“People thought it was a document staring into the future. But it was a culture document and it was just about trying to create the conditions for people to stop saying no to change.” — A. G. Sulzberger, Chairman of The New York Times Company (2024 Reuters Memorial Lecture.) In 2014, The New York Times found itself […]

For Paid Substack Subscribers, we have a live session coming soon with Tony Ulwick, a pioneer of the Jobs-to-be-Done Theory and the inventor of Outcome-Driven Innovation® (ODI), a powerful strategy and innovation process with a documented success rate that is 5-times the industry average. Tony will join us in a small group and answer any

Yogi Berra famously quipped, “Predictions are difficult, especially about the future.”This rings especially true in today’s dynamic business landscape, where innovation cycles are shorter and more unpredictable than ever. The traditional bell curve, popularized by Everett Rogers, which mapped product adoption through distinct segments like innovators and laggards, is no longer enough. Enter the Shark Fin.

“Organisations, by their very nature are designed to promote order and routine. They are inhospitable environments for innovation.” ~ Theodore Levitt Established organisations are structured for repeatability and reliability, conditions under which sparking innovation can be especially difficult. This structure was perhaps suitable when business environments were more stable. Yet, managing a business amidst today’s high

“Business men go down with their businesses because they like the old way so well they cannot bring themselves to change. One sees them all about — men who do not know that yesterday is past, and who woke up this morning with last year’s ideas.” — Henry Ford [This week’s Thursday Thought is inspired by a custom Keynote I

“Our eyes are not viewers; they’re also projectors that are running a second story over the picture that we see in front of us all the time.” — Jim Carrey Jim Carrey’s words offer a powerful analogy for the concept of “samskaras.” Rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophies, samskaras are the mental impressions, memories, or psychological imprints that

“The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower The Bible (and The Torah) recounts the story of “the scapegoat” as one of a pair of kid goats. One goat was sacrificed, while the “scapegoat” was cast into the desert to “carry away” the sins of the community. Friend of

“Consistent daily progress by individual employees fuels both the success of the organisation and the quality of those employees’ inner work lives.” — Teresa Amabile A Primal Pursuit Dopaminergic Drinking Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman offers a compelling insight into the pursuit of progress. Picture an animal wandering across a sparse landscape, she detects the subtle scent of water. With

The Cobbler’s Children: Walking The Espoused Talk Cobbler “Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince “I relish feedback, it’s the food of champions,” many executives proclaim. But do we really enjoy feedback? Often, our egos tell a different story. When your child tells you the meal you

“Given such strong defences against change, fresh ideas come from those who do more than think outside the box. They think outside the building.”― Rosabeth Moss Kanter Rosabeth Moss Kanter challenges organisations to go beyond conventional thinking, suggesting that real innovation comes from those who “think outside the building.” This metaphorical leap is essential for escaping