Ummm... it only took me four years to discover Clay Shirkey's TED lecture about how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors have a much bigger role to play. Fascinating. Well worth the 20 minutes of viewing time...

www.TED.com

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:55 AM | Comments (0)

I begin this blog posting with a big, fat assumption -- that you, dear reader, are involved in some kind of project, venture, or team that's committed to innovation, growing your business, or breakthrough results.

I'm also assuming that your project, venture, or team, gets in a rut from time to time.

Bold new ideas are needed... a clearer vision of what's possible... and increased forward momentum.

If so, click here. It will take you to an online brainstorming game designed to spark breakthroughs. Reading about it, however, isn't enough. You actually have to DO it.

"If not YOU, who? If not NOW, when?"

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

Mahatma Gandhi knew how to get the word out. Mother Teresa, too. Now, along comes Dave, a guitar player who wouldn't take NO for an answer after United Airlines blew him off after breaking his guitar. Dave didn't just write a complaint letter, he posted a YouTube video that has now been viewed more than 2 million times. Customer service take note! Every customer is a possible Dave.

Thanks to Val Vadeboncouer for the heads up!

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:55 PM | Comments (0)

Time? Do you have it or does it have you?

Recent studies have shown that workers get an average 156 e-mails a day. And when they're not reading or deleting emails, they're switching tasks every three minutes.

We're spending more than a quarter of our workday dealing with interruptions and their needed recovery time. Ouch!

The effect of all this firefighting? A pronounced drop in creativity and innovation. Read more about Terese Amabile's research on this topic here.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:02 AM | Comments (1)

Tired of going to long, boring conferences that promise to give you the "competitive edge," tool you up with the latest best practices, and supercharge your ability to see the future clearly? Of course you are. And so, in the spirit of true customer service, Idea Champions is happy to provide you NOW with two minutes of priceless wisdom rarely shared at corporate gatherings. (No handouts! No 3-ring-binders! No tapes to buy at the back of the room!)

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)

Dear Movers and Shakers:

We now interrupt this blog with an official announcement of the first annual WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SINGLE SOCKS? contest.

While we all have our differences, there is one thing we all have in common and that is the SINGLE SOCKS experience -- as in "Where the hell is my other sock?"

Let the theories begin!

Simply submit your favorite theories here and, who knows, you might end up the GRAND PRIZE WINNER: An Idea Champions Silver Innovation Kit (retails for $199) + five of my unmatched socks (which some sock conspiracists tell me are likely to match yours.) Sock it to me!

Photo

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:58 PM | Comments (12)