Blog
Keeping a Vacation Mindset
As I wait out the long, cold winter, I can’t help but daydream about my vacation last summer. The awe-inspiring beauty of Gimmelwald, Switzerland and Chamonix, France are unmatched. Once I turned off my email, shut down my cell phone and became fully present, the stage was set for a wonderful vacation.
What I most long for now is the vacation mindset – the energy, enthusiasm and feeling of renewal that comes with vacation. Upon returning home and re-entering the … Read more
Funny Business Leads to Better Ideas
It was a dream project. A client asked us to immerse a team in silliness to help them better understand their target consumer, teenaged boys and twenty-something men. How much fun is that?
Our immersion consisted of interactive presentations on the benefits of play and the styles of silliness, an improv workshop designed to help the team experience silliness firsthand and a knock-down, drag out, finger-shooter war.
Along the way, we discovered that the sillier we got, the more we … Read more
The Art of Creating Fine Wood Furniture
Ken Richards, fine furniture maker for the past 30 years, approaches each project with the attitude of an artist. “I am not just trying to create beautiful furniture, I want to create works of art,” says Ken. From initial inspiration to delivery of the final product, Ken meticulously completes every detail himself, ensuring the highest quality and the full expression of his design vision. He is a rare breed, working with the finest materials and designing pieces that take incredible … Read more
What is Your Innovation Temperature?
Take this simple innovation quiz: How would you describe your innovation temperature? Are you …
- On fire
- Crazy busy (don’t even have time to take my temperature)
- Below zero
This simple quiz provides useful diagnostic information about your innovation health.
On Fire – If you’re currently on fire, keep stoking the flames. You likely feel in the flow and ideas come easily. Sparks fly as you move ideas into action. You are in the innovation zone. People who feel “on … Read more
Is failure a state of mind?
When something fails, it is done, finished, the end. There is no energy or passion for failure. Hide the failed idea in the closet and forget about it because it is (whisper) a failure. We say with a somber tone, “The product failed in market.” “Martha failed to meet expectations for her job.” “John failed his science test.” Yet embedded in each of those statements is an untold story, a journey, something to learn, or to do differently the next … Read more
