Posts Tagged ‘innovation’

A Case for Diversity in Innovation

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

It didn’t take long after the launch of Apple’s new touchpad for the jokes to start flying. Yes, the name – iPad – sounds like a feminine product. Case in point: one of yesterday’s top trending topics on Twitter was #iTampon. For those of you who don’t get the relevance of that, trending topics on Twitter highlight the buzz – what everyone is talking about. Adding #iTampon to a person’s tweet was quickly picked up as the way to make fun of the name of Apple’s newest product as an extreme faux pas. And the jokes were actually pretty funny, in a sick sort of way. If they were looking to build buzz with the name, they certainly achieved their objective but I’m not sure this was the kind of buzz they anticipated.

Interestingly enough, the “Apple IPad” was originally a not-so-flattering skit that MadTV put on years ago. Just search for iPad on YouTube and you’ll find it.

The biggest question I (and many others have): didn’t someone do their RESEARCH before launching this product? Were there any women on the team? And if so, were they not comfortable enough to speak up? HOW could this have gotten past any level of market testing and scrutiny?

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Key initiatives for 2010: Innovation and Diversity

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

In a recent Washington Post editorial on leading into 2010, a question was posed:

“Last year was a tough one for many organizations, with smaller workforces required to do more with less. The new year looks to be more of the same. How can leaders of such organizations motivate their people as they head into 2010?”

Besides this being somewhat pessimistic about what the year holds in store for us, I found it a pretty broad question with varied answers from the team of business executives chosen to respond. The reply that got my attention came from Beth Brooke with Ernst & Young. She’s also a fellow Corporate Ambassador with Vital Voices. Her answer can be best summed up in her own words: “If cost-cutting wrapped up the last decade, this decade should be launched by innovation stimulated by the friction of diversity.”

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Passion: The Energy Multiplier

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

These past several weeks have been absolutely crazy for me. I’ve been working almost non-stop and, honestly, I have loved every minute of it.

When working with current and aspiring entrepreneurs, I talk a lot about finding your  passion. I used to say that you know you’ve found your passion when you’re engaged in a task and time passes quickly.

I don’t believe that anymore. After all, time passes quickly when I drive the repetitive 40-mile route home from Time Fliesteaching 2 nights a week. More than once I have arrived home somewhat surprised that I didn’t remember the drive. Has that happened to anyone else? Sure. But does that mean we’re passionate about driving? Not necessarily.

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