I had the honor of speaking at the first TEDxNASA, which took place on November 20, 2009.  I was thrilled to be involved because of my respect for both TED and NASA — and also because I had the sense that this was the start of something big.  What’s started is more than just a TED offshoot.  What’s started is a new, diverse, creative community that blends the rocket science of NASA with the “ideas worth spreading” philosophy of TED. Unless I miss my guess TEDxNASA will emerge over the next few years as the premier TEDx event.  It will also, I predict, serve as a focal point for a new, and inspiring, deliberate creativity and innovation community. TEDx is

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I’ve got nothing against the low cost, no frills airlines, they are a necessary market innovation.  They perform a real service and get me places I need to go. It’s part of the deal that you pay for food, get treated like a cow, and become intimate with people who don’t use deodorant. Airlines have to make money — I want them to!  On the other hand, it makes me very angry when somebody takes my money and doesn’t deliver, like Easy Jet. See, I’m a tallish guy, 6-1. Economy seats in planes are a bit of torture for me. So, I often take up the offer to get “Economy Plus” (that’s United’s program) or “Speedy Boarding” (Easy Jet’s) and

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Customer service has been on my mind lately.  I’ve just had an awful experience with my web hosting company (Hostway, argh…) and it got me thinking. That’s why reading Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead’s new book, BAM! Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World was so timely for me. It’s helping me dissect how Hostway is losing their edge while I deal with my very real emotions about how I’ve been treated.  But enough about those…people right now, let’s talk about BAM! Let me say straight away this is a great book on the topic.  It’s direct, readable, and elegant with a lot of keen and fresh insight into customer service. I’d say much of it is “common sense”

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I read novels for pleasure. I read business books for content.  It’s not quite that simple however. The truth is, given the full-of-bs, hyped-up, buzzword-ridden, and generally weak content many business books are filled with — I probably learn more from novels. The wisdom of the ages is found in stories. Innovators seeking a shift in perspective they can apply to business challenges would do well to read a well crafted story.  Stories also do something to infuse a bit of energy into a bored spirit, and serve as “incubation food” when you are flummoxed by a business problem. Insights tend to pop up for me when reading something completely different than the task at hand. A good example 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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Sometimes you really haven’t got much to say, in which cases, the best thing to do is say nothing.

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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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If you need some visual stimulus, check out these innovative billboards: http://10steps.sg/inspirations/artworks/50-extraordinary-and-attractive-billboards.

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A lot of innovators take time off to recharge their batteries, and that’s a good idea. Especially if you’re working on challenges that are really vexing you.  Fresh experiences and time for incubation often lead to breakthroughs. However, now, it’s fall and it’s time to put away the beach towels and get back to more deliberate work. Still, it’s not wrong to wax wistful about the good times we’ve had. Here’s a drawing that captures the feeling for me, take a look and have your own moment to savor the summer one last time. Then, get to work, it will be the holidays before we know it and if you want to get anything done this year you’d better do

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