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Articles by Chuck Swoboda
FAITH & VALUES: God’s answer to death is resurrection not prevention
Today would have been my dad’s 85th birthday. His birthday was always easy to remember; 3-9-39 (I also have a sister who was born 6-5-65). Sadly my dad passed away from cancer last July. As his health took a downturn in June, I went to California and spent ten days with him, my mom, and a few of my siblings. In those ten days I processed the reality of what was happening. My dad was dying. I found myself bouncing between various experiences. I spent as much time as I could with my dad.
Insights From An Olympic Silver Medalist On How To Maximize Team Performance
The US men's team after taking the silver medal in the 1994 Winter Olympics Getty Images The benefits of talent-centric vs. structure-centric organization design Many successful companies start the same way: a few passionate people, a great idea, and not much money. The roles on the team are dynamic, defined by the strengths of the people and rapidly changing business needs.
Southwest Airlines Doesn’t Settle For Best Practice - And You Shouldn’t Either
Southwest Airlines planes at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport ASSOCIATED PRESS Embrace Herb Kelleher’s advice that there is always a better way Southwest Airlines recently disclosed in an investor update that it would turn down $2.8 billion in federal CARES Act funds. The company will instead focus on finding its own financing during what has been one of the most challenging times in the history of U.S. aviation due to COVID-19 travel concerns.
What Jeff Bezos And Bill Gates Learned About Failure That Made Them Successful
Senator Robert F Kennedy during his campaign for the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination in ... [+] 1968. Getty Images Three ways to help yourself and others adopt a risk mindset A common trait of many great leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs is a risk mindset. They understand that risk and reward are fundamentally linked, and that failure is paradoxically an integral part of success. Robert F.
Why You Should Do What Others Say Can’t Be Done
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft launches on the mission to the ... [+] International Space Station. Getty Images How to overcome common obstacles to innovation On August 2, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft splashed down into the Gulf of Mexico, ending a historic two-month mission that demonstrated that a relatively small private company could successfully take people to space and back.
When It Comes To Innovation, Don’t Ask The Customer
When it comes to innovation, the customer doesn't know. getty Customers can’t ask for something that they don’t yet know is possible. According to the Boston Consulting Group’s most recent study, the three most innovative companies in the world are Apple, Google (Alphabet), and Amazon. So, what makes these companies so good at innovation? It’s simple: their approach to customers.
Why ‘Thinking Outside The Box’ Is The Wrong Way To Approach Innovation
Don't think outside the box. Think like there is no box. Getty You’ll never find the best ideas until you recognize there is no box. At its core, innovation is about solving difficult problems. And, invariably, the advice that teams get when tasked with finding innovative solutions to new challenges is to “think outside the box”—so much so that the phrase itself has become a mantra across the business world.
What This 3-Minute Scene From ‘The West Wing’ About Maps Can Teach You About Leadership
Multicolor World Map Illustration Getty Great leaders have a true and accurate starting point. And that requires challenging conventional thinking. Steve Jobs. Nelson Mandela. Marie Curie. They’re among the great leaders who didn’t settle for how things were, and instead, focused on how things ought to be. Their vision for a better future became the guiding principle for their work and, ultimately, their historic contributions to society. Inarguably, each one, in their own way, changed the world.
Don’t Complain About Problems. Have Fun Solving Them.
A view outside Shake Shack in New York City. Getty Images Famed restaurateur Danny Meyer got some simple yet sage business advice from his grandfather. Now you can, too.
In Business, As In Life, The Greatest Risk Is Doing Nothing
Without risk, there is no innovation. Getty Getting good at taking risks is the key to your success. Here are five reasons why. “Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” That sage advice from American author and motivational speaker Denis Waitley applies to business, as well. Yet based on how many leaders act today, you’d never know it.
Leading Innovation Is Messy, So Get Over It
An engineer working in a messy home laboratory. Getty To seriously innovate, forget order and predictability—and fully embrace the mess. These days, leaders are striving for more and more innovation in their organizations. And to achieve this goal, they apply more resources and management focus, wholeheartedly believing that results will inevitably follow. They tell their teams to “go forth and innovate” and then expect everything to go according to plan. But innovation doesn’t work that way. Why?
Thank You Mr. Edison, We’ll Take It From Here
American inventor Thomas Alva Edison holding a light bulb in his laboratory. Mondadori via Getty Images GE sells lighting business and signals the end of an era Last week The New York Times reported that General Electric was selling its lighting business - more than 140 years after company founder Thomas Edison invented one of the most iconic products of all time, the filament light bulb.
Why ‘The Last Dance’ Is Must-See TV For Business Leaders
Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan during an exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 24, 1997 ASSOCIATED PRESS ESPN’s riveting Michael Jordan docuseries shows how to build a championship team that plays to win. Play to win. It’s a mindset used by many successful business leaders, including A.G. Lafley, who led consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) from 2000 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2015.
