In this year’s Leadership Victoria Lecture, titled The Leader and the Gang, delivered by University of Melbourne Vice Chancellor Glyn Davis, the traits of leadership were again looked, but this time with a twist.  In his opening Prof Davis said the academic study of leadership has found no laws or formulas to follow in choosing or becoming a leader.  He also said “The term natural leader is a revealing one; a leader who simply emerges from the group without the need for any formal process of selection or appointment.”   
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Being more innovative is one thing. Having time to do it is another. Most people like the idea of being more creative and organisations want to be more innovative – just as long as it doesn’t create extra workload.

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Innovation is normally seen as an ‘initiative’ or ‘project’ rather than part of normal day to day business.

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How much time to you spend on the road? At airports? On planes? How can you best utilise the time to be more innovative?

There are some real opportunities while sitting on a plane. Take it from me — this month I travelled to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, South Africa, Bahrain and am currently in New Zealand running workshops. This non-stop travel has brought to mind some great ways to make use of all that transit time: Read more

Feeling the effects of the recent global financial crisis? Want to find a cave and hide until things get back to normal? It is natural to want to revert back to the safe, tried and true methods in times of crises.  Cut down on expenses, consolidate your portfolio, put off projects, ride out the storm. Read more

You are standing there, watching the sea of black suitcases go around the luggage belt. Then suddenly you spot it.

Tied in a multitude of knots, around the handle, is THE yellow ribbon,
signifying ‘my suitcase’. You instantly pick it up, knowing that you
have the right bag.

Often it is just the way it is tied or located. It could be the type of
ribbon or, in my case, one of my husband’s neckties, ceremoniously cut
up. It is amazing how one little point of difference can stand out and
instantly help you claim your luggage. Read more

In tough economic times, should you innovate?  Yes!! was the
unanimous message from the speakers at the Australian innovation
conference, InnoFuture 2008.

Key messages from Day 1 Read more

In tough economic times, should you innovate?  Yes!! was the unanimous message from the speakers at the Australian innovation conference, InnoFuture 2008.

Key messages from Day 1 Read more

This is a key message from “Innovate 2008: Is the Tide Turning?”, the major innovation report from Boston Consulting Group released this month.
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“It is worth pointing out that only 20% of companies considered a shortage of great ideas to be the problem… Most companies, in fact, have an abundance of good, even great ideas."
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But having ideas and turning those ideas into cash are two entirely different things. Innovation is often equated with the former, when in reality it’s all about the latter.”
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Highlights from the Boston Consulting Group’s report “ Innovation 2008: Is the Tide Turning” which was produced in conjunction with “Measuring Innovation 2008: Squandered Opportunities” – See other blog post

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Click on attachment below to download the full report.

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Here are some key points from the report that I think are relevant for innovation practitioners

“If you plan on remaining a going concern, you need to be able to successfully innovate”

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