Rethinking Innovation

Perhaps the most popular — and misunderstood — term of the first decade of the new millennium is ‘innovation.’ A new stack of books and articles is produced every year asserting the critical importance of innovation for organizations that want to survive, especially during these challenging times. And to a large extent, I agree with that assertion. Unfortunately, most organizations in search of innovation seem to be generating as much cynicism as they are new thinking. The problem isn’t so much that we’re over-stating the importance of innovation; it’s more about what so many leaders are doing with it.

Undercover Boss

As we move into the season of television re-runs, I thought I might share a thought I had about a TV show that I’ve watched recently. The truth is, I don’t watch a lot of television. That’s probably due in equal parts to my busy schedule these days and my distaste for most of what I see coming out of Hollywood. I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a grumpy old man. In any case, when it comes to knowing what is happening on Lost or 24 or American Idol, I will admit that I’m woefully uninformed. However, enough people encouraged me to watch the relatively new show Undercover Boss that I finally took the time to view a few episodes.

Discipline vs. Spontaneity

I am absolutely convinced that one of the most important keys to success in business (and life) is discipline. I am absolutely convinced that one of the most important keys to success in business (and life) is spontaneity. I am absolutely convinced that one of the greatest sources of stress in business (and life) is feeling guilty about not being disciplined or spontaneous enough, depending on your personality. As a naturally spontaneous, creative (a.k.a. disorganized) individual, I am constantly down on myself for not being more disciplined in just about every aspect of my work life.

Getting Naked Stories

Since Getting Naked was published last month, we’ve been surprised by one aspect of the response we’ve received. Though we certainly knew that the principles of the book related to consultants and anyone else who works with clients, we did not expect such an immediate and strong reaction from people who work outside of consulting. Real estate agents to financial advisors to internal service providers within corporations have responded with their own stories of getting naked. Frankly, we thought it might take more time before other professions rallied around the naked concept.

What Clients Really Want

When I graduated from college and became a management consultant, one of the first things I was taught was how to answer questions from clients without giving away my age or lack of business experience. “Instead of admitting that you graduated from college last spring, just say that it’s been a while since you were in school.” The underlying message was that we needed to portray ourselves as having more knowledge and experience than we actually did. That carried over into our work.