Paul Sloane
I am a Speaker & Author of books on lateral thinking puzzles, leadership & innovation. I help organisations to improve creativity and innovation. I give keynote talks and I facilitate brainstorms and workshops to boost your ideas, creativity & innovation. Why not book me to speak at your next meeting? www.destination-innovation.com
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- 11/10/2008
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Trinity Hall, Cambridge. MAMotto
Implementing best practice is replicating yesterday; innovation is designing tomorrow.Favorites
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Asking a Different Question Leads to Innovation E.G.The Car Parts IncubatorThis is a fine example of lateral thinking in business – by taking a different starting point it is possible to come up with a radically different solution.
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An 11 Step Plan to Get You Back into WorkThe job market is highly competitive with many applicants for each vacancy. How can you maximize your chances of getting a job offer? Try this 11 point plan.
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The Disney Method ExplainedThe Disney Method is a parallel thinking technique which has some similarities with the Six Hats. It is particularly useful as a group analysis tool. The team adopts four different thinking modes.
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Borrow with PrideSometimes the best way to innovate is to borrow someone else’s idea and apply it in your business. A successful innovation does not have to be an all-new invention. It just has to be something useful which is new to your businessl.
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Important Questions to Ask Your Aging ParentYou sometimes hear people say that they regret missed opportunities while their parents were alive and that there were things they wish they had spoken about. Make sure that you seize the chance while you can.
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Retail is Competitive - so the Leaders InnovateRetail is a desperately competitive business. The natural reaction is to compete on price with sales, customer discount coupons and special offers. However, there is always scope for innovation.
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Ask Childlike QuestionsBy asking more questions, and more basic even childish questions, we can discover insights that challenge our assumptions and allow us to reach better solutions.
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Five Questions to Ask Yourself After a SetbackThe important point is to use your setbacks as learning experiences and make them stepping stones to future success. There are always positives you can take from every episode in your life. Asking yourself these five questions can help.
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How to Be Innovative when Your Boss Isn'tIf your boss is not receptive to innovative ideas then you have to plan your approach carefully. Here are nine great ways to help your get your creative proposal approved.
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Leading Change by John Kotter Shows Us How to Drive Major TransformationsThis book has become something of a classic among management books. Kotter starts by listing eight reasons why major organisational change initiatives fail. He then goes on to give his eight point plan for leading change. -
Beating the Meeting MonsterPeople spend a great deal of time in meetings yet rarely consider how to run them better. Try these ideas and get the meetings monster under control in your business.
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Transfer the Job - Get the Customer to Do It!Take a look at the processes involved in the delivery and use of your goods and services. Break it down into a series of steps. For each step ask the question '" '˜Can we get the customer to do this?' -
Five Tips that Will Improve Your Golf SwingIdeas to help you improve at golf and get lower scores - particularly useful for the high handicap golfer.
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Seven Top Sights to See in BarcelonaBarcelona is a wonderful city for the visitor. It has an abundance of energy, culture and architecture. -
Problem Analysis TechniquesExpert facilitator and author, Paul Sloane, explains two powerful problem analysis methods - Why, Why? and Six Serving Men -
The Ballad of Howard FordA song performed by Paul Sloane, Howard Ford and Roger Jeynes. -
10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start Your Own BusinessMost new businesses fail but for those that succeed there are great personal and financial rewards.
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Stock Market ReportA humorous look at the stock market.
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Making Difficult Decisions in BusinessThere is a time for consideration and a time for decision. Leaders have to make difficult decisions.
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Leadership and InnovationSpeaker and facilitator Paul Sloane discusses the roles of leadership and innovation. -
De Bono's Six Hats ExplainedExpert facilitator Paul Sloane explains how to use the Six Hats method to speed up meetings and improve decision making. -
The Infamous Eagles Joke - CluesSome help if you are struggling with this one
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The Infamous Eagles Joke - the AnswerThe joke explained.
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The Infamous Eagles JokeCan you get it? -
Brainstorm Methods - Nominal and Reverse the ProblemExpert facilitator Paul Sloane shows you how to use the Nominal Method and Reverse the Problem to accelerate your idea generation
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Speed Up Innovation by Streamlining Your Approval ProcessMake more decisions faster. This will lead to more failures but if you fail often and fail inexpensively then you will also find winners sooner. -
Give Everyone Two JobsYou should send out the message that just doing the day job is not enough. You expect people to improve the current model and at the same time look for ways of replacing it with something better.
