Why Inspirational Leadership?
Do you want to encourage extraordinary performance from your people? Do you want them to do great things?
If yes, then you must create an inspiring corporate culture that inspires, empowers and energizes them.
People do what they have to do for a manager, they do their best for an inspirational leader.
To inspire, you must both create resonance and move people with a compelling vision. You must embody what you ask of others, and be able to articulate a shared vision in a way that inspires others to act. You must offer a sense of common purpose beyond the day-to-day tasks, making work exciting, advises Steve Farber.
10 Roles of an Inspirational Leader
1. Provide an inspiring vision and strategic alignment, launch a crusade
2. Help people connect their personal goals to business goals
3. Make relentless innovation a religion
4. Encourage entrepreneurial creativity and experimentation
5. Involve everyone, empower and trust employees
6. Coach and train your people to greatness
7. Build teams and promote and teamwork, leverage diversity
8. Motivate, inspire and energize people, recognize achievements
9. Encourage risk taking
10. Make business fun >>> Read more about each point here.
Innovation Defined
Being innovative is being different in a profitable way.
Innovation is a process of taking new ideas through to satisfied customers. It is the conversion of new knowledge into new products and services.
Innovation is about creating value and increasing efficiency, and therefore growing your business. It is a spark that keeps organizations and people moving ever onward and upward. "Without innovation, new products, new services, and new ways of doing business would never emerge, and most organizations would be forever stuck doing the same old things the same old way."4
Innovation: A Paradigm Shift
Innovation is bringing a paradigm shift in the way the business is done in a rapidly globalizing economy. This new economy is characterized by enhanced frequency of innovations, shortening of product, technology, and economic life cycles, rapid generation and commercialization of new technologies, globalization not only large but also small businesses, enhanced emphasis on business partnerships and strategic alliances, intensive and multi-country research and development programs and difficulty in accessing critical technologies.
Different Forms of Innovation
Until recently innovation has been seen as the means to turn research results into commercially successful products or services. Today, while research keeps playing its critical role as a major contributor to innovation, many new forms of innovation have emerged. They include system's approach to integration of new technologies and processes from other fields, new business models and ways of doing business, and new ways of reaching and servicing customers.
Innovation can have different:
• focus: technology, organization, or external relationships,
• types: incremental or radical, and
• sources: technology transfer or development of new business models/concepts.
Entrepreneurial Action – the Engine of Innovation
While research and invention is a major contributor to innovation, if there is no entrepreneurial action there is no value creation.
Technological Innovation Alone Is Not Enough
Facing a tidal wave of global economic, technological and social change, you are not going to survive in the new rapidly globalizing economy through technological innovation alone. If you are going to withstand relentless global competition, you need to radically change the way of doing business. Innovation is everything that helps your enterprise adapt to rapidly changing business environment.
Renewed Emphasis on Innovation
Shift to the new knowledge-based economy, combined with a dramatic increase in highly capable global competition, demands a renewed emphasis on innovation. Rapid changes in the competitive environment create the new world of competition – "a fierce contest set in truly global context, with more capable players, higher stakes, and vastly different rules of engagement from those that we have enjoyed to date."3 This new economy is led by those who innovate – create, find and/or combine knowledge into new products, services, and distribution methods – faster than their competitors. Innovation is above all spurred by entrepreneurial action, aimed at creating value through the application of knowledge.
Engine of Economic Growth
The speed and efficiency of the diffusion of innovation through the economy is critical to productivity and economic growth. It can be pictured as a cascade process. Through the forces of competition and imitation, an initial innovation is developed and improved so that the impact on the economy is many times greater than that brought about by the first application of the innovation.2
Leaders in technology development are not necessarily leaders in technology adoption. The most important economic contribution does not necessarily come from the "early adopter" but from the "fast follower" who adopts the innovative design that captures the international market.2 As Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, puts it:"
The operative assumption today is that someone, somewhere, has a better idea; and the operative compulsion is to find out who has that better idea, learn it and put into action – fast."
