November 30, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
A Boomer’s Guide to Teaching and Working with Millenials
My parents were traditionalists. I’m a boomer. I work with a lot of Gen-Xers. I teach a lot of millennials. We are all trying to understand each other and adapt to how we teach and learn. Some teachers have to deal with helicopter parents more than the kids. Since we are all, mostly, products of …
November 29, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
We Need to Revive Innovation and Entrepreneurship in America
Here’s How We Can Make It Happen Entrepreneurship in America recently hit a 40 year low, with far less business creation and new jobs coming from startups than in the past. Productivity numbers show a similar trend, with levels today far below what they were in previous decades. Clearly, these trends are troubling signs that …
November 29, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Co-pace is Continental’s Organization to Connect Startups and Intrapreneurs
Jürgen Bilo is Managing Director / Vice President cof Co-pace, the organization of Continental to incubate startups, and intrapreneurs. He kindly accepted to describe the activities of Co-pace, and the way it collaborates with startups. Can you describe the missions of your entity, the Co-pace? Co-pace is the start-up hub of Continental. Through our insights of …
November 28, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Single Most Important Piece of Advice for Every Graduate (And The Rest Of Us)
None of us escape this inevitability in life. But not all of us do this with it. Would the perfect person among us please raise their hand. Yes, exactly, none of us get through life without making multiple blunders. In fact the greater your passion for…
November 28, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Mapping Experiences
Recently I had the opportunity to interview Jim Kalbach, author of the interesting book Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams. Jim Kalbach is a noted author, speaker, and instructor in user e…
November 27, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
When the Front End and Back End of Innovation Collide
This article was inspired by a recent blog by Seth Godin, where he discussed some challenges that start-ups who rely on early adopters may face when they scale up. https://seths.blog/2018/11/the-curse-of-the-low-hanging-fruit/For a start-up, early adopters who are highly engaged in a category, and/or know they have a problem, often represent easy sales. They typically need little …
November 27, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovation or Not – Turning a Wheelchair into an Electric Scooter
I came across the second video on Linkedin today. I had to dig around to find the YouTube version (thanks Linkedin for making it so hard to share content outside of Linkedin – and for ruining groups). But, first I thought I would share the more polished and European commercial version of the concept, which …
November 26, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
How to Disagree Productively and Find Common Ground
Idea Champions
November 26, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
When the Box is the Limit
Recently I had the opportunity to interview Walter Vandervelde, author of the compelling new book When the Box is the Limit. Walter believes that creativity is a mindset. Creativity is his profession, and he adores inspiring and helping people to devel…
November 26, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Artificial Intelligence Needs Conversational Intelligence. Here’s Why:
Historically, building technology had been about capabilities and features. Engineers and product designers would come up with new things that they thought people wanted, figure out how to make them work and ship “new and improved” products. The result was often things that were maddeningly difficult to use. That began to change when Don Norman …
November 25, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
4th Industrial Revolution Will Change Companies from the Inside
After invention of steam engine, there was years, in some parts of the world even half of the century or more to feel the 1st industrial revolution. Now, 4th industrial revolution is coming much faster and changes that it brings are revolutionary. Very…
November 25, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Tony Robbins Says This One Trait is What It Takes to Succeed
A Trait that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Richard Branson Share Understanding the key to success is just the start of understanding what motivates you and those around you. There is no one road to success. Each person’s path is different based on his or her individual context and circumstances. Trying to reduce success to …
November 24, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Unlock Human Creativity
Illustration: gaping void
That’s what we do
Idea Champions
November 24, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Conscious Capitalism: Conversation with Raj Sisodia, Part Two
Raj Sisodia is the Professor of Global Business, Babson College, Co-founder & Co-Chairman, Conscious Capitalism, Inc. Raj has written ten books and over 100 academic articles. Explain what you describe as the male and female modes of running a business. Capitalism had a mother and a father, and they were both embodied in the same …
November 23, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
You Don’t Have an Innovation Problem, You Have a Trust Problem! (Part 1)
When I was ready to find a topic for my PhD dissertation research in 2008, my mentor pushed me to find one that I would be proud of. “One that will have a positive impact on your life, and the lives of others.” A pretty tall order. I still struggled with the topic, and grew …
November 22, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
What Porcelain Dogs Can Teach Us About Brainstorming
Idea Champions
Brainstorm Champions
November 22, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Start with the “Why Not?”