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Advanced Brainstorming Methods - Similes and Pass the ParcelExpert facilitator, Paul Sloane, teaches two advanced techniques. Similes and Pass the Parcel will help you to generate radical ideas in your ideation meeting.
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Brainstorming - How to Do it RightExpert facilitator Paul Sloane takes you through some of the key aspects of brainstorming with guidance on what to do and what not to do. -
Advanced Brainstorming - SCAMPER and Random WordTwo powerful ideation workshop methods, SCAMPER and Random Word, explained by expert facilitator Paul Sloane. -
Five Key Steps to Improve Your Personal FinancesThese five actions will help you get your income above your expenditure. This means you can build up your savings and remove the worry of debt.
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First Person: The Hiring Mistakes That Small Businesses MakeSelect the person who is best for the job and best for the company. Take your time and make the right decision. The people you choose today become the organization of tomorrow.
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The Unstoppable Rise of Open Innovation and CrowdsourcingThere is a powerful surge towards open innovation and crowdsourcing. These concepts hold the enticing promise of turbo-charging your new product development. -
Do You Want Happy Workers? Not NecessarilyYou want people working for you who are passionate about achieving the long-term goals of the business because they agree that they are worthwhile.
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Try This Powerful Brainstorming Method - the Random WordIf you want to generate really creative and unorthodox ideas at your brainstorm then try introducing a random stimulus.
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Five Ways to Boost Your IncomeThe world belongs to people who get up and act; not to those who just complain about things. If you want to be better off then take some actions to boost your income.
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First Person: The 6 Best Investments You Can Make in LifeIf you focus on these six investments then your increase your chances of a long, happy and fulfilling life.
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Nine Top Tips for TravellersTake some simple precautions to enjoy your foreign travel to the full.
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Five Tips on Giving Staff AppraisalsThe appraisal should be an honest and open assessment of what has happened in the preceding period and an agreed action plan for the future. If done properly it is helpful and motivational for both manager and employee.
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Be Agile - it is the Key Advantage for Small BusinessesTry some wacky ideas and quickly gauge customer reaction to them. You should try several new ideas every month.
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Prove Your Expertise - Write a BookYour book will then help you to successfully project your status as an expert on the subject.
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Internet Marketing for Small BusinessesThe internet is a fantastically versatile tool for promoting your business. You should use methods like these to make your business better known and to attract new customers.
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Why Customers Are a Poor Source of Radical InnovationsPaul Sloane speaks about customers as a source of innovation ideas at a conference in Malta.
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Are You a Manager or a Leader?Paul Sloane speaks on leadership and innovation at a conference in Malta.
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First Person: The Pros and Cons of Buying Stock in the Company You Work ForIn general I would advise that if you have the opportunity to participate in a stock option or stock purchase scheme then you should do so but with certain provisions.
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Three Simple Steps to Boost Your Self-Confidence and Self-EsteemHere are three simple things you can do to re-energise your batteries.
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How to Encourage Ideas - the Magic SentenceThe easiest way to crush creativity is to find fault with new ideas which colleagues and subordinates bring forward.
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Leadership Lessons from Your Car's Satellite Navigation SystemStaying focused on the goal, being calm, being flexible and communicating well are absolutely essential. Become a Sat Nav Leader and take your team to its destination.
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First Person: Snatching Innovation from the Jaws of a ProblemProblems present us with opportunities.
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How to Organize a Corporate Advisory BoardThe CAB can be a powerful source of feedback, dialogue and ideas. However there are some pitfalls to avoid and things to plan carefully if your board meeting is to succeed.
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Take a Direct Line to Your CustomerHow could you use technologies in creative new ways to add value for your customers or to find a more convenient ways to reach them?
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First Person: Why Happy Workers Aren't Necessarily Productive WorkersYou want people working for you who are passionate about achieving the goals of the business because they know that it is important. You should help them to see how their work contributes to this.
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First Person: The Rise of Open Innovation and CrowdsourciingThere is a powerful surge towards open innovation and crowdsourcing. These concepts hold the enticing promise of turbo-charging your new product development.
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As a Performer, when Should You Deliver Your Best Material?The more often you give the same performance the better you get at it. You will build a reputation as a great performer by always giving your best material in the best way that you possibly can.
