I had a recent online exchange with a colleague. He had responded to a post I’d made regarding how to use creative brainstorming to harvest new and unusual solutions to a problem. But he had a problem about his problem. Here was his original text to me: Hey David, Thanks for the tip yesterday about finding a solution. Do you have any favorite techniques for defining the problem? I find I get wrapped up in my view or interpretation of the problem. Going to try the Five Whys approach today on several problems to try to identify root causes. He had identified an issue that throws off many of my strategic planning clients, so I want to address it here. If you don’t have a well-defined problem, how do you know you are brainstorming the right solution? I sent him this text in response: …
Innovation ThinkTime
Have a Young Innovator? Give Them Creative Space!
My ten-year-old grandson, Liam, has a creative and inventive mind. When he is at Camp YaYa (i.e., over at our house), he is constantly looking for materials he can experiment with. Sometimes he builds with no specific project in mind, but he’ll continue to create until he ends up with something, like a cardboard fort. He’s also been known to simply work with tools for no other purpose than to understand how they operate. Other times Liam has an end result in mind. On those occasions, he will come up and ask for some material without revealing what he needs it for. As long YaYa believes what he is asking for is not inherently dangerous, she will provide it as he has demonstrated in the past that he can use tools safely (well, as safely as any ten-year-old I know can …). It was a gross …
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C’Mon, Pay Attention to Contact Us, People!
If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you will know that I highlight individuals and companies that standout for their digital user experience—good or bad. One of my pet peeves is when a company fails to respond to an inquiry made through the “Contact Us” form on their website. Isn’t that the stated purpose of the form on your site? A user fills it out and says, “I need you to contact me for _______.” How hard is it for any business that is offering that means of contact to monitor inquiries and respond? Here is my three-part formula for having a successful contact page: Setup a fully functional contact form. (Not all companies do.) Setup an automated response that alerts the user that their inquiry was received. (By my count, only about 25% of companies have …
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Running the (Virtual) Race …
I recently spoke with Dave Depinet, the CTO of U.S. Dataworks, who is a brilliant technologist and a world-class Ironman competitor. In 2019, Dave represented his age bracket at the Ironman World Championship in France. He trains frequently and is in seriously great shape. But recent Ironman events have been negatively impacted by the world COVID-19 pandemic. He told me an amazing story about the attempt to hold the first “virtual” Ironman race, and I want to share it with you. The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), owner of the Ironman brand (http://ironman.com), makes its revenue by organizing, promoting and getting sponsors for Ironman-branded races. Since mid-March, all of those races have been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. To help their loyal athletes who …
No Banking Relationship? Perhaps No PPP For You!
As COVID-19 rages throughout the world, our executive and legislative branches are working together (as best as they can, given the toxic environment in D.C.) to provide relief for American businesses. One of the elements of the recently passed $2 trillion relief package is a forgivable loan for small businesses. Called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), it is designed to assist the millions of companies with fewer than 500 employees through these difficult times. The fact is that many businesses have shuttered their operations altogether to meet the requirements for “Shelter-in-Place” rules that are necessary to slow the advance of the virus. These are crucial SMBs, the very lifeblood of the U.S. economy, and it is crucial that they remain viable for the moment things “return to …
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