March 26, 2011
VIRTUAL TEAMWORK CARDS

unclesamshow.jpg


If you are looking for a simple way to improve teamwork in your organization, click on the "We're All In This Together" banner in the sidebar.

What you'll get is a series of 53 Teamwork Cards newly published by the writers of this blog, Idea Champions.

Each card describes a quality of a high performing team and then poses a question for reflection.

The cards spark dialogue, insight, and the kind of positive changes that increase a team's ability to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

If you want to license Teamwork Cards for your intranet, click here.

Image

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:26 AM | Comments (0)

March 22, 2011
Water for the Thirsty

Here's a real-world innovation that inspires:

More than 180 bloggers from around the globe are uniting today (World Water Day) to raise $10,000 and bring clean drinking water, each year, to 3,600 people in India.

The project is a brainchild of four U.S. bloggers who want to make a difference -- and are doing so via this project.

They note, on their blog, that 1/3 of all hand pumps installed in the last 20 years in developing countries are now broken. Four thousand children are dying every day due to the lack of clean drinking water.

The money raised for World Water Day will not go to drill more wells, but instead will go towards training and employing hand pump mechanics. A brilliant idea.

The mechanics will earn a steady income (getting themselves out of poverty) and will save lives at the same time -- turning water back on for thousands of people in need each year.

And, as an extra bonus, the Prem Rawat Foundation will provide a matching grant for the funds that are raised -- doubling the amount of people who will be receiving clean drinking water.

My request to you? Please donate $20 to this worthy cause today. Click here to find out how.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2011
Peeking Into the Future...

2ec8e5b0-42a9-47c5-a12d-fb8b4e5b7beb.png

Idea Champions
Innovation Keynotes

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:24 PM | Comments (1)

March 19, 2011
Products of Our Imagination

innovation-kit-platinum.jpg

We now interrupt this highly inspiring, thought provoking, mostly unmonetized innovation blog to pay the bills.

If you are looking for a simple way to think outside the box and spark some real innovation in your company, take a look at two cool products from the people who bring you this blog -- our Silver Innovation Kit and our Platinum Innovation Kit.

And, because we're in a really good mood today and our CFO is on vacation, we'll kick in an annual subscription to our highly regarded Free the Genie if you place your order before April 15th.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2011
Be There Then


"You can't just
ask customers
what they want
and then try to
give that to them.
By the time
you get it built,
they'll want
something new."

- Steve Jobs

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:35 PM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2011
Music to My Ears

johncage.jpg


"I
can't
understand
why
people
are
frightened
of
new
ideas
.
I'm
frightened
of
the
old
ones."

- John Cage

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:34 PM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2011
The 30 Most Popular Blog Postings

In case you haven't noticed it yet, the Heart of Innovation's most popular blog postings (as rated by Postrank) are now conveniently at your disposal in the sidebar under the creatively named headline "Most Popular Postings."

So, if you are in traction, are snowed in at an airport, are a prisoner in a Turkish jail, or are simply a big fan of Idea Champions' blog, check it out.


Illustration

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2011
The World's Most Typical Person

Before you watch this, pause a few seconds and see if you can guess what the world's most typical person looks like...

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)

March 05, 2011
Cut-to-the-Chase Coaching

LKindler_Flat_cropped.jpg

Every once in a while a really good deal comes along. Like the one described below, for example...

If you're committed to "living the life of your heart's desire," could use a little coaching, but don't have the moolah to pay for it, read on.

For the merry month of March, the extraordinarily kind Lynn Kindler is offering complimentary 15-minute Cut to the Chase coaching sessions on a first-come, first served basis (10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Austin, Texas time.)

What is "Cut-to-the Chase" coaching?

Explains Lynn: "Each of us has the knowledge and wisdom inside of us to live the life of our heart's desire. CTC coaching begins there and asks each person to step up to who they are and get moving towards what they really want in their life -- both personally or professionally."

Think of Lynn as the fulcrum to help you move the rock that's been blocking your path.

And if you've been moaning about not being able to afford coaching, cease and desist! Lynn is offering her sessions for free -- no strings attached.

lynn@lynnkindlercoaching.com or 512.775.4260
Lynn's website

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)

March 03, 2011
What, Exactly, IS the Box?

