You may start with a problem or a discovery. You may discover a problem or, in solving a problem, make a discovery. It is rarely, if ever, a linear process of one then the other. There are innovation frameworks, methods and techniques. They help… but innovation is a messy process that includes going to unfamiliar … Read more
Mental models are psychological representations of real, hypothetical, or imaginary situations. They were first postulated in the late 1800’s by the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce but it was the Scottish psychologist, Kenneth Craik, in 1943, who describes mental models as the mind constructs “small-scale models” of reality that it uses to anticipate events, to … Read more
Good mentors are important. The best workplaces have formal programs to develop mentoring relationships. LinkedIn has even launched a feature to help you find one. And how to be a good mentor is a topic of perennial interest. “For mentors, the most important thing, really, is to ask questions, to be this guide on the side, rather than the … Read more
I have been fortunate to have some great leaders along my path. They seemed to have genuinely cared about me and instilled in me a strong trust and loyalty to them. These leaders had empathy, they were good listeners and knew how to inspire a team with a clear vision. “Success is a team sport. … Read more
The Four Stages of Learning suggests that individuals are initially unaware of how little they know, or unconscious of their incompetence – we don’t know what we don’t know. As we recognize our incompetence, we consciously acquire knowledge (we know what we don’t know). When we are consciously using knowledge then we know what we … Read more
From The Wall Street Journals article, Radically Open: Tom Friedman On the Future of Work,Tom Friedman, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times and author of seven best-selling books, has these five rules: Always think like an immigrant. Because we’re all new immigrants to the age of accelerations. Always think like an artisan. Always do … Read more
In a recent New York Times article, What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team: New research reveals surprising truths about why some work groups thrive and others falter, Charles Duhigg shares that five years ago, Google — one of the most public proselytizers of how studying workers can transform productivity — … Read more
User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products. It is an approach that puts the user at the center of the design process and incorporates user concerns and advocacy from the beginning. User experience includes everything that the user can experience – the visual appearance, interactive … Read more
The first line of the Agile Manifesto is “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.” My interpretation – and my experience – of this, is that no matter how great your process and tools, it is people and their interactions that is the success of any organization. In his book, What the CEO Wants You … Read more
Just last week I ran a customer journey map (CJM) workshop at FICO World 2014. I always enjoy the enthusiasm for customers and engagement around designing better customer experience that happens at these workshops. The secret to any good workshop is to facilitate an environment of trust where the participants can be free to share … Read more
As organizations are beginning to realize that for long-term growth, you need long-term customers (advocates) and to have customer advocates, who sell your brand for you and loyally spend more and more dollars for your products and services, you must have people in your organization that are engaged, brand advocates. But how do you do … Read more
The Standard for Product Management and Marketing is Here! The Guide to the Product Management and Marketing Body of Knowledge (ProdBOK) is a comprehensive, easy to read standard for product management profession. The ProdBOK is an industry-wide effort to standardize the practice of product management sponsored by the Association of International Product Management and Marketing (AIPMM). … Read more