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Can Brain Scans and Psychometric Tests Tell Us Who Will Make a Good Leader?What are the key skills that leaders need and can we use objective tests to assess them?
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Observations on IranI recently spent nine days in Iran. It was my first visit to this mysterious country. Here are some of my impressions.
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Succeed in Business by Becoming an Ideas CarrierBy carrying innovative ideas from one place to another you can help your customers, build your relationships and advance your career.
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Success Can Be the Enemy of InnovationThe innovative leader has to vigorously fight the complacency of success. What is needed is a restless hunger for experimentation and change.
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There is a New Way to Reach Your Customers - so Find It!We tend to think of innovation in terms of new products and services but new routes to market can be far more effective means to gain competitive advantage.
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Goal Setting: Set Yourself Targets in These Six AreasSuccessful people set themselves clear written goals and then break them down into manageable intermediate targets so that they can measure progress along the way.
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Crowdsourcing - What it is and How it WorksCrowdsourcing is a powerful new way to gain innovative solutions. The term was coined to describe the process of outsourcing a task to an independent '˜crowd' of experts who compete to solve the problem.
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The Need for Different ThinkingThe conventional thinker is normally stuck in convergent thinking mode but the brilliant thinker can use other approaches.
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The Ten Best Sources of Future Trend InformationThe future is already here. You have to be receptive to weak signals to find it. These sites might help.
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Improv is a Powerful Creativity Training MethodIf you want to change the culture in your business to support rather than reject creativity then improv is a good place to start.
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First Person Perspective from a Business Consultant: 5 Ways to Improve Your Personal FinancesThese five steps will help you get your income above your expenditure. This means you can build up your savings and remove the worry of debt.
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Bring in an Unrelated ExpertLeaders in other walks of life have faced similar problems to yours but in very different circumstances. Their views can be enlightening and will help displace you from your comfort zone and kick start your creativity.
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What is Emotional Intelligence?Emotional intelligence is defined as the capacity to see, understand and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups.
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The Availability Error is a Trap for Our ThinkingWe are heavily influenced by what we have heard or seen recently. We therefore place more value on the information that is immediately available.
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Make Your Own Products ObsoleteIf you do not cannibalise your own product line with better, cheaper, faster, more effective or more appealing products then your competitors surely will.
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Move Out of Your Comfort Zone by Meeting People Who Will Challenge Your View of the WorldFor most of us the people we choose to associate with reflect ourselves, our values, our backgrounds, our attitudes and our behaviours.
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A Strategic Challenge - Define Your Ideal CompetitorImagine that an immensely wealthy corporation has decided to enter your business market and plans to create a powerful competitor that will use innovative approaches to seize your customers.
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Is Your Management Structure Helping or Hindering?The traditional top-down structure can be a powerful inhibitor to innovation. But there is a radical alternative '" destroy the hierarchy altogether.
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If You Want Creativity Make Your Office a Fun Place to WorkAs they laugh and become playful people are more likely to come up with creative, unorthodox and radical ideas.
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Anticipate the WaveEvery time that you see a change in your business world play a little game of what if. What if this becomes a big trend? What will the consequences be?
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How Do You Get People to Buy into an Idea? Build a PrototypeWhenever possible create something that people can see, touch and feel. Then they will make suggestions for how it could work better.
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Train for InnovationYou can establish a culture and a process for innovation throughout the organization. It takes leadership. A good place to start is with training.
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In Dealing with Your Team the Words You Use Really MatterChoose words that are supportive, constructive and inspiring. Instead of giving instructions pose questions that seek ideas and input. By doing so you can enthuse your people to be positive and creative.
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Innovation Tip - Look for a Distant RelationDon't just look at expanding close to your existing products and markets. Consider the possibility of a distant but related market.
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The Top Ten Places to Visit in Great BritainGreat Britain is a popular tourist destination. It has a fantastic range of attractions for the visitor to enjoy. Here is a list of my top ten favourite places to visit.
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How Good is Your Judgment?We are conditioned to look for certain ideals in our families, our societies and our leaders.
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Do Your Meetings Fail to Deliver? Try Using a FacilitatorThe expert facilitator will set the direction and then make small interventions to keep the meeting on track. They can help ensure that you get the decisions and outcomes that you need.
