Category Archives: Innovation

Identifying Needs That Drive Satisfaction

Posted on January 3, 2012 by AndrewPetrick

One place where innovation tends to get stuck is in accurately “defining user needs”, their struggles and drudgery, what they really want even if they don’t consciously know it. Usually, customers are not qualified to know what solutions are best … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Innovation, Leadership | Leave a comment

Three Characteristics of The Innovator

Posted on December 31, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

Can innovation consistently lead to improved prosperity? Is there a simple path to a surge in business? Can you suddenly dominate your own little niche or category with a new product or service? Is there a reliable approach to innovation … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Innovation, Leadership | Leave a comment

Finding Our Innovation Champions

Posted on November 29, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

Imagine if each and every person in our business arrived at work believing they could influence the destiny of our company through their ideas and innovations. Then imagine we could do this without creating major chaos. Can we delight our … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Innovation, Leadership, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TRUE INNOVATION: Our People, Our Heart

Posted on October 24, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have …. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how your led, and how much you ‘get it’ ” (Steven Jobs, 1981). People are at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Innovation, Leadership, Training | Leave a comment

Steven Jobs delighted us all

Posted on October 6, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

Sometimes its not good enough to know what your customers and suppliers are thinking. Yes, its important to talk to them and understand them as intimately as possible about the needs and wants they are aware of; however, they only … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation, Leadership | Leave a comment

Creating an Innovation Zone

Posted on September 26, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

Harvesting service-innovation-intelligence depends upon building an “Innovation Zone”. Fashioning this Zone may mean improving our philosophy, culture and even our business model. A business model is nothing other than our method, formula, or way that we make money. Southwest Airlines … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Innovation, Leadership | Leave a comment

The Customer-Adventure-Cycle

Posted on August 31, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

In today’s retail and wholesale markets, differentiating ourselves is a major challenge. The big box stores look alike and feel alike. The same can be said for the small-time merchants. They are filled with new and innovative products; some are … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation | Leave a comment

Standing on one leg or two?

Posted on July 27, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

For today’s enterprises to thrive, they must have one foot firmly planted on their current “performance engine” of the present, and the other foot planted on their “innovation system” to build their future. How difficult it is to hop around … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation, Leadership | Leave a comment

Live Inside Our Customer’s Skin

Posted on June 30, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

In an economic downturn, innovation isn’t our best friend – – it’s our only friend. Margins disappear as our customers and clients find ways to cut costs, find alternatives, and (gasp) slice off chunks of what they buy from us. … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Innovation | Leave a comment

Agony & Detecting Signals Early

Posted on May 31, 2011 by AndrewPetrick

Managing several important changes simultaneously threatens to overwhelm growing companies. “The greater the number of such changes occurring at once, the more we multiply the agony”. (1) New product innovation compounds the awkwardness not only on internal resources but also … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Innovation, Leadership | Leave a comment