Change in Perspective Reveals New Insight

Something fun I get to do with my wife Samantha is go to the west coast of Florida and just chill out. We like the area of Bald Point and Alligator Point near the town of Panacea. We keep a small fishing boat at the marina in Panacea so we can have a down-and-back trip […]

Taking Innovation Too Far

I am a big Douglas Adams fan. For those of you who don’t immediately recognize that name, perhaps you have heard of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If you haven’t, you need to check it out. HGG originated in 1978, the same year I graduated from high school, and combined an incredibly inventive premise […]

The Innovation Challenge – Are You Up For It?

Most companies are well-run and operate with a reasonable level of efficiency. The very best companies, though, are not satisfied with being “just ok” and work to constantly improve, innovate, and evolve to enable creativity that leads to innovation-driven growth. I have written extensively on the need for Innovation-Driven Growth (you can check out these […]

If Banking Was So Easy, Everyone Would Already Be Doing It: Part 2

If you have read my recent post on banking with online non-banks (if you haven’t, it can be found here), a good follow up to it would be a recent article from The Financial Brand, “Eight Challenger Banks Traditional Banks Should Worry About.” I would highly encourage you to read the article before continuing to […]

If Banking Was So Easy, Everyone Would Already Be Doing It!

While perusing my daily news stories related to financial services, I came across this article from The Financial Brand. It discussed a study concluding 58% of potential account switchers, including those already looking to move from their existing financial services provider, would consider an “alternative” provider like Apple, Facebook, Google, or Amazon. Not surprisingly, Millennials […]

Efficiency Doesn’t Mean Someone Gets Fired …

Once again, my perusal of PYMNTS.com yielded a great story. The story highlights the changes retailers have experienced throughout the use of self-service. The early assumption for self-service was it would reduce headcount and be a money saver. However, that turned out to be untrue. Instead of merely letting those performing transactional services (i.e. check-out) […]

Banks Are Not Telling Their Stories

I frequently scan the news, particularly when it relates to financial services, and one fact is inescapable: current generations will not conform to the methods of traditional financial services as previous generations have. Some financial experts will disagree, but there is a big difference between individuals who used to need access to accounts and payment […]

I’m Not as Innovative as I Thought …

Despite my quest to look for innovation in all aspects of everyday life, I often amaze myself at the number of instances I remain oblivious to it, even when it is staring me right in the face and working in my favor. For instance, there was the time I rented a beautiful new car from […]

It Was Bound to Happen – My 1st Surly Southwest Flight Attendant

I fly a lot. So I encounter many of the good folks who keep our airplanes and airports remarkably efficient, given the number of flights, people, and bags that run through a major airport on any given day. Since I’ve moved to Sugar Land, Texas, I now wind up on more Southwest Airlines flights in […]

Making Business Meetings Unique and Fun

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I periodically talk about having fun at work. I truly believe when we make our workplace fun, our team members enjoy their work and their environment more. This translates into more productivity and also transfers to our clients. Trust me, even if it is just […]