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The Top 5 Most Fantastic Musicals in LondonThere are many wonderful shows to see in London. Its musical shows are particularly popular and there are some great ones to choose from. Here is a personal selection of the absolute best:
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The Open Innovation Revolution by Stefan LindegaardThe book has many powerful examples, stories, tips and guidelines. Despite the diversions it stands as a valuable and practical addition to your innovation bookshelf.
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How to Run an Ideas JamHere is one way to run an intensive idea generation session.
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The Ten Greatest Lateral Thinking Puzzles - the AnswersAnswers to a list of all-time classic lateral thinking puzzles.
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The Ten Greatest Lateral Thinking PuzzlesA list of ten classic lateral thinking puzzles - try them out with your friends. They ask questions. You answer yes or no.
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Mistaking the Cause - A Common Thinking ErrorWe need to constantly guard against wrongly assigning causes. Consider what other possible causes might lead to the same outcome. Could a common factor lead to both cause and effect?
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Keep Senior Executives Away from Innovation ProjectsNew product development success comes down to two important principles - managing ideas lightly while managing the process precisely.
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20 of the Worst Assumptions Made by ExpertsThe greater the expert the more wrong they can be, either in their assumptions or their negative reactions to new ideas.
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How a Minor Innovation in One Field Can Become a Major Innovation in AnotherSiping started with shoes then moved to car tyres where it dramatically improved performance and safety.
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6 Things Not to Talk About on a DateWhen you are on a date with someone you are trying to impress there are various ways that you can screw up. Here are some conversation topics which will probably torpedo the evening and the relationship.
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How a Corporate Innovation Camp WorksA four day camp for around 100 people with the objective of generating ideas for new business ventures that would generate at least $100m.
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A Six Point Plan to Improve Innovation in Your BusinessThis is a plan for improving innovation in your business. If you put it into action you will see your organisation become more entrepreneurial, proactive, innovative and successful.
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Two Key Things that Lead to Innovation - Pain and SlackIncrease your innovation capability by focussing on pain and creating some slack.
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Five Things the Government Can Do to Boost Innovation and EntrepreneurshipWe need more innovation in all parts of the economy.. However, we should start with the SME sector. Over a period theses proposals would encourage more start-up businesses and more high-tech businesses.
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Try a Virtual Failure to Help Build Your SuccessAnticipate all the ways in which you could fail and then mitigate or eliminate them.
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Sources of Innovative IdeasCustomers are now the leading source of new ideas for innovative products and services. Firms need to look outside to help spur innovation.
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11 Top Tips for a Successful BrainstormYou should run regular brainstorm meetings with your team. They should be fun and motivational for people. They can deliver the ideas and innovations you need to transform your organization.
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The Infuriating Geography Quiz AnswersDo the quiz first then check your score with the answers.
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The Infuriating Geography QuizTry these tricky questions to test your knowledge of countries and geography.
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What is the Difference Between Creativity and Innovation?We need to constantly look for incremental innovations and radical innovations. We need to develop creativity and turn it quickly into innovation.
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How a Botanist Helped to Shape Your ComputerA botanist discovered something that was eventually developed into a product by physicists and engineers. It is at the interesection of the sciences that some of the greatest innovations happen.
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Lessons in Innovation from NokiaNokia has renewed itself many times in its 145 year history. It can teach us much about how to innovate.
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Your Concerto is Worthless and Unplayable Mr TchaikovskyHostile reactions to new creative ideas are not unusual - they are normal.
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The World's Most Innovative CompaniesThe 2010 Businessweek list of the 50 most innovative companies in the world shows that USA and Europe are losing ground to creative newcomers from the Far East.
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How to Count Your BlessingsWe tend to focus on our problems in life and to take for granted our blessings and achievements. We can become become weighed down with worry or negative feelings. It is good to step back and list all the things that are going well in our life
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Praise the Behaviours You Want to EncouragePraise is one of the most powerful weapons in the leader's armoury. It should be used often.
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Overcoming the Roadblock of ProcrastinationFor most situations in life, there is a time for thought and a time for action. Here are some tips for overcoming the roadblock of procrastination.
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How to Be DullTo a large extent you can choose whether to be boring or interesting. Here are some great ways to be dull - or not!
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How to Evaluate IdeasThe more ideas you come up with the more likely you are to find something truly innovative. But having a long list of ideas creates an issue. How do you select the best ideas to carry through to implementation?
