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Posts Tagged ‘Success factors’

The pain of honest evaluations shown by a photo of looking through glass at two people talking.

The Pain of Honest Evaluations

People are funny. We reason with ourselves that we want the truth, but we prove time and again that we prefer being lied to. If your gut reaction to that statement is defiance, there is a strong chance that you’re lying to yourself about your own emotions. This article isn’t about the psychology of our […]

Team Of Workers Working Together In A Business Meeting At The Office

Product-Driven vs. Project-Driven: Your Keys to Success

IT leaders are under constant pressure to improve operations and stay on top of trends in the rapidly evolving world of modern business. In our guide, the ‘VP of IT’s Guide to Transforming Your Business’ we discussed the benefits of adopting a project-driven organization over a product-driven one. In our first blog in this series, […]

Photo of blocks being puzzle-pieced together. Using psychology to recognize idea blockers and help the pieces fit together.

6 Idea Blockers – Psychology of Innovation

The psychology of innovation is like any other area of life where our brains and emotions simply get in the way of our progress. Even when we are aware of the pitfalls, they are unavoidable. Our brains are wired to fall into these traps. I recently wrote a blog post about harmful innovation myths, and […]

Photo of carved wooden emoji for sad, straight, and smiley faces. Represents a negative event, root cause analysis, and a positive result.

It’s Probably My Fault – Always Assume the Problem is Yours

It was 2002 when I landed what I considered to be my first real professional job. I was hired by a small advertising agency as a graphic designer, though I mainly got the offer because I also knew how to build websites. At the time, I had not created any principles and would still often […]

Man Working At A Creative Office Using His Computer And People Moving At The Background

Product-Driven vs. Project-Driven: What’s the Difference?

In today’s dynamic and competitive business landscape, IT Leaders are constantly seeking ways to optimize their operations and stay ahead of the competition. One crucial decision organizations must make is choosing between a project-driven or a product-driven approach for product development. A project-driven approach prioritizes the completion of individual projects, while a product-driven approach prioritizes […]

Photo of a man scratching his head. He’s perplexed about a business problem that should be fixed, but not sure how to get the solution approved.

The Problem with “We Should”

“We Should” is Said a Lot I’ve worked at a handful of companies throughout my career. If you split the years out, half of my time has been working within an agency and the other half has been in-house. The agency work has allowed me to see dozens of other companies as well. I’ve been […]

Image of a man ignoring the loud urgency of a boy screaming into a megaphone.

The Eisenhower Quadrants of Productivity

I’ve been using the Eisenhower Quadrants of Productivity with my teams for many years now. You may also hear it called the “Eisenhower Decision Matrix” or the “Eisenhower Box”. It is a method that helps people understand the differences between “urgent” and “important” tasks. You can use it to create principles on how to best […]

Image of an open book with a light bulb and connected dots that look like digital neurons. This signifies that intentional corporate innovation can evolve if managed well.

12 Lessons Learned while Managing Corporate Innovation

The Road to Managing Corporate Innovation I started out at an ad agency in southern Indiana in 2002. Our clients were interested in technology and our agency helped them find their way. At the same time, I was building the web development and digital strategy team within the agency. We began doing things intentionally with […]

Photo of an inquisitive little girl that represents children who like to ask WHY?

The Five Whys – Simple Yet Helpful Root Cause Analysis

Most are familiar with the Five Ws for information gathering: Who, What, When, Where, and Why – adding in How for good measure (making it the Six Ws). Fewer are aware of the Five Whys which is a simplistic method of root cause analysis (RCA). This article explains the Five Whys, also known as a […]

Image of arrow icons illustrating opposing directions of organizational change.

6 Areas That Stall Organizational Change

In 1987, Mary Lippitt released a change management model that beautifully illustrated five key areas for organizational change. In 2000, Tommy Knoster extended Lippitt’s concept and included a sixth area of importance: consensus. It is now referred to as the Lippitt-Knoster Model for Managing Complex Change.

Factors for Successful Value Creation for Big Data Initiatives

One of the major challenges of Big Data initiatives is the Value Creation. What is the business value of the data in question and how to leverage it to successful business strategies. There are various factors influencing the successful value creation.