Why The Old Brainstorming Rules Are Out-And The Creative Power Of Healthy Debate Is In
Finding the best ideas requires healthy debate. Getty Finding the best ideas requires candor and criticism. At some point, we’ve all been there—holed up in a meeting in hopeless pursuit of bold ideas for a new product, service or marketing campaign. Then, as if by cue, a leader pipes up and proposes having a “brainstorming” session. And while there’s a time and a place for such an approach, it first requires understanding the specific conditions necessary to find the best ideas.
How to build a team of innovators
Share this article As increasing competition, new technologies and evolving customer expectations continue to disrupt nearly every industry, business leaders are turning to innovation as a way to keep their companies relevant. The standard solution is to create teams that focus explicitly on innovation. The problem? Most of these teams struggle to innovate, often delivering incremental improvements at best. Why is that?
Smart Leaders Purposely Put Themselves At The Bottom Of The Org Chart
Don't let the traditional org chart get in the way of success. Getty Optimize the constraints to your success—not a static, hierarchical pyramid. “Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.” That’s how Steve Jobs, who famously built Apple into an innovation juggernaut, once framed the distinction between leading versus managing.
Embracing the Challenges that Spur Innovation
Think about a challenging problem that you just couldn’t figure out. If you knew that the fate of your career (or your company) depended on finding a solution, what might you try? We spend much of our lives avoiding difficult situations and, in the process, we miss incredible opportunities for innovation. A 16th-century proverb says, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” It also happens to be the mother of innovation.
Features Versus Benefits: Why The iPhone Succeeded-And Google Glass Failed
Google Glass: An invention that failed to live up to the hype. BLOOMBERG NEWS Sure, features get all the attention. But it’s benefits that drive success. The iPhone is a great example of a successful innovation, and the now-ubiquitous product lives on with new iterations every year. Google Glass, on the other hand, is a great example of an invention that failed—meeting its maker less than two years after its launch.
Innovation Isn’t The Answer To All Your Problems
When the proper context for change exists, innovation can be incredibly powerful Getty But when the proper context for change exists, it can be incredibly powerful. A recent article in Harvard Business Review argues: “Innovation is the buzzword. In fact, it has been the buzzword for so long, you could say we’ve developed a cult around it.” I may be biased—having spent my career pursuing real innovation—but I wholeheartedly agree.
You Can't Manage Your Way Out Of A Crisis-You Have To Lead
The worldwide containment effort to halt the spread of COVID-19 has had far-reaching impacts on both the world economy and local communities. Our lives have been significantly altered and the economy has been severely impacted, as reflected in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was down nearly 30 percent before partially recovering recently.
The Innovator’s Spirit Is A Must-Have Mindset. Here’s How To Uncover Yours
Innovation starts with people, not process. Getty Innovation begins and ends with people, not a process or recipe. In its most basic form, innovation implies something new, that solves a customer problem, and creates real value. But peel back the layers and delve deeper, and you’ll find it’s much more than that. Innovation speaks to our deep-seated desire to improve or expand our lives. It is the great equalizer, giving underdogs not only a chance, but often the advantage. It brings people together.
Career Plans Aren’t Successful. People Are.
Successful people create successful careers—not vice versa. Getty Try these three smarter, simpler ways to chart your journey. What is career success, really? For many people, it’s what someone achieves, and in the business world, that’s often measured by title, recognition, fame, or wealth. So when it comes to developing their own plan for career success, they logically start with those goals in mind and then take a step-by-step approach to getting there.
3 Habits That Will Expand Your Spirit of Innovation - Training Industry
Innovation is something many organizations want but struggle to achieve. They use a range of tools to guide teams through the creative process, yet the result is often not innovative. The problem isn’t with the tools themselves; they’ve been proven to work time and again. The problem is that these organizations start with what to do instead of how to think. Fundamentally, the key to innovation is people.
How The Management Trap Hurts Innovation
Innovation requires leadership thinking, not management thinking Getty Learn to prevent it—and promote innovative behaviors instead. Every year, the Drucker Institute, in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, ranks America’s largest publicly traded companies according to Peter Drucker’s principles of effectiveness—“doing the right things well.” In 2019, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple took the top spots. Surprised? Probably not.
COVID-19 Is Making Alexa And Siri A Hands-Free Necessity
'Siri', voice-activated assistant technology, on an Apple iPhone 2012 AFP It will also fuel a rapid rise in other voice control technology.
How to stay digitally connected with others in a healthy way
By Chuck Swoboda6 minute Read You’re probably reading this article on a computer. Next to you is your phone, buzzing with multiple notifications. Your smartwatch is strapped to your wrist, letting you know it’s time to stand, and you’re squeezing this reading in before a video chat with an international client. It’s impossible to deny that we live in a world filled with tools and technology that enable us to be connected all the time.