In fast-moving sectors it is the new enterprises with growth potential that are often the most innovative, forcing established enterprises to respond to the change by themselves becoming more innovative. Encouraging the emergence of new firms is a strong force for innovation in many sectors.2
Continuous Change and Innovation as a Norm
Companies, like any living organism, must become learning organizations that change and adapt to suit their changing business environment.
According to Bill Gates, if you don't practice the change management that looks after the future, the future will not look after you. "...The tendency for successful companies to fail to innovate is just that: a tendency. If you're too focused on your current business, it's hard to look ahead..." The constant formation of new units within a corporation is one means of gearing up to change.
To determine the improvements to make in response to the change, you should continuously:
• partner with customers, listen to their feedback, and
• study new technology opportunities... More
Demand-side Innovation
With product life cycles shortening, make innovation efforts on the demand side. It's how customer interactions are managed, not simply products are offered, which determines success or failure.
The Art of Innovation
The 9 Truths
I'm getting tired of writing about lies, so today I'm covering truths. Specifically, the truths of innovation. I hold these truths to not be self-evident; hence we see so little innovation.
1. Jump to the next curve. Too many companies duke it out on the same curve. If they were daisy wheel printer companies, they think innovation means adding Helvetica in 24 points. Instead, they should invent laser printing. True innovation happens when a company jumps to the next curve – or better still, invents the next curve, so set your goals high.
2. Don't worry, be crappy. An innovator doesn't worry about shipping an innovative product with elements of crappiness if it's truly innovative. The first permutation of a innovation is seldom perfect – Macintosh, for example, didn't have software (thanks to me), a hard disk (it wouldn't matter with no software anyway), slots, and color. If a company waits – for example, the engineers convince management to add more features – until everything is perfect, it will never ship, and the market will pass it by.
3. Churn, baby, churn. I'm saying it's okay to ship crap – I'm not saying that it's okay to stay crappy. A company must improve version 1.0 and create version 1.1, 1.2, ... 2.0. This is a difficult lesson to learn because it's so hard to ship an innovation; therefore, the last thing employees want to deal with is complaints about their perfect baby. Innovation is not an event. It's a process.
4. Don't be afraid to polarize people. Most companies want to create the holy grail of products that appeals to every demographic, social-economic background, and geographic location. To attempt to do so guarantees mediocrity. Instead, create great DICEE (Deep, Intelligent, Complete, Elegant, Emotive) products that make segments of people very happy. And fear not if these products make other segments unhappy. The worst case is to incite no passionate reactions at all, and that happens when companies try to make everyone happy.
5. Break down the barriers. The way life should work is that innovative products are easy to sell. Dream on. Life isn't fair. Indeed, the more innovative, the more barriers the status quo will erect in your way. Entrepreneurs should understand this upfront and not get flustered when market acceptance comes slowly. I've found that the best way to break barriers is enable people to test drive your innovation: download your software, take home your hardware, whatever it takes.
6. “Let a hundred flowers blossom.” I stole this from Chairman Mao. Innovators need to be flexible about how people use their products. Avon created Skin So Soft to soften skin, but when parents used it as an insect repellant, Avon went with the flow. Apple thought it created a spreadsheet/database/wordprocessing computer; but, come to find out, customers used it as a desktop publishing machine. The lesson is: Don't be proud. Let a hundred flowers blossom.
7. Think digital, act analog. Thinking digital means that companies should use all the digital tools at its disposal – computers, web sites, instruments, whatever – to create great products. But companies should act analog – that is, they must remember that the purpose of innovation is not cool products and cool technologies but happy people. Happy people is a decidedly analog goal.
8. Never ask people to do what you wouldn't do. This is a great test for any company. Suppose a company invents the world's greatest mousetrap. It murders mice better than anything in the history of mankind – in fact, it's nuclear powered. The problem is that the customer needs a PhD to set it, it costs $500,000, and has to drop off the dead, radioactive mouse 500 miles away in the middle of the desert. No one at the company would jump through those hoops – it shouldn't expect customers to either.
