29
April
2008
I had the great pleasure of giving the keynote address for Switzerland’s “Vacation Day” in beautiful Lugano, Switzerland. This event was produced for the tourism industry of Switzerland and was attended by over 1,000 professionals in the travel and tourism industry as well as representatives of the Swiss government. If you’d like to see the talk, here it is.
Also, if you are interested in learning about the unique challenges of “innovating” in the context of positioning a nation for growth, you may wish to read this interview with Jean-François Roth, former Swiss parliamentarian and senator (published by Swissinfo).
18
January
2008
Thank you to FAST COMPANY magazine for selecting THE RIDDLE as one of its “smart books for 2008″.
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15
January
2008
Thank you to the leadership team of InNUvation for inviting me to speak at their event last night at the release of my newest book (which hits stores this week), THE RIDDLE: Where Ideas Come From and How to Have Better Ones (Jossey-Bass/Wiley).
If you’d like to learn more about our discussions at the event - including tricks used by those in attendance to inspire Eureka moments (including why we tend to have our best ideas while taking a shower, stuck in traffic, and daydreaming) - click over to Sid Shaw’s blog at Rawthink.
p.s. photo courtesy of inventiveparent.com…a great idea: a shower head for kids!
10
February
2007
Harvard Business Review recently published its Top 20 Breakthrough Ideas for 2007 Coming in at # 5…”hope as a leadership tool”.
2
September
2006
James Kouzes, Chairman Emeritus of The Tom Peters Company, may have said it best, “John Maxwell is a phenomenon!”
Very few people have done for the field of leadership (say nothing of book publishing) what Dr. John Maxwell has done. The greatest testament to his contributions are these: 1) he’s sold over 12 million books on leadership-related topics and 2) through his companies, he has trained over 1 million leaders worldwide. So, when one discovers (as I did this Labor Day weekend) that John has read, enjoyed, and reviewed your book…well, it is humbling to say the least. Thanks John! Read John’s review of HOPE. And, while you’re there, sign-up for his newsletter. It’s a breathe of fresh air that hits your inbox twice a month. Read the rest of this entry »
1
September
2006
For all of you who purchased books at the HOPE launch party a few weeks ago in downtown Chicago, thank you! If you recall, all proceeds were donated to The Children’s Memorial Foundation for Education and Research. The foundation has recently found a home for the signed telescope displayed at the party. It has been recently donated to the Page Nicole White Pediatric Cancer Foundation. It will be auctioned off at the “Hearts of Hope” gala.
Here are a few of the folks who contributed signatures to the telescope - who are also profiled in the book.
Read the rest of this entry »
31
August
2006
Today, corporate America reached a new low. The headline reads: Radio Shack uses email to fire employees. Although it may sound like a headline commonly-found in The Onion or Dilbert, in fact, it ran in The Chicago Tribune. And the email it references: “The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately, your position is one that has been eliminated.” What’s next - email divorce notices? “Sorry honey. Please wire transfer 50% of our liquid assets to my new bank account in the Caymans.”
The question I have is this: where have all the leaders gone?
In this age of what have you done for me lately, press releases such as this one can be avoided. It takes two things to fix this problem: Read the rest of this entry »
17
August
2006
HOPE was featured in daily top 5 best-selling books on Aug 15, 2006 in spot #1.
http://800ceoread.com/products/?ISBN=0787981265
14
August
2006
Invented in China
By LU HAOTING(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-14 06:37
For many internationally renowned speakers, it is common to feel lonely when speaking at seminars in China. The Chinese audiences sit quietly and listen. Seldom do people interrupt or ask questions. Andrew Razeghi had this experience when talking about innovation and growth strategy to a group of company executives in Shanghai and Wuhan last month.
“But if you think they don’t have any ideas, you are wrong,” says Razeghi, adjunct associate professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Read the rest of this entry »
1
August
2006
I’ve just returned from a speaking tour throughout China (Beijing in the north; Shanghai on the coast; and Wuhan in the interior). I was invited to speak on a topic that is receiving much attention among political and business leaders in China: innovation.
I must admit that I have returned with far more questions than answers, but one thing is for certain — China is not satisfied with being the manufacturing outsourcing center of the universe. They want what everyone else on the planet wants: to control their own destiny. There is only one way in which to do that. Create it. Therefore, in its 11th Five Year Strategic Plan, the Chinese Central Government has recently declared Read the rest of this entry »
