kennedy, my hero, our President, had been shot, and once again, I’m re-living the shooting deaths of Robert F Kennedy , and Martin Luther King. Dead hero’s all, it’s not a proud legacy. I now pray

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Some people have no idea what it means to have a “Generative Discussion.” A generative discussion is when people talk, and in the process of discussing something, use a bit of vision, imagination, and ideation. Entrepreneurs and inventors are good at this; they tend to always be looking for the opportunity in what’s being talked about. “What If…” or “Wouldn’t it be Cool If…” or “How Might We…” are phrases you often hear. Now dig, I’m not talking about brainstorming (in any of its many forms and definitions).  I’m talking about, well, talking — but with a creative twist. Creative talking, Innovative talking (aka a Generative Discussion) is more than debate — which is usually about proving how right you

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Some people don’t gift unneeded presents to each other at Christmas (or other winter holidays) they instead find some very worthy cause. It’s a creative way to spread love and goodwill at this time of year. If you are one of those people, or, are considering that generous holiday-love-gifting, please read on, I’d like to tell you a story. The story begins, for me, with my new KILN business partner Kate Hammer. On meeting her earlier this year, my first impression of her was something like “clever businessey intellectual” but now I’d have to modify that to “big-hearted clever businessey intellectual.” Kate saw a challenge someone in her community was having — and she’s been moved to help organize a

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I’m not the best promoter in the world. I’m not the worst either. As a writer, I often feel like a doctor who complains that all the paperwork “isn’t practicing medicine.” Promoting my book is like that for me, it doesn’t feel like what I do, or what I should be doing. In spite of what I feel, however, I would be wrong.  As an author it is part of the gig to promote, flog, expose, market, and sell the living hell out of your own books. For those of you who aspire to publish a book — and make lots of money — let me tell you some hard truth’s about the writing game. But first, please, go to

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Generally, I’m not so pleased with my iPhone camera.  Still, maybe it’s not the camera as much as the person behind it. I spotted (forgive the pun) an ankle on the train.  I hadn’t seen anyone wearing leopard hose in ages and it was visually striking. One nice thing about an iPhone camera is it doesn’t look like a camera. Did some minor enhancements in Photoshop, this then, is my Leopard Ankle.

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Brainstorming. What does the word mean to you?  How would you define it? Charting on an easel? Post-It notes? Or White Board doodles? A vigorous debate or discussion? Wall murals with Mind-Maps and other Graphic Facilitation tools? Virtual ideation using an online system? A wander in the woods thinking?  Other types of “excursions?” A group of people exchanging ideas? An intensive one or two day session of idea generation Improvisation games or other kinesthetic exercises to stimulate ideas? How the originator defined it, that is, Alex Osborn in “Your Creative Power” and “Applied Imagination” A generic term for idea generation that includes 1-10 and more… Those of you who read this blog often, know I got caught in something of

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Train drawings…four faces.

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Am off tonight to do a Pecha Kucha presentation at an event organized by Simon Strong of Human Zoo. It looks like a fascinating line-up of tasty Pecha’s. It’s good fun to create something as scaled down as 20 slides at 20 seconds each.  It forces you to get to the essence of things.  In preparing for tonight, I put together what I think is an insightful set of 20 statements about innovation that I’m calling “Innovation in a Nutshell” or less PC, “No BS Innovation”.  Sharing my work with you here… So, please, tell me what you think of the following.  My intent is to take Innovation back to the absolute basics — if you follow this guide, you

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There is a memorable scene in Godfather III where Michael Corleone laments his inability to stay out of the mob game, he screams —  “Just when I thought I was out of it, they pull me back in.” This is something like my relationship with start-up companies. I’ve been involved with several, and whether they were successes or not, at the time, I always felt that this ‘was the last one.’ I don’t know why exactly. Perhaps because of the intensity of the work, or the roller coaster ride of high high’s and the low low’s. Maybe just because it’s a bit scary.  At times, back in the day, I was ambivalent about my own motives. That ambivalence is probably what

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