I was particularly disturbed and confused by the front cover of the July 19th edition of Canadian Business that boldly proclaims, “How brainstorming kills good ideas”.

Disturbed and confused at least until I got to what I will call the moment of truth (on page 91), “…people in groups examined a more limited range of suggestions. The reason, according to Kohn, is fixation.  That is, as soon as one member of the group offers an idea, the others get stuck on it and conform their own thinking to the suggestion.  Creativity, in effect, is stifled. In many cases, we may not even be aware that fixation is occurring”.

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There are many definitions of innovation but, as always, business is ultimately about making sales.  So, let’s get to the point.  To be successful on a continuous basis, you need new ideas; one’s that can be commercialized.  What does that mean?  Your idea is relevant to your current or next-great customer group, and that you have the means to bring it to market in a timely and profitable manner.

Where do the ideas come from? (more…)

At a recent keynote address, I found myself asking attendees if they noticed the one thing that all of the athletes at the winter Olympics had in common, “ A coach.”

It is amazing how many growing companies do not have a support system (formal or informal) in place to support the founders, owners and C-suite. Why is it that we expect ourselves to have all of the answers when world leaders in performance (athletes and businesspeople) regularly have advisors to turn to in the form of individual coaches or formalized boards of advisors or directors.
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