Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
BYU study looks at how business innovation happens Leaders » Successful people ask questions, challenge status quo.
Ever wonder how Michael Dell came up with the idea to create his own computer company? Or how Pierre Omidyar dreamed up the online marketplace eBay? Or how Jeff Bezos came up with the bold moves needed to develop Amazon.com into one of America's most successful companies?
After more than six years of research, Brigham Young University professor Jeff Dyer is convinced that these visionary business leaders and others didn't start out completely hard-wired for creativity and innovation.
"I always thought creativity was genetic -- that some people have it, some people don't, and there's not much you can do to get better at it," Dyer said.
But Dyer thinks differently now. The key qualities that separate great leaders from not-so-great ones can be developed, he and his colleagues contend in "The Innovator's DNA."
Dyer, along with co-authors Hal B. Gregersen and Clayton M. Christensen of Harvard Business School, surveyed more than 3,000 executives and managers who had not started a business or invented a product. Their responses were compared with about 500 business people -- such as Dell, Omidyar and Bezos -- who are widely recognized for their creative achievements in entrepreneurship and invention.
One key characteristic among the visionaries? The tendency to ask questions -- a lot of them -- and to challenge the status quo -- plenty.
Dyer said by comparison, most executives and managers in corporate America today focus on
making companies run smoothly and efficiently. Yet based on their research published in the Harvard Business Review , the most effective leaders "are much more likely to ask 'What if' questions, such as, 'What would happen if we do this?' They ask things like, 'What if we try doing things a new way, how will it change the world?'"
Michael Dell, for example, told Dyer and his colleagues the idea for creating a computer company sprang from a simple question: Why does an assembled computer costs five times as much as the parts that went into it?
Dyer recommends that business leaders spend at least 15 minutes to 30 minutes per day jotting down questions that "challenge the status quo" in their companies, or in their industry, or in their lives.
Bezos, of Amazon.com, told researchers that questioning and experimentation are so critical to innovation that he has institutionalized it at his company.
"I encourage our employees to go down blind alleys and experiment," Bezos said. "If we can get processes decentralized so that we can do a lot of experiments without it being very costly, we'll get a lot more innovation."
Visionary leaders also are good at studying how other people -- and companies -- do things. Dyer said such leaders also are more likely than non-visionaries to have lived in more than one country for an extended period of time. He believes the two qualities are related.
"When people live in different countries, they are more likely to carefully observe what's going on," Dyer said. "It seems to broaden their experiences, and they become more attuned to observing their environments and talking to people with different backgrounds and points of view."
But Dyer said no long journey is required to capitalize on the powers of observation.
Intuit founder Scott Cook said he came up with the idea for Quicken financial software simply by watching his wife struggle to find a way to effectively manage the family's finances.
Dyer said observing how customers and potential customers use a company's product or service can prove particularly useful.
Aside from questioning and observing, visionary leaders also are good at networking, Dyer said. But not for the reasons you might think.
They use networking as a way to gain access to find -- and get feedback for -- new ideas. They observe what others are doing and question whether it would benefit them to follow suit. "They don't use networking just as a tool to mobilize resources or promote themselves," he said. "It's a totally different focus on networking to find and test ideas."
Rex Falkenrath, director of the Miller Business Innovation Center in Salt Lake City, said he agrees with most of the points raised in the research. But he questions one key assertion, that two-thirds of a person's ability to innovate is learned and the other one-third is tied to how the person is hard-wired.
"It is just the opposite," argued Falkenrath, who has started and run businesses, and advised other entrepreneurs . He believes the brains of innovators "simply work differently."
Their ability to visualize concepts, their persistence, their risk-taking and their comfort in disrupting the status quo all are innate, he believes. "The super-innovators are actually different; Their minds work in ways that others don't."
lesley@sltrib.com
After more than six years of research, Brigham Young University professor Jeff Dyer is convinced that these visionary business leaders and others didn't start out completely hard-wired for creativity and innovation.
"I always thought creativity was genetic -- that some people have it, some people don't, and there's not much you can do to get better at it," Dyer said.