9. Don't let the bozos grind you down. The bozos will tell a company that what it's doing can't be done, shouldn't be done, and isn't necessary. Some bozos are clearly losers – they're the ones who are easy to ignore. The dangerous ones are rich, famous, and powerful – because they are so successful, innovators may think they are right. They're not right; they're just successful on the previous curve so they cannot comprehend, much less embrace, the next curve.
10 Brainstorming Rules
1. Set directions. Describe the situation and define the problem.
2. Help people to understand the problem to be solved and clarify the objectives. Focus on productive objectives and keep group on track.
3. Involve everyone. Encourage everyone to contribute. Control dominating participants. Celebrate diversity. Use different techniques to draw ideas from group.
4. Encourage cross-fertilization. Build on each other. Let others' ideas take you somewhere else. Combine, synergize, and improve upon ideas.
5. Encourage outside-the-box thinking. Challenge assumptions. Be creative. Go crazy. Sometimes the wildest ideas lead to great ones. The wilder the ideas the better Step out of your shoes to surface new insights. ("What if you were a cat, or a film scenario writer – how would you solve the problem?"). Encourage active listening.
6. Don't overlook the obvious – the obvious solution is sometimes the bestSuspend judgment. No ideas are bad ideas. All ideas are good ideas. (Actually, a minority opinion offered during group decision making often stimulates more innovative solutions to problem).
7. Don't fear repetitions. At different moments you see with different eyes. During discussion afterwards the duplicate ideas you may find them different or they may trigger a different response at a different time.
8. Don't stop and discuss. Go for quantity, not quality. Keep the momentum going.
9. Record and display each idea. Make sure each idea is complete – don't use one-word descriptions to avoid misunderstanding. Don't edit.
10. Apply the 80/20 rule and change hats to select the best ideas. Look through your list of ideas and circle the 20% that will yield 80% of the results you are looking for. Encourage full-spectrum thinking.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
थे ५ सतगेस ऑफ़ Innovation
The 5 stages of innovation
Denial• You deny that the new innovation is worthwhile.
• You say things like ‘That will never scale’ or ‘That was done back in the 80s and no one used it’
• Whenever anyone mentions the new innovation, you present a laundry list of reasons why it won’t work.
Anger• You actively unsubscribe from blogs who rave about the new innovation
• You snort with derision and roll your eyes when you see the innovation on a resume
• You engage in flame wars with advocates of the innovation
• The phrase “propeller head” appears in your writing, as does the phrase “Blah, blah, blah, I am so sick of hearing about ___”
Bargaining
• You look for ways to justify your disinterest, in the face of clear market interest in the innovation
• You say things like ‘Yes, but without support for XYZ, it’s dead in the water.’
• You’ll buy books that include the new innovation, but only as long as they also include something else you’re really fond of. For example:
-Agile Development and XML - the forgotten connection or
Monads and Method Invocations - How Haskell is just like Introspection
• At conferences, you’ll visit the session about the new innovation, but you’ll leave early.
Sadness• You start to feel tired, because the world is changing around you
• You say things like “I’m too old for this shit.”
• You feel stupid, because the new innovation just doesn’t quite seem to make sense
Acceptance• Finally, you realize that everyone’s figuring out the new innovation, and it’s all a big mess.
• You read blogs or news articles and you say things like “Wow, they don’t know what to do with it either!”
• If you’re entrepreneurially inclined, you start to think about how you could build a startup around the innovation and retire early and rich.
For most innovations, many people will never move past anger.
Denial• You deny that the new innovation is worthwhile.
• You say things like ‘That will never scale’ or ‘That was done back in the 80s and no one used it’
• Whenever anyone mentions the new innovation, you present a laundry list of reasons why it won’t work.
