Blog
Women Inventors – Marie Van Brittan Brown
In keeping with Women's History Month, I wanted to highlight women inventors who exemplify the phrase "Necessity is the Mother of Invention". Marie Van Brittan Brown is one of those inventors. Marie was a nurse who didn't keep regular hours. While her husband,...
Valentine’s Day – Innovating Within a Tradition
The basis of innovation is about making a connection that didn't exist before. But what about innovating within a tradition? The real history of Valentine's Day isn't completely clear, but the underlying theme is one of love, fertility, and marriage. Like all...
Innovators Embrace Uncertainty
Uncertainty isn't a comfortable place. In fact, it triggers a flight or fight response in the amygdala part of the brain. And most people choose flight. But innovators embrace uncertainty because we venture into uncharted territory every day. I was talking to a...
How a Bird Inspired a Bullet Train Engineer to Innovate
Inspiration for innovation is literally all around us. Mother nature has supplied us with billions of years of natural R&D. If you ever think that everything that could have been invented has been invented, think again. If you only got your inspiration from...
What Type of Innovator Are You?
In 1962 the book "Diffusions of Innovations" came out. It was a phrase coined by communications professor Everett Rogers to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology is spread through cultures. Rogers explained in his book that four main elements are...
Inventor Spotlight – Ann Moore
Inventor and pediatric nurse Ann Moore proved that you can make an old idea new again. It was during her time in the Peace Corps in West Africa that she first saw mothers carrying their babies around on their backs in fabric harnesses. The babies seemed very content...
The Value of Incremental Innovation
A good portion of my day is spent working with small businesses, especially bricks and mortar stores, on how to compete and stay ahead of the curve in a time when change is so rapid. But there is a lot of resistance to being the first to jump off the cliff and try...
What I’ve Learned as an Innovation Keynote Speaker
For the past five years I've worked with corporations and associations as an innovation keynote speaker. The speeches are very interactive with the audience, with games and improv, so no two are ever the same. I've worked with children's hospitals,...
Innovation Lessons Companies Can Learn From the Pilgrims
A pilgrim is someone who makes a long and difficult journey. As an inventor and innovator I have definitely found that journey to be a rough and rocky one, that has never gone as planned, and I've learned a lot of innovation lessons along the way. For the 102...