Ever Wondered What Makes Luxury Fashion Expensive? Here Are The Top 5 Reasons
Temptation knows no bounds when luxury retail is right in front of our eyes. Even the most plain-looking but branded clothing will make us spend crazily. But, money is money and once it is gone, it is gone. We do not want regrets after having spent generously on luxury retail—and you will most likely not—but this begs a question as to why we need to spend our hearts out to get luxury fashion. What makes them so different from your mass-produced branded fashion?
Buying Pet Food Online Rises Due To The Coronavirus, US Data 2020
CivicScience polled consumers in 2020 finding that 76% of pet owners are concerned about the quality of the pet food they purchase. The coronavirus threat affected our lives in various ways and also changed the pet purchases. The most noticeable change was that 17% of consumers are ordering pet food online more than they usually would amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
Life in the United States: Well- being, poverty and inequalities
How is life in the United States? The OECD processed specific data to show the characteristics of the way of life in the United States in 2020. The latest data, according to OECD showed that 18% of the population live in relative income poverty, while 29% of poor households spend more than 40% of their income on housing costs. Also, 9% say they have no friends or family to turn to in times of need.
There Is A War Coming, Is Your Business Prepared?
The Numbers: According to the US Dept. of Labor, “In the week ending March 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 3,283,000, an increase of 3,001,000 from the previous week’s revised level. This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the history of the seasonally adjusted series.” This spike is obviously a result of the COVID-19 virus and its devastating impacts on the US economy and businesses alike.
In an Economy Ravished by the Coronavirus, Companies Can Find a Silver Lining through Innovation
The coronavirus pandemic has created a serious global crisis. Worldwide, containment efforts to halt the spread of COVID-19 have had far-reaching impacts on both the global and local economies. Expanded travel restrictions have been imposed by many countries, affecting trade and services. In the U.S., several states are requiring that people quarantine themselves or have imposed social distancing measures.
For Industry Leaders, Social Distancing Is An Opportunity To Seize-Not A Problem To Solve
Customers queue between social distancing markers on the pavement outside a supermarket. PA Images via Getty Images A global pandemic is forcing entire industries to change in real time. And they’ll be better for it. Life certainly has changed in the last six weeks. Just think, in mid-February, things were humming along. The stock market was up. Sports leagues were playing. Schools and workplaces were abuzz. Bars and restaurants were serving. Travelers were on the move.
People, Not Technology, Failed In The 2020 Iowa Caucuses
The faulty app that was used for reporting caucus results in Iowa Getty Images For stronger elections, let’s embrace more tech—not less—in the future. Last month, the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses were the center of national attention for all the wrong reasons.
George Washington Is One Of The Greatest Innovators Of All Time
Finally, let’s give America’s first president his due in the world of innovation. Ryan Allis at Hive, a global community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors, published a list a few years ago titled “The 12 Greatest Innovators of All Time.” On it are the usual suspects, such as Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Marie Curie, and in the modern era, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. And, to be sure, all deserve the accolade.
The Coronavirus Crisis Is Creating Problems, But It’s Also Creating Tremendous Opportunities
The coronavirus pandemic is creating problems for many people, but it's also creating opportunities ... [+] for innovation. Getty A crisis eliminates boundary conditions and produces innovation accelerators. The coronavirus pandemic is a serious global concern. A worldwide containment effort to halt the spread of COVID-19 has had far-reaching impacts on both the world economy and local communities. The U.S. recently expanded travel restrictions to include those traveling from Europe.
From Bezos to Gates, Arnault to Buffett, the plunging net worths of the world’s richest
It was a sad week for the world’s wealthiest people. The world’s 500 wealthiest collectively lost $331 billion on Thursday, March 12, 2020. And the world’s top twenty wealthiest people lost just over $78 billion combined. That pushed the Bloomberg Billionaires group’s year-to-date losses to $950 billion. From Tokyo to Shanghai, Mumbai to New York, or Hong Kong to London, the losses are unprecedented for the world’s richest.
An Innovative Culture Requires Brutal Candor
Innovation starts with brutal honesty. Getty But leaders must get their team comfortable with it first. Here’s how. Innovation is hard enough when you have all the facts. But it’s virtually impossible when you deal in speculation, bad ideas, and corporate double-talk. The problem? Too many organizations lack the cultural values that support the necessary behaviors to innovate. They prioritize collegiality over constructiveness and harmony over harsh reality.
Work Life Balance: How To Navigate Fatherhood As A First-Time Dad?
When a couple plans its family, not only the mother carries the baby in her womb, but also the father conceives it in his mind. From planning the finances to sharing responsibilities, he takes care of everything and is equally nervous to take up the new role. Here is a quick guide for all the soon to be dads which will try to make your journey a little smoother and make sure that you enjoy the entire phase while sailing through it.