But Dyer thinks differently now. The key qualities that separate great leaders from not-so-great ones can be developed, he and his colleagues contend in "The Innovator's DNA."
Dyer, along with co-authors Hal B. Gregersen and Clayton M. Christensen of Harvard Business School, surveyed more than 3,000 executives and managers who had not started a business or invented a product. Their responses were compared with about 500 business people -- such as Dell, Omidyar and Bezos -- who are widely recognized for their creative achievements in entrepreneurship and invention.
One key characteristic among the visionaries? The tendency to ask questions -- a lot of them -- and to challenge the status quo -- plenty.
Dyer said by comparison, most executives and managers in corporate America today focus on
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Michael Dell, for example, told Dyer and his colleagues the idea for creating a computer company sprang from a simple question: Why does an assembled computer costs five times as much as the parts that went into it?
Dyer recommends that business leaders spend at least 15 minutes to 30 minutes per day jotting down questions that "challenge the status quo" in their companies, or in their industry, or in their lives.
Bezos, of Amazon.com, told researchers that questioning and experimentation are so critical to innovation that he has institutionalized it at his company.
"I encourage our employees to go down blind alleys and experiment," Bezos said. "If we can get processes decentralized so that we can do a lot of experiments without it being very costly, we'll get a lot more innovation."
Visionary leaders also are good at studying how other people -- and companies -- do things. Dyer said such leaders also are more likely than non-visionaries to have lived in more than one country for an extended period of time. He believes the two qualities are related.
"When people live in different countries, they are more likely to carefully observe what's going on," Dyer said. "It seems to broaden their experiences, and they become more attuned to observing their environments and talking to people with different backgrounds and points of view."
But Dyer said no long journey is required to capitalize on the powers of observation.
Intuit founder Scott Cook said he came up with the idea for Quicken financial software simply by watching his wife struggle to find a way to effectively manage the family's finances.
Dyer said observing how customers and potential customers use a company's product or service can prove particularly useful.
Aside from questioning and observing, visionary leaders also are good at networking, Dyer said. But not for the reasons you might think.
They use networking as a way to gain access to find -- and get feedback for -- new ideas. They observe what others are doing and question whether it would benefit them to follow suit. "They don't use networking just as a tool to mobilize resources or promote themselves," he said. "It's a totally different focus on networking to find and test ideas."
Rex Falkenrath, director of the Miller Business Innovation Center in Salt Lake City, said he agrees with most of the points raised in the research. But he questions one key assertion, that two-thirds of a person's ability to innovate is learned and the other one-third is tied to how the person is hard-wired.
"It is just the opposite," argued Falkenrath, who has started and run businesses, and advised other entrepreneurs . He believes the brains of innovators "simply work differently."
Their ability to visualize concepts, their persistence, their risk-taking and their comfort in disrupting the status quo all are innate, he believes. "The super-innovators are actually different; Their minds work in ways that others don't."
lesley@sltrib.com
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Life
Ua living is determined not so much by wat life brings ya as by the attitude ya bring to life; not so much by wat happens to ya as by the way ua mind looks at wat happens. - Lewis L. Dunnington, Author
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Take the plunge, but do it afraid!
They say taking a cold shower is very good for your health. Very high on the list of things to do if you want to live to a ripe old age, right next to drinking say eggs for breakfast. Here's the thing- i don't buy it!
Even though my health conscious friends insist it has the potential of increasing my lifespan by one whole year! What's one year vis a vis sixty or seven spent sipping eggnog every morning and shivering in anticipation of jumping into cold shower? Life's too short, i say.
Cold Showers
When it comes to cold showers, though, i've said my dues during those holiday trips upcountry as a child. It was considered a waste of wood fuel to heat water for a bath. "What?! Bathe with hot water? How?!" my grandmother would ask in shock that one could even contemplate such a 'luxury'. And so we would make our way to the open air mabati bathroom at the end of her vegetable garden witha pail full of cold water in hand. It would take me almost an hour to take the bath, but not on account of enjoying the experience.
