Are you the curious type?

I know I am.  Like surfing on the web, I love the adrenalin rush I get when I allow my mind to surf from one idea to another. I often don’t know where I’ll end up but I am always amazed that I usually end up somewhere that I actually need to be.
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Have you heard this?

Raise your hand if you have ever heard someone say, “We don’t have an idea problem. We have an execution problem.”

Perhaps you’ve even heard someone within your own organization say that.

Perhaps you have said that.  (You can put your hand down now.)

Well, if you haven’t heard it, I have. Over and over and over again.  “We have so many ideas that we don’t know what to do with them. The problem is not ideas. The problem is execution.”
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What are you doing right now?

Whatever you are doing, please take a few minutes and go and turn on your TV. History is in the making. I was sitting here getting ready to send you my newsletter when a good friend reminded me to turn on the TV.  And I realized that talking about anything else today other than Barack Obama’s journey into our future would be remiss.
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It’s a steamy July day  – with just enough of a breeze billowing through the car window to transform the weather in the south of France from “hot” to “heavenly”.   As I make my way along small country roads, well off the beaten track, an insistent rumble in my stomach reminds me that my quaint continental breakfast is now several hours behind me and that it is time for a midday meal.

After miles of absolutely no sightings of food service whatever, I finally spot a small hut that seems to be doing double duty as the local take out joint for the summer months.  Not exactly what I had in mind but it will have to do.

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It’s been a crazy few weeks. (When airline attendants start to know you by name without looking at your boarding pass, you know that you’ve spent too much time in the air!) But the good news is that this latest journey has provided me with the opportunity to participate in some of the most amazing meetings – inspired gatherings of dedicated leaders coast to coast; private and public sector coming together to talk about the future. (more…)

Have you noticed…

there’s an election going on?  Yes sir.  The entire North American continent is in the grips of election fever – whether we want to be or not!

I live in the Lac Saint Louis riding in Quebec, one of Montreal’s many Liberal strongholds and I’ll confess right up front. I’m a Liberal and have usually voted that way in the past – unless there has been a really good reason not to.
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How was your summer?

I hope that it lived up to your expectations. Mine certainly did. True to my word, I took the summer off to regroup, reconnect and re-energize. Mission accomplished and now I’m back – ready to rock and roll!

One of the highlights of my summer was spending time with my children watching the Olympics in Beijing.  And although the games and the amazing stories that came with them already seem to be fading into the past, this morning’s Montreal Gazette front page photo of Canadian wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc, her face framed in victory as she pushed across the finish line for her 5th gold medal, reminded me that many amazing athletes are still in China competing in the 2008 Paralympics. (more…)

Taking my own advice!

Every week I work with amazing individuals in great organizations all over North America who are dedicated to the vision of more ideas from more people more often. In the process, no matter how many techniques, tips and stories we share, I always find myself coming back to the basics. More ideas from more people more often cannot happen if we are not prepared to give ourselves and our teams permission to take time to think. To really think. Not to plan. Not to organize. Just to think. Time to imagine the possibilities. Time to be inspired by the words and actions of others. Time to discover, time to discuss, time to design. (more…)

I am so proud!

Have you ever been really proud of someone?  I mean, really proud?

Well, over the last few months, I have had the privilege of working with an amazing group of innovation catalysts at Abbott Canada determined to launch an innovation initiative within their organization. I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of them.  You see, these dedicated leaders understand that launching a more ideas from more people more often program takes a great deal more than ideas.
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