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Put Two Versions in the Market and See Which One Works BetterYou can use A/B testing to carry out market research on the fly. You can test different marketing propositions, website layouts, sales pitches and so on. The key element is to keep undertaking tests in which only one variable is changed.
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Six Serving Men - a Powerful Problem Analysis ToolBy repeatedly approaching the questions from 12 different viewpointse and by forcing people to come up with new answers and inputs a broad picture is painted of the issue and the underlying factors.
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The Law of Attraction is a Dangerous DelusionThe appeal of the LoA lies in its easy nature. You do not need hard work and discipline to lose weight or get rich - you can do it by thinking. Unfortunately this just is not true.
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The Virtual Journey - a Powerful Memory TechniqueThe virtual journey is a powerful and popular method for remembering lists of items. You take an imaginary journey and attach the things you want to remember to places along the way.
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Six Simple Strategies for Long-term Stock Market SuccessThe stock market offers interesting returns but because of the element of risk many savers avoid it. Here are some simple rules to help you navigate the market and build a large stock portfolio over a long period.
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Use Similes to Generate Creative IdeasThis powerful brainstorm method starts by asking - who has a problem like ours but in a different walk of life? It helps you to generate creative solutions.
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SCAMPER - a Powerful Innovation Method for Products or ServicesSCAMPER is a productive technique that forces you to look at your offering from seven different perspectives.
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Freewriting - a Method for Unblocking CreativityFreewriting is a personal creativity technique that is particularly useful when you have hit a mental roadblock. You simply write the challenge or topic at the top of a large piece of paper and then start writing.
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Tips on How to Increase the Number of Your Twitter FollowersThere are many simple ways to use Twitter to increase your influence and brand awareness.
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Which Countries Are Best at Innovation?A report by the IMF, OECD and UN compares over 60 factors to rank 131 countries in terms of innovation capacity.
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The 12 Greatest Cities in EuropeTwelve of the greatest cities in Europe.
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Six Questions Every Sales Professional Should Ask ThemselvesOne of the great things about a career in Sales is that your achievements and your destiny lie in your own hands. If you focus on the right things and do them well then you can earn good rewards.
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The Ten Most Common Failures of Bad LeadersLeaders should take a very hard look at themselves and ask for candid feedback on performance in specific areas.
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I Quit My Job in Pool Maintenance Because it was Too Draining.... And Many OthersMany jobs have serious downsides; like being an historian - there is no future in it.
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How Would You Handle a Radical Idea?If you want innovation in your organisation then you must encourage people at all levels to welcome, entertain and explore crazy ideas - they are the ones that can lead to breakthroughs.
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Don't Cut InnovationThe country needs to increase not reduce spending on science, research and postgraduate studies as these are shown to fuel the technology start-ups that will give us future economic growth and employment.
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Two Provocative Questions for LeadersWe tend to think that a CEO's job is about execution - and it is. But it is also about thinking, imagining, envisioning and communicating. Take more time for these activities and you will be a better leader.
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Break the Rules - Creative Thinking ExerciseBreak the Rules is a workshop method that you can use to challenge the fundamental assumptions of your business.
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Brilliant Thinkers Welcome AmbiguityIf we want creative solutions and real innovations then we should welcome ambiguity. We should explore the possibilities of different things interacting together.
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Try the Exercise 'Only We Can ....'This exercise will help you to identify and magnify what is special about your business.
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Don't Take the First AnswerSome problems demand an immediate response but many do not. The first idea you come up with may be great, but the chances are that the tenth, twentieth or fortieth will be much better.
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E-Mail Newsletters - Do's and Don'tsThe email newsletter is one of the least expensive and most effective communication tools that you can use. A good regular newsletter will improve your image, increase traffic to your website and increase sales.
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Capture, Recycle and Re-use IdeasDon't waste all the creativity that goes into idea generation. Store, recycle and re-use ideas.
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Is There an Entirely Different Way to Deliver What You Deliver?How could you change your business model to completely bypass your competitor and delight customers with a radically better service?
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Mastery of Language is the Greatest Skill You HaveIf you continually work on developing your range of words and skills with words then you will reap the rewards.
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How Can You Tap into the Needs that Customers Cannot Articulate?There are countless opportunities for new products and services that customers are not aware they need.
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Move Out of Your Comfort ZoneIf you want to succeed at a personal or organisational level then you need to continually challenge yourself. Keep trying something new.