Once safely enclosed inside the rickety bathroom, i would spend several minutes giving myself a pep talk on the bendits of cold showers. "it wouldn't kill you," i would reason with my young self. "indeed, it might even be good for you." I would then think about my able bodied cousins who didn't seem any worse for having taken cold showers all their lives. Then to a silent chanting of "YES I CAN! I KNOW I CAN!", i would take the plunge. Those first moments when the cold river water hit warm skin were the hardest, and it took every ounce of willpower not to scream out.
After moments of furious shaking, with the next cup of water, the body adjusted and it became easier, even fun at times. Those shivering moments before the bath taught me that there are some things one can't put aside simply because of the fear of doing it. One must learn to do what they fear, while in the dear. Waiting for the fear to end it futile!
As a response, fear can be a good thing as it keeps us from dangerous situations. However, there are many more times when it's limiting and immobilising factor that keeps us from the life we desire. Almost every entrepreneur who ventures into business recognises the fear, but for many, the vision they have painted helps them break through immobilising barrier. We fear asking for a pay rise because of how that might look to our superiors and then fear what will happen because we didn't ask for a pay rise. We may fear spending the rest of our life with someone because doing so means we forfeit some of our independence. Similarly, the fear of being alone may keep us in a bad relationship.
The thing is, fear is a constant companion in life. Expecting life to be free of fearful situations is counterproductive. The way to deal with fear is to recognise it for what it is: an emotion with the ability to keep us safe. However, it can also keep us chained.
Fear can help us analyse our next action, clarifying our next steps. Going through the barrier of fear is useful because it is usually an unforgettable experience that builds the resolve to help us in moments of self doubt.
Unfortunately, too many of us, stay on the other side of that cold shower. We refuse to move forward, paralysed by fear, waiting for the fear to first end so we can embark on our next course of action.
Part of the process
As anyone who has ever taken a cold shower, bungee-jumped, spoken in public or walked through a gorilla forest knows, the fear, the clenching of teeth, the shaking knees, the pep talk are part of the process. If we are conceived that our actions will bring us to life we desire, we must face and feel the fear. Then we must do it afraid!
Even though my health conscious friends insist it has the potential of increasing my lifespan by one whole year! What's one year vis a vis sixty or seven spent sipping eggnog every morning and shivering in anticipation of jumping into cold shower? Life's too short, i say.
Cold Showers
When it comes to cold showers, though, i've said my dues during those holiday trips upcountry as a child. It was considered a waste of wood fuel to heat water for a bath. "What?! Bathe with hot water? How?!" my grandmother would ask in shock that one could even contemplate such a 'luxury'. And so we would make our way to the open air mabati bathroom at the end of her vegetable garden witha pail full of cold water in hand. It would take me almost an hour to take the bath, but not on account of enjoying the experience.
Once safely enclosed inside the rickety bathroom, i would spend several minutes giving myself a pep talk on the bendits of cold showers. "it wouldn't kill you," i would reason with my young self. "indeed, it might even be good for you." I would then think about my able bodied cousins who didn't seem any worse for having taken cold showers all their lives. Then to a silent chanting of "YES I CAN! I KNOW I CAN!", i would take the plunge. Those first moments when the cold river water hit warm skin were the hardest, and it took every ounce of willpower not to scream out.
After moments of furious shaking, with the next cup of water, the body adjusted and it became easier, even fun at times. Those shivering moments before the bath taught me that there are some things one can't put aside simply because of the fear of doing it. One must learn to do what they fear, while in the dear. Waiting for the fear to end it futile!
As a response, fear can be a good thing as it keeps us from dangerous situations. However, there are many more times when it's limiting and immobilising factor that keeps us from the life we desire. Almost every entrepreneur who ventures into business recognises the fear, but for many, the vision they have painted helps them break through immobilising barrier. We fear asking for a pay rise because of how that might look to our superiors and then fear what will happen because we didn't ask for a pay rise. We may fear spending the rest of our life with someone because doing so means we forfeit some of our independence. Similarly, the fear of being alone may keep us in a bad relationship.
