Posts Tagged ‘innovation’
When Things Catch On
When things catch on, we often assume that their success happened en masse and out of the blue. One day an idea is invisible to us, the next it’s everywhere. The truth about ideas that fly is that they gain traction in increments. One story, one believer, one advocate at a time. We earn the…
Read MoreThe Will And The Way
My grandmother was fond of repeating the proverb: ‘Where there’s a will there’s a way.’ She’d say it to encourage us to try. I don’t think I’ve fully appreciated its power until now. Seeing how our communities and local businesses have adapted to the pandemic restrictions is proof of how innovative and resilient we are.…
Read MoreLeveraging Our Mistakes
Each day we overlook some opportunity to see or to serve. We fail to challenge our assumptions and hold fast to our opinions. The result is that we sometimes miss the opportunity to do better. This feels like bad news. But it doesn’t have to be. What if instead of saying; ‘I could kick myself…
Read MoreStart To Finish
Conventional wisdom states that you can never have too much information when solving a problem or executing on a plan. But we all know that information and data alone won’t get us to where we want to go. All problem-solving and innovation require us also to imagine a future we can’t yet see. And perhaps…
Read MoreIdeas Worth Keeping
Sometimes our best ideas come to us when we’re working with constraints. We’ve all seen hundreds of brilliant ideas and initiatives come into being as a result of communities being in isolation around the globe. Local councils in London are calling at-risk elderly to ask if they need groceries or medicines delivered. Villages have started…
Read MoreLessons From A Low-Touch World
Technology presents opportunities for efficiency and scale. And for the last century, conventional wisdom equated progress with efficiency—doing more with less friction. We’ve worked hard to build systems that scale. Frictionless innovations for a low-touch world. Now, we’re beginning to realise that what we value most are the irreplaceable high-touch interactions that don’t scale. It’s…
Read MoreBalancing Wants And Needs
On a normal day, our local supermarket stocks fifty different kinds of pasta. Right now they’re stocking two. On a normal day, customers would complain bitterly about the lack of choice. Today they’re grateful to leave the shop with two boxes of a brand of penne they’ve never tried. What we’re witnessing in real-time as…
Read MoreWhat Did You Do?
A walk down my local café strip shows just how resourceful we can be when we’re in a tough spot. Because of world events and government guidelines around group gatherings, restaurants and cafes can no longer welcome diners into their premises. But they are quickly adapting. Every café has come up with a solution. Many…
Read MoreOn Resourcefulness
When things don’t go according to plan. Remember this isn’t the first time you’ve had to change course. Make a list of all the other times you pushed through. Remind yourself of the skills and strengths you previously called on in challenging times. Tell yourself those stories today. They will stand you in good stead…
Read MoreDon’t Be Right, Be Early
Seven years ago, a member of the Zoom video conferencing sales team worked hard to demonstrate the value of their service to me. She emailed, she Zoomed, she answered questions. And I didn’t sign up. ‘I will one day,’ I promised. ‘Just not now. It’s just too early for me.’ Which was true. Few of…
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