Anger• You actively unsubscribe from blogs who rave about the new innovation
• You snort with derision and roll your eyes when you see the innovation on a resume
• You engage in flame wars with advocates of the innovation
• The phrase “propeller head” appears in your writing, as does the phrase “Blah, blah, blah, I am so sick of hearing about ___”
Bargaining
• You look for ways to justify your disinterest, in the face of clear market interest in the innovation
• You say things like ‘Yes, but without support for XYZ, it’s dead in the water.’
• You’ll buy books that include the new innovation, but only as long as they also include something else you’re really fond of. For example:
-Agile Development and XML - the forgotten connection or
Monads and Method Invocations - How Haskell is just like Introspection
• At conferences, you’ll visit the session about the new innovation, but you’ll leave early.
Sadness• You start to feel tired, because the world is changing around you
• You say things like “I’m too old for this shit.”
• You feel stupid, because the new innovation just doesn’t quite seem to make sense
Acceptance• Finally, you realize that everyone’s figuring out the new innovation, and it’s all a big mess.
• You read blogs or news articles and you say things like “Wow, they don’t know what to do with it either!”
• If you’re entrepreneurially inclined, you start to think about how you could build a startup around the innovation and retire early and rich.
For most innovations, many people will never move past anger.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Association of Professional Trainers
Association of Professional Trainers (Singapore)
The Association of Professional Trainers (Singapore), or the APTS, was established in May 2006 by a group of trainers in both the fields of soft-skills and hard-skills. This is a clear sign that the field of learning, and therefore training, is growing rapidly in Singapore.
Training is about helping others do better in areas they may already be familiar with. This is achieved by introducing new methods, establishing best practices, reinforcing standards, providing new insights and making the task itself more enjoyable.
The APTS aims to assist its members by sharing knowledge and techniques in the field of training in order that their trainees may benefit from higher and ever-improving standards. There are also other programmes that enable its members to reach out to the community at large by organizing training festivals that involve the entire body of APTS members.
The APTS aims to promote the message of “ Genuine, Professional and Integrity practices in the art and science of Professional Training “. The pedagogy of Training is an on-going process and the learning journey can never stop if Professional Training is to consistently and constantly scale new heights in Singapore.
The APTS therefore welcomes more Professional Trainers to join its ranks of people dedicated to the art of training their trainees through sharing and participation in its programmes and social interaction in the spirit of sharing and participation.
To all our APTS members who have joined us in the first wave, I congratulate their drive to achieve success and higher standards by committing and sharing their time, energy and expertise in their respective fields with other Professional Trainers in the APTS programmes.
Genuine + Professional + Integrity
Check out APT's site:APT
Check out:My comments
The Association of Professional Trainers (Singapore), or the APTS, was established in May 2006 by a group of trainers in both the fields of soft-skills and hard-skills. This is a clear sign that the field of learning, and therefore training, is growing rapidly in Singapore.
Training is about helping others do better in areas they may already be familiar with. This is achieved by introducing new methods, establishing best practices, reinforcing standards, providing new insights and making the task itself more enjoyable.
The APTS aims to assist its members by sharing knowledge and techniques in the field of training in order that their trainees may benefit from higher and ever-improving standards. There are also other programmes that enable its members to reach out to the community at large by organizing training festivals that involve the entire body of APTS members.
The APTS aims to promote the message of “ Genuine, Professional and Integrity practices in the art and science of Professional Training “. The pedagogy of Training is an on-going process and the learning journey can never stop if Professional Training is to consistently and constantly scale new heights in Singapore.
The APTS therefore welcomes more Professional Trainers to join its ranks of people dedicated to the art of training their trainees through sharing and participation in its programmes and social interaction in the spirit of sharing and participation.
To all our APTS members who have joined us in the first wave, I congratulate their drive to achieve success and higher standards by committing and sharing their time, energy and expertise in their respective fields with other Professional Trainers in the APTS programmes.
Genuine + Professional + Integrity
Check out APT's site:APT
Check out:My comments
Thursday, May 29, 2008
My thought process
"A sharp tough can cut your own throat", " You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give", "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Some of my beliefs " You give a man a fish, you feed him for one day, but if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for life"
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