One team doing client research this week asked if 30 interviews would be enough. We said 30 seemed like a reasonable number as long as it included sufficient concentration and diversity. That is, if each one of the 30 people had a different demographic, a different reason for using or not using the product, a different attitude [...]

Senior executives always question the wisdom of allowing the emerging leaders in innovation leadership development programs to choose their own projects. The seniors ask “Why would we send them off to seek opportunities when we already have a long list that we need to capitalize on?” Here is how I answer:
1. Leaders make decisions. You are [...]

Traditional learning and innovation are not well-suited to one another. The school of life offers a much better innovation curriculum than any university ever could. Reading and lectures are no substitute for conceiving an idea and testing it in the real world. That is, people need to observe, and better yet, participate, in innovation, [...]

Sam Harrison in Fast Company provides 12 great tips for selling ideas from his book IdeaSelling: Successfully Pitch Your Creative Ideas to Bosses, Clients and Other Decision Makers. Here’s a brief summary.
1. Collaborate with your clients and let them take credit for your ideas
2. Pitch ideas with a clear and logical flow
3. Pause before you [...]

When I am embarking on a new innovation consulting project, I like to go back and re-read my notes from works that never lose their relevance and continue to resonate with clients.
Notes from Clayton Christenson, The Innovator’s Dilemma
It pays to be a leader in a disruptive innovation
• Leadership in sustaining innovations gives little advantage
• Leadership in disruptive [...]