Most Expensive Luxury Cruises In The World
The invention of boats enabled us to cross large water bodies. Like most things that exist, man has always come up with grander versions of basic necessities. The simple and humble boat had to evolve into a lavish luxury. Man-powered and sail-propelled boats were enough for us to traverse oceans. But traveling by sea didn’t have to be a tiring experience. So, we came up with motorboats in 1886. As a result, we could now travel by putting less effort into it.
Are You A Manager Or A Leader?
Managers and leaders apply different approaches in pursuit of different outcomes. Getty Use these five scenarios to see for yourself. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” That’s how Peter Drucker, the iconic father of modern management, characterized the difference between management and leadership. And as someone who has long studied the connection between innovation and leadership, I couldn’t agree more. Why?
Hiring A Chief Innovation Officer Is A Bad Idea
Coming to the realization that you can't delegate innovation. Getty You’ll have almost no chance to really innovate—and here’s why. Recently, Harvard Business Review published an article titled What Kind of Chief Innovation Officer Does Your Company Need? In it, the authors describe the growing demand for such an executive-level role and discuss ideas on how to consider it relative to your organization’s own needs. Sounds all well and good, right? Not really.
Whiskey Can Teach Us A Thing Or Two About Innovation
Bourbon Barrel Storage Room. Getty Just ask the old-school distillers—and the ‘new kids’ who are disrupting the market. Imagine that you run a business where, above all else, your customers value how long it takes to make your product. The longer it takes, the better the outcome—or so believes the customer. You’ve become an expert at using time to make the best product possible. And that, hands down, is your competitive advantage. But then you discover that time no longer matters.
To Hire Talent Wired For Innovation, Focus On Mindset-Not Skill Set
Digital Human Brain Covered with Networks Getty Looking for true innovators? Turn traditional hiring on its head. According to the consulting firm McKinsey, 84 percent of executives agree that innovation is critical for their business. But here’s the rub: only 6 percent are satisfied with their performance. To succeed going forward, they’ll need to do many things. Among them is to hire talent wired for innovation. Innovation is about doing something new that hasn’t been done before.
Clay Christensen’s Lasting Impact On How We Think About Innovation
Clayton M. Christensen, Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School  © 2013 Bloomberg Finance LP The Innovator’s Dilemma was published in 1997 by Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen. The Economist named it one of the six most important books about business ever written.
George Washington Is One Of The Greatest Innovators Of All Time
Statue of George Washington, Boston Public Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Getty Finally, let’s give America’s first president his due in the world of innovation. Ryan Allis at Hive, a global community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors, published a list a few years ago titled “The 12 Greatest Innovators of All Time.” On it are the usual suspects, such as Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Marie Curie, and in the modern era, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
Apple Hasn’t Been Innovative For A Decade. What Are They Missing?
The new MacBook Pro (2019). dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images It seems as though everyone is using the word innovation these days. It has become one of those buzzwords that is being applied to anything and everything. With so many companies looking for something new to help their business, it's not surprising there is a strong motivation to claim innovation whether or not it is real. There are even companies like Apple that everyone considers innovative. And that was definitely true at one time.
Types Of Rich People: Understanding The Classification Of Wealthy Individuals
Ever wonder how much money you would need to be considered wealthy? It turns out, Bankers and wealth managers have special classifications for you, depending on how much money you’ve got. Typically, an individual with over $1 million in liquid net worth is considered a High Net Worth Individual (HNWI). At the end of 2018, there were estimated to be just over 14 million millionaires or high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in the world.
Expert Style Makeover Tips for the Simple Woman to Girl boss
Being a girl boss has become the trend of today’s world which commands dignity, style, and tremendous success path. A woman who runs a business is like a powerhouse who needs to command her team to get things done. She is a go-getter to achieve the ideas she has in mind. Obviously, for such stature of profession, an appearance makeover becomes mandatory. But for a simple and plain-looking woman, the idea of a style makeover might become overwhelming.
Most Charitable Billionaires In The United States - Biggest Billionaire philanthropists
Former New York City Mayor and founder of Bloomberg LP Michael Bloomberg is one of four billionaires on this list who gave more than $500 million of their net worths to charity in 2018, according to a new analysis by the CEOWORLD magazine. Warren Buffett topped the list, giving away more than $3.4 billion in 2018 Bill Gates was second, with $2.6 billion, followed by Michael Bloomberg ($767 million) and George Soros ($585 million).
Beyond Basketball w/ Steve Wojciechowski — Innovators On Tap
In 1991, I interviewed for a job a Cree. As part of the interview, we played basketball at lunch. Not your typical interview; But really effective. I would later come to realize that you can learn a lot more about a person and their ability to be part of an innovative team on a basketball court, than you can asking questions in a conference room. Success in basketball and innovation ultimately comes down to leadership.
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