Innovation is currently one of the most sought-after qualities in business. Yet it’s also elusive. How do you encourage innovative and creative thinking in yourself and others? One approach is to study it in college. Yes, there are now colleges and universities that offer degree programs that award innovation majors. Here are 10 colleges where […]
The play instinct is something that everyone is born with. From a young age we want to explore, create, and have fun. However, some people become very good at honing this skill, at playing and fiddling so creatively that they develop revolutionary technologies. Sometimes these discoveries can come later in life, but many times it […]
Below is the video and transcript for my commencement speech at ITU last month. The topic of the speech was on the entanglement of fear, failure and conformity. To be successful, we all must be willing to be weird. Be different. Use our creativity to win in the emerging creative economy. Note: The following transcript […]
I recently was listening to an audio program by Earl Nightingale. He was making the point that the opposite of bravery is not cowardice; the opposite of bravery is conformity. It was one of those simple statements that struck a nerve especially when thinking about creative thinking. Conformity In my mind, conformity is doing everything […]
Every parent believes their child is special and gifted from the moment they hold their little bundle of joy in their arms marveling at the miracle they created. But as they grow, it’s easy to lose sight of that amazement as everyday tasks take over: eating and sleeping, school, after-school activities, homework. But in order […]
Each year, we select one charity to donate 100% of the author royalties from my book along with 100% of the profits from the sales from our store Innovation.Tools. This year it was Pioneer.Education Africa. Pioneer.Education is building a prototype school in Rwanda to teach innovation and entrepreneurship to students who don’t have access to an education or jobs. […]
I outlined it in a previous post: America has an innovation problem. Once regarded as a nation of innovators and entrepreneurial spirits, the United States are on track to fall behind nations like China and Japan on metrics like R&D spending and technology innovation. But the problems with innovation in America begin much earlier, in our […]
Some adults tend to think that creativity is something you are born with. But, the truth is we are all creative. If your creativity seems to be at a stand still, I invite you to think about what we can learn about creativity by observing children. I just came back from our vacation with our […]
Innovation is what keeps the world moving, growing and adapting to all the changes that occur along the way. They usually do not just happen. It takes individuals with a bit of creativity and imagination, as well as not being afraid to try new things. Shel Silverstein, usually considered a children’s book author, encouraged creativity and imagination […]
At this years TED conference in Longbeach, I heard an amazing story of a young innovator creating a creative solution. Richard Turere was nine-years-old when he was put in charge of his father’s cattle in Kitengela, just south of the Nairobi National Park in Kenya. This was no small chore, considering his Masai community’s ongoing trouble with […]
