Inspiration

31 Aug

If something is comfortable, it won’t lead to progress.

Growth was seen as an endless series of daily choices and decisions in each of which one can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.Abraham H. Maslow[1. Abraham H. Maslow, The Psychology of Science: A Reconnaissance, 1966.]

If you’re comfortable, you’re not growing. It’s the uncomfortable things that make us grow.

The same is true of business: companies that embrace discomfort as a regular part of business life are more likely to achieve their goals and move closer and closer to fulfilling their company vision than those that don’t.

Companies that stay comfortable—which feels great in the moment—end up losing in the long run, which doesn’t feel so great.

Discomfort is a prerequisite for change.

12:02 / Creativity / Inspiration / Leadership / Marketing
24 Aug

You’re a better designer if you love the people you’re designing for. Fred Dust, IDEO Partner, quoted in Bernadette Jiwa’s Meaningful I’m surprised how many companies don’t love their customers. They talk about being customer-centric or even customer-obsessed, but they don’t love the customer they have. Instead,...

10:49 / Inspiration / Marketing
17 Aug

Today the campfire is called a computer or a television 
 Drama goes back to the beginning of civilization around the campfire, where the tribe comes together, and they say, “My God, did you see what blah blah did with that mountain lion today?” And the other guy says, “I’ll tell you one better than that.” 
 [W}e tell stories that unite the tribe. We reinforce our tribal unity. We say, this is how we do things here. David Mamet, MasterClass.com
If the computer is the new campfire, social media is the biggest campfire ever built. Most companies invest a lot of money in social media because they know they have to. But, few know what to do with it.
10:18 / Inspiration / Marketing
03 Aug

Magic has long held a special place in the nation’s history. American magicians perform in arenas, theaters, and even backyards. No matter how big or small, a magic show will always inspire wonder. Today as a member of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, I am honored...

11:46 / Inspiration / Marketing
13 Jul

In Alexander the Great’s conquest of Persia, the Macedonian King upset his military compatriots and childhood friends by marrying Roxana. Roxana was the daughter of a minor Persian baron. That is, she was not from Macedonia; she was not of Greek blood. This outraged Alexander’s men who...

09:50 / Inspiration / Marketing
18 May

Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.George Lois, Damn Good Advice
When Leon Battista Alberti declared, “A man can do all things if he will,” he condensed the ideals of the Renaissance into the figure of the Renaissance Man—a person with knowledge of a wide range of subjects. Since then, knowledge has become very specialized and having the breadth of knowledge in the wide range of subjects embraced by Renaissance Men is impossible. The Renaissance man still walks among us, but we now call him groups. A group can have a collective knowledge that far exceeds the knowledge of any individual. Brainstorming, invented by advertising executive Alex Osborn, was designed to maximize effective and creative group problem-solving. Research on brainstorming initially failed to show an increase in the number and quality of ideas when compared to individuals working alone; but in the last two decades, research has revealed that brainstorming can be productive if the procedures guard against impediments that naturally occur like conversation being controlled by a limited number of individuals and shared data being disproportionately represented. When small groups of individuals attempt to collectively arrive at a solution through discussion, great solutions can be uncovered.
08:30 / Creativity / Inspiration / Leadership / Personal Development
04 May

Bright background THE BIG IDEA: Creativity doesn’t happen in a flash of insight; it’s the result of a lifetime of learning.

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Most businesses isolate creativity to specific parts of the organization; they treat it as if only a chosen few can tap into the mystical force of creativity. Part of this stems from a belief that only some departments can benefit from creative thinking. But, great businesses know that creative solutions can come from anywhere within the organization. The other part is the result of the way we believe creativity happens: in a flash of insight that only happens to a chosen few.
09:30 / Creativity / Inspiration / Personal Development
27 Apr

Breaking down silos can spark innovation in unexpected ways. Gillian Tett, The Silo Effect You’ve seen it before: team members thinking about themselves more than the team; Every man and woman for themselves; a business composed of silos rather than being a cohesive organization. Silos create inefficiency, waste...

10:49 / Inspiration / Leadership
20 Apr

In today’s cluttered and over-assorted market, the conversation in organizations often focuses on the importance of brand differentiation. The need to create or identify a position or particular area of emphasis that is different than what competitors currently offer customers. At face value, the idea...

10:22 / Inspiration / Marketing