As I’ve mentioned before, for many companies continuous improvement programs simply won’t be enough to handle the growing squeeze on margins. But what are companies to do? Well, stop paving the cow path. Instead, companies need to approach innovation in how they do business similar to the way they approach new product innovation. They need […]
I’ve written before about how CPG manufacturers and retailers need to redesign their approach to in-store marketing because they’re wasting millions of dollars. But many of them just don’t get it. And I understand. People running large corporations often hesitate to embrace innovation for a variety of both personal and business reasons even when CEO’s […]
Lego put out a short animated video about it’s 80 year history. Very interesting and worth the 17 minutes it takes to view it. Especially, interesting to see the tenacious, entrepreneurial spirit of the founder Ole Kirk Chritiansen.
If you want to get better results today and be able to meet the challenges of tomorrow, then you can’t depend on a business that was designed for yesterday. Yet that’s the way many businesses operate. I started driving a tractor when I was 6 years old. Although it seemed really big to me, the […]
I’ve spoken of the growing need for productivity innovation before. And with the drought’s impact on food commodity prices, the languishing economic indicators and the high likelihood of a recession beginning in early 2014, most businesses are going to be competing for share of wallet in a low growth environment. Let me reiterate another point: […]
I guess it’s not surprising given the troubled condition of our economy that the number of homeless has grown so rapidly. This past summer, I conducted a needs assessment for The Salvation Army of La Crosse (WI). They provide temporary emergency food and shelter for the homeless and help them with transition resources. They’re the […]
As I mentioned in my last few email newsletters, I’m pretty skeptical about the value of having a Facebook page for my business. I have no idea how to monetize a “Like” for ThinkWay. But I have figured out a way to monetize a ThinkWay “Like” for someone else! We created a Facebook campaign called […]
That’s what David Leonhardt of the New York Times calls it. It’s likely what’s going to happen to us all while both political parties continue their dueling campaign obstinacy strategies. Here’s the chart again from Business Insider…
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” So says Henry David Thoreau, American writer and philosopher. If Henry’s got it right, what are the implications for the hundreds of millions, billions, of dollars spent on in store displays? Turns out the answer is: abysmal. Especially if it’s also true that […]
As economic pressures build, leaders are increasingly dependent on their innovation process to drive growth and close revenue and earnings gaps. So, they climb into the driver’s seat only to find there are no gauges on the instrument panel, the gas and brake pedals don’t work and the steering wheel spins like it’s not even […]