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What Are the Best Metrics for Measuring Innovation?By choosing and applying a small number of metrics appropriate for your business you can add innovation to your balanced scorecard and give it the high level attention that it needs if you are to succeed.
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Be PassionateIf you want to inspire people to achieve extraordinary results then you have to be passionate about what you believe in and you have to communicate that passion every time you speak.
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Is Innovation Expensive?Innovation involves making bets. Often these bets fail. But you have to stay in the game and keep making small bets until one or more come off.
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Turning Down the BeatlesWhen we look at the costs of a risky venture we need to factor in the cost of missing the opportunity too
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The Innovator's Peculiar BodyYou might think that the successful innovator needs just a big heart and a smart brain. They also need to have some rather peculiar physical attributes.
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Innovation Starts with VisionThe best way to create value is to innovate your way ahead of the competition. You need to create temporary monopolies where your show is the only one in town.
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Steps You Can Take to Reduce Carbon EmissionsHere are some simple steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint and make a personal contribution in the battle against climate change.
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Ten Simple but Powerful Questions to Ask Yourself About Your WorkIf you have few positive answers and they are not in your top priorities then you should do some soul-searching about what you really want out of life and whether it is time to look for a better job.
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Children Need a ChallengeEducation is not about league tables or exam results. It is about opening doors for people.
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Redefine the ProblemIf you have struggled with an issue for a while then stop and ask the group to redefine the problem using none of the original words.
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Challenging the CSR BandwagonIs CSR a worthwhile focus for corporate time and effort or is it a smokescreen? Perhaps businesses should do well what they do well and leave doing good to the proper agencies.
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Simplify Your LifeLet's eliminate the low value activities. If we can de-clutter our lives we can free time for important things.
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Why Does Roger Federer Serve Double Faults?We should take some courageous initiatives. We should sometimes fail. We should serve some double faults
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Allocate Time for InnovationYou do not get innovation for free. You have to allocate time, people and money to the task.
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What is Your Real Added Value?Paul Sloane at the Successful Selling Conference.
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Why Sales People Need Lateral ThinkingPaul Sloane speaks on lateral thinking in selling at the Successful Selling conference in Birmingham.
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Innovation Tip - Try Weird CombinationsPaul Sloane at the ISMM Successful Selling Conference in Birmingham talks on the innovative power of weird combinations.
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What to Do If You Don't Get on with Your BossWhat should you do if you really cannot get on with your boss at work? Here are some practical steps you can take.
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Harness the Creative Powers of a User CommunityA great way to harness the collective creative power of internet users is to create an on-line community
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Team Roles for InnovationMany innovation projects fail because the team is unbalanced and lacks some of these players. The right mix of skills at each stage of the project is essential.
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How Receptive Are You to New Ideas?People see their managers as being less open to new ideas than they are. Do people become less receptive as they move up the management chain or is it a perception issue?
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How Can We Reduce Congestion?Everybody wants to be able to drive anywhere anytime but congestion is killing our economy. Let's encourage more ideas and experimentation.
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Outsiders Can Help You to See ThingsOften we are so close to our own products that it is difficult for us to see clearly. An outsider can bring a simpler, fresher view. How can you harness the creative input of outsiders to improve your innovation?
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Co-create with CustomersWhy not throw down a challenge to your customers to help design your next range of products or services? Set a competition and reward the most imaginative ideas
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How to Innovate with Public Sector ServicesA report by the UK National Audit Office gives good advice on how to improve innovation in the public sector.
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Let Suggestions Bypass the Line ManagerLine managers can be resistant to ideas from their own people for a variety of reasons. Allowing people to bypass the normal chain of command provides an essential safety valve for radical ideas.
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Yet More Ways to Boost InnovationThis completes a full range of 21 separate and successful methods to accelerate the launch of new products and services.
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Seven More Great Ways to InnovateA further seven proven methods that can boost your ability to bring new products and services to market:
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Seven Great Ways to InnovateThe first seven great ways to innovate in a three part series.
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A Suggestions Scheme Can Be the Engine for Your InnovationSuggestions schemes are one of the best ways of generating great ideas to improve service and sales and reduce costs.
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Replace the Conventional with the ControversialWhen the usual routes fail - try something radical and lateral.
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Six Ways to Start when Composing a SongIf your creative efforts are flagging then try coming at the issue from a new direction. Start from a new place.