In Simon Sinek’s popular TED Talk, which remains one of the most viewed ever, he explains how great leaders, like Steve Jobs, the Wright Brothers and Martin Luther King Jr. succeed where many others failed because they put purpose first. “Start with why,” he says and then move on to the “what” and the “how.” …
November 22, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
20 Awesome Quotes on Beginning
1.”Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
2. “There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth — not going all the way, and not starting.” – Buddha
3. “…
November 21, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Most Companies Fail in 6 Months Because of This
There’s a 60% chance that this one risk will destroy your business if you ignore it (it’s not what you think). Small business is all about managing risk since no risk can be prevented with 100% certainty. But what if I told you that there is one risk which puts 60% of businesses that encounter …
November 21, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
China the Leaders of Innovation in 2018
China has become amongst the top 20 innovative economies for the first time, whilst the US has dropped 2 places according to the Global Innovation Index of 2018. What’s going on? The Rankings China rose from 22nd to 17th place whilst the US rankings dropped from 4th to 6th place. This represents a breakthrough for …
November 20, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Harvesting Innovation from the Desert
I had the opportunity to chair the recent Back End of Innovation 2018 conference in Phoenix, Arizona and I thought I would share some of my notes and takeaways from the event. It’s definitely an event worth attending next year if you’re an innovation professional and missed this year’s conference. Day One The conference opened …
November 20, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
The Novelty-Value Matrix
There are many definitions of innovation. In my view, there is a qualitative and quantitative component that helps to determine whether something is innovative as defined by users. The qualitative component is newness i.e whether someone is new or is old done in a new way. The quantitative component is the multiple of user defined value …
November 19, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
DOWN UNDER: Idea Champions Enters Into the Field of Education
Last year, I spent three months at Al Siraat College in Melbourne, Australia — a K-12 school — delivering a wide variety of consulting, training, teaching, and coaching services.
In between each of my month-long residencies, I worked, remotely, w…
November 19, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Leveraging Your Talent for Innovation
The world is now entering the third wave of digital innovation, leveling up out of the internet & connectivity era into what the World Economic Forum is calling the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”. Since digital innovation began back in the 1980’s with the first wave – the era of personal computing – Australia, & other countries …
November 19, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Post-Fire Tips for Dealing with the Aftermath of the California Fires
I just came across the following content, on Facebook, from a woman in California who who been the victim of two fires in the past 11 months. Below, she writes about what she has learned from her experiences and offers very practical advice to anyone…
November 19, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
This Startup Is Leveraging Decades Of Pollution To Help Build a Clean Energy Future
Everywhere you look today, it seems like we’re on the brink of a clean energy revolution. Electric car sales are estimated to have topped a million units in 2017. Wind and solar installations are booming with rapidly declining costs. Goldman Sachs predicts that $3 trillion will be invested in clean energy over the next 20 …
November 18, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Give the Gift of Creativity This Holiday Season
With Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa fast approaching, I’d like to take this blogospheric moment to be the bearer of some good tidings — especially if you are wondering what to get your significant other, friends, family, co-workers, boss, teammate…
November 18, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
How to Increase Organization Agility and Speed of Innovation
Doesn’t it feel like change is the word of the year?! We talk so much about the accelerated rate of change; how technology, competition, launching new products and services are constantly changing. But what about the customer, where do they fit in? And this is why I had Braden Kelley on Inside LaunchStreet. He is …
November 18, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, and Sheryl Sandberg Have All Done This. Why Haven’t You?
This is one of the best ways to bolster the success of your brand, but you’re probably coming up with all kinds of excuses for not doing it! Here’s how to change that. You wouldn’t think that successful entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, Sheryl Sandberg, and everyone on the cast of Shark Tank …
November 17, 2018 | by Chris Kalaboukis
A Humble Request for Your Vote
GOOD NEWS! The authors of this blog (Mitch Ditkoff and Val Vadeboncoeur) are finalists in the 2018 Business Innovation Brief MVP Awards. Our blog post, The Ten Personas of an Effective Brainstorm Facilitator was one of seven articles chosen (out of …