QVIews

I’ve heard a lot of presentations about the coming labor shortage, but I haven’t seen enough studies about the changing demographics of the workforce. As the baby boomers age, they will NOT leave for retirement and be replaced by a similar workforce. The new workforce will be much, much more diverse. We will have many…

One of the reason that market research seldom produces breakthrough innovation is that you seldom find a good idea in the place you’re looking for it. Recently I started paying attention to how long I brush my teeth myself, and two minutes is hard to do. I can’t wait to get one of these… Link:…

Today’s Trendcentral email newsletter from Youth Intelligence has observations of two fashionable hot spots where the unexpected happens. First at the boutique: Owned by designer/artist Kime Buzzelli, this Echo Park style incubator is one of the most creative stores we’ve encountered in our travels. Each month, themed installations (e.g. dolls, circus, sleep) fill the store…

During my first 20 years of working, I struggled to make a contribution. All around me, my mentors, bosses and co-workers kept saying ‘it’s just business–you’re taking it too personally–just do what you’re asked to do.’ But that was never enough for me. I tried starting my own business but my lonely efforts never built…

Glad to see that Fast Company magazine covered the National Innovation Initiative Summit last December, since none of my friends attended! Ryan Underwood found the business leaders to be hypocritical, talking about supporting U.S. innovation while they were busy chasing lower-cost innovation resources from other countries. Link: Walking the Talk?. In Beijing, just as Palmisano…

If you’re a Houston resident like myself, you can follow the tracks of NY Times reporter Constance Hayes to a Wal-Mart in suburban Pearland where Wal-Mart has upgraded the in-store televisions. A nice inside-the-box innovation to make more marketing tools available to Wal-Mart suppliers. Reading the article, we find that it’s a centrally controlled and…

If it were not a joyous luxury to blog, I would not do it. It’s so nice to find that such an influential person as Peggy Noonan feels just as privileged to be able to read a blog, as I feel to write a blog. Link: OpinionJournal – Peggy Noonan. I remember what the late…

Be prepared to capture your best ideas when they happen–in the car or in the bed. Thanks to MeansBusiness for a heads up on this new research, publicized in the Guardian by Jamie Milne. Link: Guardian Unlimited: Where do you wear your thinking cap?. New research into entrepreneurial thinking conducted by mobile phone company Sony…

From the man who brought us Lovemarks, here’s 20 great suggestions on how to sustain innovation. Link: Kevin Roberts: Sustaining It. Human progress was never reasonable. It is driven by flashes of inspiration, streams of emotion and buckets of passion. Across time, a burning drive to make a difference has been the difference. Never truer…

Link: Institute for Women’s Leadership. Most-if not all-leadership books and training programs on the market today tell you what you need to know and do to be an effective leader. But being an extraordinary leader and change agent is more about who you are and how well you harness the resources within your environment. In…