"Innovation" is the holy grail for most organizations. Everyone wants it. Everyone talks about the need to "get out of the box" and do something different. But there's a huge gap between the rhetoric and the reality.

The reasons are many -- but the biggest reason is this: No one really knows what the so-called box really is.

And because we don't, we end up shadow boxing imaginary monsters -- coming up with untold processes, protocols, and pep talks that don't really get to the heart of the matter. Not a good idea.

So, dear aspiring innovator -- what do YOU think the box is?

Next week, in this space I will share my current understanding of the box, name all six sides -- and kick start the conversation of how you, your organization, and the rest of world can get out of it.

More
A fun way to get started

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2011
Got the Process Improvement Blues?

y1p3GVTdYExQGQmDYMNMQggTgS6amwNlincAw4DE7dEJyVbdHLV9FRtwKkqV3FhSWkxAXShlCY0UhY.jpg

More
Cartoon

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)

March 01, 2011
The Hole In the Soul of Business

If there was an Oscar to be given out for Management Revolution (or better yet, Management Revelation), I would award it to Gary Hamel, author of The Future of Management, Leading the Revolution, and a truckload of other leading edge materials on how to reinvent management.

Gary is the real deal -- a great combination of head and heart. He's got the in-the-trenches experience to know what he's talking about and he's got the head-in-the-clouds aspirations of a true visionary.

Here's a recent blog posting of his that rings very true for me.

I like to think of Gary as the Eric Clapton of management consultants. Go, Gary, Go!

Join the revolution!
Photo

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:07 PM | Comments (0)

SNEAK PREVIEW: The President's Speech

Apparently, a sequel to The King's Speech is already underway. According to my sources, it should be in theaters by June. Here's the trailer.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:31 AM | Comments (0)

Who Are We?

Idea Champions is a consulting and training company dedicated to awakening and nurturing the spirit of innovation. We help individuals, teams and entire organizations tap into their innate ability to create, develop and implement ideas that make a difference.

MitchDitkoff.com
Click here for the simplest, most direct way, to learn more about Idea Champions' semi-fearless leader, Mitch Ditkoff. Info on his keynotes, workshops, conferences, and more.
Storytelling for the Revolution
Storytelling for the Revolution is Mitch Ditkoff's newly published book about the power of personal storytelling to elevate the conversation on planet Earth. Provocative. Evocative. And fun. YOU have stories to tell. This book will help you tell them.
Storytelling at Work
"The world is not made of atoms," wrote the poet, Muriel Rukeyser. "It's made of stories." Learn how to discover, honor, and unpack the stories of yours that show up "on the job" in Mitch Ditkoff's award-winning 2015 book, Storytelling at Work.
Top 5 Speaker
Mitch Ditkoff, the Co-Founder and President of Idea Champions, has recently been voted a top 5 speaker in the field of innovation and creativity by Speakers Platform, a leading speaker's bureau.
Authorized Reseller Logo – GoLeanSixSigma.com
Workshops & Trainings
Highly engaging learning experiences that increase each participant's ability to become a creative force for positive change
Brainstorm Facilitation
High impact certification training that teaches committed change agents how to lead groundbreaking ideation sessions
Cultivating Innovation
Your "best and brightest" are the future leaders of your company, but unless they know how to foster a culture of innovation, their impact will be limited. A one-day workshop with us is all they need to begin this journey.
Our Blog Cabin
Our Heart of Innovation blog is a daily destination for movers and shakers everywhere — gleefully produced by our President, Mitch Ditkoff, voted "best innovation blogger in the world" two years running.
Team Innovation
Innovation is a team sport. Brilliant ideas go nowhere unless your people are aligned, collaborative, and team-oriented. That doesn't happen automatically, however. It takes intention, clarity, selflessness, and a new way of operating.
Awake at the Wheel, Book about big ideas If you're looking for a powerful way to jump start innovation and get your creative juices flowing, Awake at the Wheel is for you. Written by Mitch Ditkoff, Co-Founder and President of Idea Champions.
Face the Music Blues Band The world's first interactive business blues band. A great way to help your workforce go beyond complaint.

"In tune with corporate America." — CNN
© IDEA CHAMPIONS