Most startup founders get pitching backwards. They lead with what they do, then explain how they do it, and if time permits, they mention why it matters. This approach puts investors to sleep faster than reading terms and conditions. The problem is simple. People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it. […]
How to Pitch Anything: Using the Golden Circle to Win Over Investors Read More »
Most companies innovate and approach innovation the way generals approach war. They gather in conference rooms, study market reports, build elaborate strategic plans, and then execute with military precision. The problem? Innovation doesn’t work like warfare. It works like science. The difference matters more than you think. A strategist looks at the market, identifies an
Innovate Like a Scientist, Not a Strategist. (Probe-and-Learn Approach) Read More »
The chair you’re sitting in was probably designed with your spine in mind. The keyboard under your fingers has keys positioned to minimize wrist strain. The screen you’re staring at sits at an angle meant to protect your neck. We’ve spent decades perfecting the physical workspace, sculpting it around the human body like clay around
Cognitive Ergonomics: The New Frontier of “Adjacent” Innovation in 2026 Read More »
The conference room is dark. Someone fidgets with the projector cable. Thirty slides are queued up, each one a colorful tombstone for an idea that will never see daylight. You’ve seen this movie before. We all have. Innovation dies in PowerPoint the way vampires die in sunlight. Quickly, predictably, and with everyone pretending to be
Why Most Innovation Projects Die in a Slide Deck (Amazon’s 6-Pager Method) Read More »
We’ve all been there. Someone proposes an idea in a meeting, and before they finish their sentence, another person jumps in with why it won’t work. Then someone else chimes in with a vaguely related tangent about budget constraints. Meanwhile, the optimist in the corner tries to salvage things with forced enthusiasm, and the designated
Use Six Thinking Hats When Your Meetings Are Killing Your Ideas Read More »
In 1962, sociologist Everett Rogers published a book that would become one of those rare academic works that actually matters beyond university walls. His Diffusion of Innovation theory explained how new ideas spread through societies, and it’s been applied to everything from farming techniques in developing countries to electric vehicle adoption in Silicon Valley. The
Diffusion of Innovation 101: A Timeless Framework for a Digital Age Read More »
Steve Jobs never talked about design thinking. He talked about taste. This matters more than you might expect. While the rest of Silicon Valley was busy workshopping their way through sticky notes and empathy maps, Jobs was building products that people lined up around the block to buy. The irony is that everyone now studies
What Steve Jobs Knew About Innovative Design Thinking That You Don’t Read More »
Every year, someone declares that a new technology will change everything. Virtual reality was supposed to transform how we socialize. Blockchain would eliminate middlemen. AI would take all our jobs. Yet here we are, still commuting to offices, using centralized platforms, and very much employed. This pattern of wild optimism followed by crushing disappointment followed
5 Stages of the Gartner Hype Cycle: The Anatomy of a Trend Read More »
Every superhero movie follows the same pattern. The villain comes up with an elaborate plan to destroy the city, corrupt the power grid, or steal every diamond in the museum. The plan is detailed, methodical, and terrifyingly effective. Meanwhile, the heroes scramble to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. What if
Why You Should Reverse Brainstorm Like a Supervillain Read More »
Every year, thousands of executives print out a colorful chart with four boxes and four labels, stare at it during meetings, and nod knowingly. They’re looking at a Gartner Magic Quadrant, and many of them have no idea what they’re actually seeing. The Magic Quadrant has become the business world’s equivalent of a Rorschach test.
How to Read a Gartner Magic Quadrant Without Getting Lost in the Jargon Read More »