Jim Woods : How Innovation is a Tactical Decision

In 1862 Europe poised to recognize the confederacy, the unthinkable seemed unlikely. The Union was going to lose the war. Wrote Lincoln, "We must change our tactics or lose the game."  To Lincoln it was clear the old ways would no longer resolve new challenges. 

Layered beneath today’s strategic plans organized to ad nauseum and mission statements with all the fervor of stale bread are carry over premises formed years ago during the Industrial Revolution. Day after day leaders and staffs are reminded that these antiquated premises held to by the fearful or unimaginative, no longer address change in the new age of speed. Yet, they do nothing. 

 After months of one ineffective leader after another, the Union anxious for a victory, found one during a minor skirmish under McClellan. Eventually appointed to head the Army of The Potomac, McClelland hampered his ability to challenge aggressive opponents in a fast-moving battlefield environment. He chronically overestimated the strength of enemy units and was reluctant to apply principles of mass, frequently leaving large portions of his army unengaged at decisive points. Sound familiar?

 There is an important parallel to draw with current day leaders and managers. He, McClelland was phenomenal in perpetually assessing the enemy. He created one strategic plan after another. Stock piling ammunitions and supplies for a war that was already upon him.

 Today businesses are in no less of a war with McClellanesque leaders at the helm waiting for more favorable conditions before acting.

 I continue to admonish "leaders" to heed 5 constants: commoditization, shifts in consumer tastes, and hordes of nontraditional competitors, regulatory upheavals, and geopolitical shocks. While they attempt to remind me of conditions and circumstances at play restricting their abilities to compete. I reply, “Grow up. Perpetual victimization is your ever present melody.There are limits to the blame shareholdres will permit "leaders" to place at the feet of the economy." Knowing in advance of the 5 conditions of business should be enough for leadership to step out of mediocority.In this post many will exclaim my insensitivity to the complexities of business. And they are correct. I expect organizations to measure up. So do shareholders. Mediocrity in whoever wears its hat has no comfort with the market.

Hire Jim Woods to speak to your organization. Jim Woods is President and founder of InnoThink Group. A leading innovation and comnpetitive stratefy consultancy. We invite you to request more information on our consulting and speaking engagements. You may reach Jim at 719-266-6703 or  info@innothinkgroup.com

 

My Creativity and Innovation Lesson From Cain's Arcade

 

As you can imagine my thoughts run deeply upon the subject of this young man doing the very thing all kids want to do. What is particularly important are the parents. They are the ones who posted Cain's work. They encouraged his creativity which became an innovation the moment it added value. Cain isn't unique. 

All children have this capability. In fact all adults have it as well. To paraphrase Maslow, We are all born singing, and dancing and creative. The question isn't how or why. The question is why we stop." 

Children in essentially all countries do this everyday. However, many many parents will "beat" this out of their children in one form or another. I assure you everyday a child has an equally creative project that no one ever notices. So, why do parents squelch the geniuses at home to keep their children ordinary? Why do those parents then grow up to do so in their careers? These questions are important because less than 1000th of a percent ever have the courage or opportunity to break free. Those that do become the rabble rousers, the "deviants," the rebels who change the world.

The short film about the “Caine’s Arcade” flashmob will premiere October 28th at DIY Days at UCLA. Caine will be joining Nirvan to present the film, and will be staffing his arcade during the fest. We hope you can make it! 

 

via cainesarcade.com

 

Speaking

 As the CEO and founder of InnoThink Group, Jim can help your organization enhance the strategic innovation and competitiveness of your business policy and strategy, with an emphasis on increasing top line growth.  

If you’re interested in having Jim speak at your next event, simply use this form to send us your details and speaking requirements, and we’ll be in touch shortly. Or you may call us at 719-649-4118. 

 

 

 

Female shoppers matched up with dates when they buy a pair of shoes

Shoe Dating from Malaysian retailer Shoes Shoes Shoes connects women purchasing footwear with men offering to pay a portion of the price in return for a date.

We have already seen matchmaking services linking potential partners based on consumer choices when we covered Asda Dating, linking users with similar shopping lists. Now Shoe Dating aims to offer female customers dates as well as discounts on a pair of shoes.

The promotion is being launched by Malaysian retailer Shoes Shoes Shoes in collaboration with dating siteLunch Actually and women’s radio station Capital FM. Men signed up to Lunch Actually are encouraged to select from a list of 20 shoe makes they would like their potential partner to wear. They also pick a percentage of the sale price they are willing to pay in return for a date, from 10 percent or more. When women purchase footwear from Shoes Shoes Shoes, they are matched with the men who selected their chosen pair and receive the promised discount after the first date.

The shoe retailer has apparently already received success stories from the promotion, and has certainly added extra excitement to the shopping process. One to emulate in your part of the world?

Website: www.facebook.com/shoedating

We are a leading innovation and hypercompetition consultancy with a passion for profit. Want to increase the sustainability of your growth initiatives or need a speaker? Contact us. 

Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group. A leading consulting firm specialized solely in enabling organizations of all sizes in all industries develop top line growth through strategic innovation and hypercompetition. Jim has over 25 years consulting experience in working with small, mid size and Fortune 1000 companies. He is a former U.S. Navy Seabee and grandfather of five. For availability email or call us at 719-649-4118. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter.    

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via springwise.com

 

A Fully Biodegradable Foldable Shoe, Inspired By Amazon Natives | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

In the Amazon, slipping on your shoes is as simple as painting a thin layer of latex on your feet. Rubber, at least in its original form, is derived from tree sap as opposed to today’s synthetic version from petrochemicals. In a way, indigenous people in the Amazon pioneered this ready-to-wear technology as the original tires for human mobility.

Now a Spanish company called OneMoment is bringing that ancient, cutting-edge technology to the rest of us. Their completely biodegradable shoe--measuring only 2 millimeters thick on the sole, and just 1 millimeters around the foot (that’s about three millimeters less than traditional shoes)--is created by injecting natural bioplymers, similar to latex, into a mold. The elastic, biodegradable material molds to your foot, and rolls up for easy storage. To clean them, you can just rinse them or wash them in the washing machine. Once they’ve lived out their natural life, you can compost them by shredding and tossing them into the compost bin.

The people who use the shoe vary widely, says Felipe Izquierdo of OneMoment by email: "Long haul travelers, back-packers in New Zealand forest, discotheque fashion lovers in the UK, mothers taking their kids to swimming lessons, hunters, scuba divers. It’s a long list." They’re currently available in 35 countries around the world, and expanding quickly.

"The idea came from the necessity to protect our feet quickly, cheaply, and in an environmentally friendly manner," says Izquierdo. The Amazon natives who inspired the shoes just covered the soles of their feet with Hevea resin, but OneMoment uses internationally certified biopolymers: "Biodegradable does not mean soft or non-rugged materials," he says. "What’s more biodegradable than a tree?"

via fastcoexist.com