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On this INDEPENDENCE Day, Give Our Teams the Gift of FREEDOM
For those of us in the United States, yesterday was Independence Day… a day to celebrate and reflect upon our freedom. From the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776: We hold these truths to...
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The DOMINO EFFECT for Superior Innovation
“Did we actually face our critics and reinvent our pizza from the crust up? Oh Yes We Did!” In 2009, Domino’s made a dramatic, bold, and risky move, with a product and commercial reinvention of...
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The Lost Art of the TEAM… the “Fantasy” versus the “Reality”
With football season just around the corner, two of my favorite pasttimes are about to start consuming my thoughts and my free time… the National Football League and my Fantasy Football League. With...
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The Perils of FIREFIGHTING in the Office… STOP, DROP, and ROLL
I can’t remember the last time I have needed a vacation as much as the one I am starting today. And it is not that I am just excited for a few days off or hoping for a little rest & relaxation… I...
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The CARTWHEEL EFFECT of Innovation- Perception versus… Perception
My oldest daughter is an amazing kid. She is extremely clever, very graceful, and more daring than any 8-year old girl I know (if I do say so myself!). She is also entirely independent (stubbornly...
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Break the ADRENALINE ADDICTION and stop Workaholism before it Starts
My name is Mike and I’m a Workaholic. And… I am not alone. A wise former manager of mine once gave me a valuable piece of advice, one which I initially ignored but have since leveraged and repeated...
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Remember that INNOVATION PROCESSES Work for You… You Don’t Work for the...
I will begin with a disclaimer… I am not a process-oriented individual. I am, by nature, a divergent and chaotic thinker who craves freedom and creativity in my work. I am one of those “crazy”...
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Is your Innovation Reward System Miserables?
In the course of writing blog entries over the past several months, I’ve pulled inspiration from Walt Disney, Superheroes, Star Wars, and American Football. Now, in an effort to show that I have a...
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What is your FIELD OF DREAMS?
“I’m 36 years old, I love my family, I love baseball and I’m about to become a farmer. But until I heard the voice, I’d never done a crazy thing in my whole life“. -Ray Kinsella from Field of Dreams...
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RAIDERS OF THE LOST “R”… Putting the “R” back in “R&D”
Indiana Jones has to be one of the greatest movie heroes of all time- on one hand, a “nerdy” college professor, but on the other… a swashbuckling, archaeologist adventurer! Of the four Indiana Jones...
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Our Career is a RACE… but Why are we RUNNING?
Running… I will be honest, I am not a fan. My wife is an outstanding marathoner (although she considers herself an avid runner who merely dabbles in marathons… which is a remarkably consistent...
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Why I Refuse to Let ‘BLACK FRIDAY’s Ruin My ‘THANKSGIVING’s
At long last, it is finally Thanksgiving. Best. Holiday. Ever. Okay… as a disclaimer, I am very much the stereotypical, “lazy” guy when it comes to this glorious holiday. I don’t cook. I don’t...
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So I Know I Can “Preach”… 2014 is the Year to “Practice”
2013 was a productive year… but it was a hard year. To paraphrase a colleague, “We got alot of amazing stuff done, but the journey sucked.” For me… I worked too hard, and I worked out too little. I...
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Want Your Team to be SUPER Risk-Takers? Be a SUPER Consequence-Taker
It’s Super Bowl weekend, and as an avid NFL fan I plan to plant myself in front of the big-screen, to eat some unhealthy “football food”, and to watch anxiously to see how the Big Game plays out in...
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Business Travel by Mega-Bus… and Other First-World Problems
Over the course of my career, I have traveled the world. With domestic travel to virtually every major metropolitan area in the United States, and international travel around Europe, South America,...
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Know When to Hold ‘Em and Know When to Fold ‘Em… Playing the Poker Game of...
Over the past several weeks, the “Poker” metaphor has come up repeatedly in discussions with my teams… not at all surprising when working with innovative minds and risk taking spirits. The game of...
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From Lego to “Let it Go”… Innovation Lessons Learned from Attending Movies...
The Academy Awards have come and gone, and while it was all over the media… I honestly did not pay too much attention. Outside of American Hustle, which I managed to catch during my crazy “Megabus”...
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The Fable of the Dangling Carrot
A long time ago, in a meadow far, far away… there lived three rabbits. They were all happy, hard-working, and ambitious young bunnies who supported themselves and their families by farming lettuce in...
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I Think, Therefore I Am… I Do, Therefore I Am Busy… I Create, Therefore I am...
My Spring Break started yesterday at 5:13 p.m. (but who’s counting?), and I am more than looking forward to having 9 days away from the office. I am taking a “Stay-cation”, so instead of packing up...
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Let the Players Play, and the Coaches Coach
I am coming off of a long publishing hiatus, as my crazy spring (yes, I realize that it is July) has come to a close. Bear with me as I finally try on my new format here- instead of holding myself to...
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