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Innovation is Creating the Best Practices of TomorrowTo build a truly innovative organization you need to have a vision, a culture and a process of innovation.
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Should You Split Extroverts and Introverts in Workshops?The argument for separation is that the extroverts, who like to speak first and think second, will drown out the introverts, who like to think carefully before contributing.
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Make Email Your Servant Not Your MasterEmail remains the tool of choice for business communications. Sharpen the tool and use it well.
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How to Think What Nobody Else ThinksThere are dominant ideas in every field. The innovative thinker purposefully challenges those dominant ideas in order to conceive new possibilities.
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Rotate Your Campaigns to Increase the YieldDo you ever examine the really successful campaigns of the past to see what you can learn and re-use or do you constantly have to invent new approaches? Take a look at what really worked in the past, dust it down, bring it up to date and try it again.
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A Great Leader Has a Great VisionIt is up to the leader to set the course and give a bearing for the future. This is set in broad terms and is described as the mission, core purpose or vision for the organisation.
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Focus on What Went RightBy focussing on our strengths and capabilities we can see positive opportunities. If we concentrate on fixing the current model then we can easily miss new possibilities.
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Some Simple but Powerful Ways to Spice Up Your ProductWhat can you add to your product, what can you take away and how can you differentiate?
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Who is Crushing Creativity in Your Office?Unless leaders back up their words with actions they will be seen as paying lip service to innovation and not having the will to make it happen.
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Check Your AssumptionsWe make assumptions unconsciously and put things into a framework with constraints that limit our thinking. Innovative thinkers are always aware of assumptions and deliberately confront them.
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How to Give a Great Speech - 2. DeliverySpeaking in public can be daunting but exhilarating too. Giving a talk should be much more than simply conveying information - it involves an element of drama and of theatre.
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How to Give a Great Speech - 1. PreparationPreparation is the key to success for public presentations and speeches.
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Diehards Die HardPeople invest so much time in the old ways that they are reluctant to switch to the new.
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Face Adversity with a SmileOne of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity. Whilst we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
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Bad Attitudes Can Lead to Good InnovationThe innovator is not happy with his lot. He is impatient for change. This is why the innovative leader always engenders a healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo.
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Think LaterallyLateral thinking will help you to solve problems creatively.
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Think like a Venture CapitalistVCs use a portfolio approach so that they balance the risk of losers with the upsides of winners. They are comfortable with the knowledge that many of the ideas they back will fail.
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Tips for Members of a BandThe remarkable thing about a band is that the whole is so much more than the sum of the parts. There are important teamwork lessons to learn.
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Ask QuestionsTry to practise asking more questions in your everyday conversations. Instead of telling someone something, ask them a question. Intelligent questions stimulate, provoke, inform and inspire.
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Break the RulesIf you can find a way to rewrite the rules of the game so that it suits you rather than your competitors then you can gain a remarkable advantage.
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Put Your Best People on InnovationMany businesses make the mistake of giving innovation projects to junior executives. But generally it is the experienced heavyweights who can overcome all the obstacles that will occur.
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Things to See on the Island of GuernseyGuernsey, one of the English Channel islands, is a fascinating place for a long weekend.
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Things You Must Do for Your Young ChildParenthood can and should be a source of happiness and wonderful fun. But it is also a duty; one of the most serious that you will every undertake. Do it well and the benefits last a lifetime.
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Observe Your CustomersThe best source of innovative ideas can come from observing how your clients use your products and what problems they have.
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How to Be LuckyThere is a way to be lucky. It involves a positive attitude, hard work, observation, preparedness, action and a willingness to see every setback as a learning opportunity and a step towards success.
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Set Drastic ExpectationsOutstanding companies set outstanding expectations. Businesses that want to break out of the pack demand more of themselves.
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Take a Different ViewThe great innovators did not take the traditional view and develop existing ideas. They took an entirely different view and transformed society.
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Break Internal BarriersA key responsibility of the innovative leader is to constantly fight the silting up of the internal communications and to force contact and sharing between departments.
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Ten Top Tips for LeadersLeaders can set a culture of creativity and develop processes for innovation but first they need a vision.
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Your Ideal Elevator PitchA good elevator pitch gets everyone focussed on a clear message about your business, your target customers and why you are special.
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Collaborate to InnovateThe leading companies are pointing the way forward - collaboration and open innovation.
