Archive for February, 2012

Small Biz Radio Host Jim Blasingame with Robert Brands

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Robert Brands joins Jim Blasingame on the Small Business Advocate radio show to discuss how to inspire Innovation.

As the life cycles of innovations get shorter and shorter each year, it is truly an “innovate or die” world for businesses everywhere. Consumer expectations drive the need to innovate, and Robert Brands shares the best practices for bringing about that change in an organization.

Innovation is all about passion, and is not for the faint of heart. As an innovation leader, you have to walk the walk and talk to talk to truly inspire change. To achieve a culture of innovation, the leader must convince the organization that innovation is everybody’s responsibility. Customer needs can come all levels of the company – not just senior executives but employees in sales, finance, customer service, marketing, and more. Robert Brands talks about including all employees in ideation and creation of innovations.

The ten imperatives of Robert’s Rules of Innovation offer a structured, repeatable process for companies to reach their goals such as bringing one new product to market per year. The key is to commit to innovation. This means tolerating all innovation endeavors, including some failures along the way. Robert Brands encourages risk-taking, failure management, and rewarding leadership as part of a holistic approach to bringing about innovation.

From inspiration to training and coaching, listen to the ten imperatives here in Jim Blasingame’s interview with Robert Brands on the Small Business Advocate show:







For more tips on sustaining innovation, see “Robert’s Rules of Innovation: A 10-Step Program for Corporate Survival” or visit InnovationCoach.com.

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Managing the Uncertainty of Open Innovation

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

open-innovationOne of the hottest topics in business management today is open innovation. The concept uses an open business model for companies to “co-innovate” with their partners, suppliers, and customers – in order to accelerate the rewards of innovation. For example, a small or midsized company develops a game-changing new idea and works with a larger company to bring the product to market.

Through the collaborative relationship of open innovation, companies are able to leverage new ideas and products, and conduct experiments at lower risk levels. However, open innovation does bring up some concerns, like who owns rights to the intellectual property (IP). Open innovation should be conducted in a manner that promotes mutual trust and respect. It can be a double-edged sword when the larger company insists on owning the IP in exchange for their investment. The open innovation relationship can be a tricky one to navigate.

Large corporations like Nestle, Kraft, Siemens, General Mills, and Clorox all participate in open innovation practices. Here is a case study of the open innovation process at Proctor & Gamble, one of the most respected consumer product companies in the world. P&G introduced their Connect + Develop program on their website at www.pgconnectdevelop.com. The site is a place where the general public can submit their innovations, read about successful business partnerships, and even scavenge current IP needs of the company.

“Historically, P&G relied on internal capabilities… We did not actively seek to connect with potential external partners. Times have changed, and the world is more connected. In the areas in which we do business, there are millions of scientists, engineers and other companies globally. Why not collaborate with them? We now embrace open innovation…” reads the P&G website. In just over two years, the program has received 7,500 submissions. P&G has established more than 1,000 active agreements with innovation partners, and claims more than 50% of their product initiatives involved collaboration from outside innovators.

In the Connect + Develop program, innovators must have their IP in place before they submit their idea. This protects the innovator while the IP adds value to the organization – the key is to build relationships and produce win-win deals. Through working together and developing effective ways to manage IP rights, open innovation can further advance innovative culture and produce favorable results for all parties involved.

Here are some tips for nurturing open innovation in your business.

  • It takes leverage, courage, and toughness to create a balanced open innovation relationship. In a balanced relationship, the IP or technology of the inventors or small business should remain theirs.
  • Develop both reactive and proactive ways to address open innovation. On the reactive side, invite the world’s finest innovators seeking open innovation opportunities to develop your IP needs.
  • Proactively, tap into local universities, companies, and venture capital firms to meet inventors, set up networks, and make connections that are not readily apparent to most people.

For more tips, see “Robert’s Rules of Innovation : A 10-Step Program for Corporate Survival” by Robert Brands with Martin Kleinman.

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Top Ten Tips for Selling Your Idea to Executives

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

executivesBesides possessing creativity and resilience, the best innovators are the ones who can effectively communicate and “sell” their ideas to upper management. Innovators often have to get executive approval for support on a new product or venture. No matter how good an idea is it will not sell itself. The most important aspect of communication is to know your audience. In the case of an organization, know the structure, who the decision maker is, and who their influencers are. An innovator must speak the “executive language” to effectively communicate with the high ups. This entails knowing and understanding what is important to them – what is the ROI (Return on Investment) and the goal to be achieved? By highlighting how your goals are aligned with that of the organization’s, you are much more likely to receive favorable results.

Here are top tips for communicating and “selling” your idea to executives.

1. Do your homework. Gather as much information as possible beforehand to have full command of the facts and be able to answer questions with authority. Know the interests of those you are speaking to, and cater the message to them.

2. Open with your conclusions. This is a brief summary of your idea. Let your senior level audience know upfront why you are there. Don’t keep them guessing on your intentions.

3. Define the need. Identify that your innovation meets a need in the marketplace – that it will solve an existing problem.

4. Describe the benefits of your innovation. Make these benefits clear and obtainable.

5. Describe the costs, but frame them in a positive light. If possible, show how alternative methods will cost even more.

6. Request a commitment. Make it clear what next steps you are asking top management to take. This may include funding, hiring new staff, capital or providing necessary facilities to support your innovation process.

7. Be specific. List concrete recommendations that focus on ROI.

8. Look everyone in the eye when you talk. You will be more influential and believable – you must refrain from reading!

9. Be brief. Time is valuable, so make your point persuasive and concise.

10. Show that you can deliver. Prove that your idea will be a winner by providing any evidence in the beginning. Later you will show this by meeting deadlines and sharing small successes along the way with senior management as well as the rest of the organization.

Each discipline has its own vernacular, and by now you may have realized that top management speaks a different language. It only takes two levels up to speak a different language. By speaking the right “executive language” and communicating your objectives persuasively and concisely, you’ll be much more likely to gain support for your innovative ideas.

For more information, “Robert’s Rules of Innovation” offers real life examples of successfully bringing innovation to market, improving product development processes, and engaging the needed culture to sustain Innovation.

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