The thing is, fear is a constant companion in life. Expecting life to be free of fearful situations is counterproductive. The way to deal with fear is to recognise it for what it is: an emotion with the ability to keep us safe. However, it can also keep us chained.
Fear can help us analyse our next action, clarifying our next steps. Going through the barrier of fear is useful because it is usually an unforgettable experience that builds the resolve to help us in moments of self doubt.
Unfortunately, too many of us, stay on the other side of that cold shower. We refuse to move forward, paralysed by fear, waiting for the fear to first end so we can embark on our next course of action.
Part of the process
As anyone who has ever taken a cold shower, bungee-jumped, spoken in public or walked through a gorilla forest knows, the fear, the clenching of teeth, the shaking knees, the pep talk are part of the process. If we are conceived that our actions will bring us to life we desire, we must face and feel the fear. Then we must do it afraid!
JOKES
Stationer: You don't buy magazines anymore?
James: A now ago, i read that smoking, eating red meat, drinking and having a little extra activity with women can kill. I stopped reading!
##
Eunice: Wake up!
Hymie: What's the matter?
Eunice: You're talking in your sleep again. Control yourself!
Hymie: We'll make a bargain. You let me talk when i'm awake and i'll try to control myself when asleep!
##
Manuel was desperate to settle down with a nice girl, but every time he introduced one to his mother, she rejected his choice.
A friend came up with a possible solution. "Find a girl who is just like your mother. That way, she is sure to approve."
Manuel found the spitting image of his mother in a girl called Pretty. The following week, Manuel bumped into his friend again: " So, did you take my advice?"
"Certainly did, " said Manuel. "They could have been mistaken for sisters."
"And did you take Pretty home to meet your parents?"
"Yes, but, my father didn't like her!"
##
If practice makes perfect and, nobody's perfect, why practice?
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
Do people with psychic powers get nostalgic about next week?
Are complete pessimists positively negative?
Why do the signs that say "Slow children" show a picture of a running child?
Why is it so hard to spell mnemonic?
What would the speed of lightning be if didn't zig zag?
How do sheep know if you are pulling the wool over their eyes?
Democracy is that form of government where everybody gets what the majority deserves.
Diplomacy is the ability to tell someone "get lost" in such a way that they look forward to the trip.
Do not believe in miracles, rely on them.
Do someone a favor and it becomes your job.
Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
Don't be irreplaceable; if you cannot be replaced, you cannot be promoted.
Don't be so open minded that your your brain falls out.
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Don't lend people money, it gives them amnesia.
James: A now ago, i read that smoking, eating red meat, drinking and having a little extra activity with women can kill. I stopped reading!
##
Eunice: Wake up!
Hymie: What's the matter?
Eunice: You're talking in your sleep again. Control yourself!
Hymie: We'll make a bargain. You let me talk when i'm awake and i'll try to control myself when asleep!
##
Manuel was desperate to settle down with a nice girl, but every time he introduced one to his mother, she rejected his choice.
A friend came up with a possible solution. "Find a girl who is just like your mother. That way, she is sure to approve."
Manuel found the spitting image of his mother in a girl called Pretty. The following week, Manuel bumped into his friend again: " So, did you take my advice?"
"Certainly did, " said Manuel. "They could have been mistaken for sisters."
"And did you take Pretty home to meet your parents?"
"Yes, but, my father didn't like her!"
##
If practice makes perfect and, nobody's perfect, why practice?
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
Do people with psychic powers get nostalgic about next week?
Are complete pessimists positively negative?
Why do the signs that say "Slow children" show a picture of a running child?
Why is it so hard to spell mnemonic?
What would the speed of lightning be if didn't zig zag?
How do sheep know if you are pulling the wool over their eyes?
Democracy is that form of government where everybody gets what the majority deserves.
Diplomacy is the ability to tell someone "get lost" in such a way that they look forward to the trip.
Do not believe in miracles, rely on them.
Do someone a favor and it becomes your job.
Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
Don't be irreplaceable; if you cannot be replaced, you cannot be promoted.
Don't be so open minded that your your brain falls out.
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Don't lend people money, it gives them amnesia.
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