Leadership
How protocol, bureaucracy and turf wars block innovation
Innovation, if it includes a change in the status quo, is commonly perceived as a threat. People and organizations resist change and can call on their corporate antibodies to both slow and block innovation. All that is further compounded by turf considerations that tend to align supporters and detra
Are You Blind To The Disruptive Trends In Your Industry?
When I saw this cartoon on my flight back from China last week, I couldn’t stop laughing. It reminded me how easy it is to be blind to the disruptions that are happening all around us. How is it that we can’t see the changes happening? Because it requires that we admit that we missed something […]
How Does Creativity Benefit the Economy?
Creativity produces fresh ideas, which are the basis for progress in today’s economy. Why should we value creativity in the 21st century? With an uncertain global economy and a need not just for progress, but for innovative progress that creates jobs and benefits the global society, emphasizing cre
Better ideas can completely change the face of your business and that’s not a bad thing!
Better ideas can make or break a business plan. After all, success is based on the ability to come up with better ideas. At the same time, bad ideas can take a successful business model and drag it down into the ground faster than you can blink. Trust me. I have the scars to prove it. […]
I’m Joining CableLabs as the President and CEO
It was announced earlier today that I will be joining CableLabs as the next President and CEO effective June 1. The press release is below. Board Selects Phil McKinney As New Leader for CableLabs® Louisville, Colorado, May 30, 2012 —The CableLabs® Board of Directors has selected Phil McKinney as th
On NBC Discussing How Companies Can Be More Innovative (video)
Yesterday, I recorded two segments for NBC’s Press:Here that will appear on Sunday, April 8th @ 9:00 AM in SFO and then later on cable in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, and Washington DC. In segment one, the questions focused on the stodginess of HP, the Palm a
Why Was Steve Jobs Better At Driving Innovation at Apple?
In Silicon Valley, you can’t avoid the game of comparing every company to Apple. There is no avoiding the success Apple has experienced. So what made Apple so successful at establishing its innovation leadership and avoiding the traps and roadblocks other companies’ experience? Was it the fact that
3 CEO’s who get innovation
Over my career, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a number of CEOs. The general perception in the market is that the CEO’s of public companies are only focused on meeting the quarterly numbers. The following are 3 CEO’s who get innovation. How do I know? I’ve had the opportunity to spend mea
3 Mistakes Kodak Made In Their Innovation Strategy
With this morning’s announcement that Kodak would seek bankruptcy protection, I reflected back on how and why it reached this point. In my opinion, Kodak fell into the same trap that most large, successful and once highly innovative companies get into – how to keep the innovation engine working ove
Why do organizations create mediocre mission statements? Where is the innovation?
Over the years, I’ve seen my fair share of poorly written mission statements. The steps to creating them, in my opinion accurately represented by the cartoon, quickly become one more activity that is turned into a repeatable process my some well-meaning consultant. Have you noticed what’s missing f
