What’s your innovation style?
Flicking through the pages of Conde Naste Traveller Magazine, at the hairdressers the other day I came across a great article with the title ‘The Future is Female’ by Anna Hart about ‘gutsy, all girl gangs’ and how they are changing the way that we connect, work and travel.
They Make Things Happen – Meet the Innovators
If you want to know why being an innovative entrepreneur requires more than having an imaginary light bulb come over your head, listen to this conversation.
Selling an idea: How do you get people to buy into your idea at work. Natalie Turner has 10 tips.
1. Work out your purpose. It's one thing to have an idea and a vision, and another to make it happen. The skill of influencing is not just about persuading others to invest in an idea with cash or resources, it is required through the whole journey, from inception through to implementation and improvement.
How to stay on top of your game
TRAVELODGE isn’t just somewhere to get your head down – it can also give your career a leg up. The budget hotel chain has plans for 20 additional venues — including London City Travelodge, a new flagship hotel — this year. The firm's CEO Craig Bonnar, above, said: 'Joining Travelodge opens the door to training and career progression' The expansion will create 550 jobs in various roles for managers, receptionists, housekeepers, cleaners and bar cafe assistants. And staff [...]
How to get more curious. Curiosity is the font of great ideas
Rummaging around an old bookstore in London I came across a bright yellow-covered book, with one word on the front, ‘Curious’. The book, written by Dr Todd Kashdan, uses science, story and practical exercises to show you how to become a curious explorer, what he terms ‘a person who is comfortable with risk and challenge and who functions optimally in an unstable, unpredictable world’. To have a curious mindset, or a powerful orientation to explore, you of course must ask [...]
Innovation is the #No1 Requirement for business success today
Natalie Turner shares her thoughts on organisational innovation with Alan Hosking. Why is innovation the #1 requirement for business success today? As markets change and technologies continue to disrupt all we take for granted, what we see as breakthrough innovation today will pale into insignificance tomorrow. The most important human survival skill will be our ability to innovate or to consistently create value out of new ideas. To be an innovator is to be a pioneer of bringing the new [...]
What skills are needed for innovation?
Blockchain, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Everything, these and many more technological trends are currently sweeping the world, affecting how we work and how we build business. Amidst these changes, our technical know-how, and even our experience, quickly outdates as advancements continue at a rapid pace. One thing remains unchanged however, and perhaps is becoming even more critical in our hyper competitive world. And this is our ability to adapt and unlearn, to be imaginative and creative, harnessed [...]
How to stay innovative at every stage of business growth
When you’re starting out in business, you are unhindered by the legacy of previous systems and processes. Working from a blank piece of paper, you are free to be agile and creative to push forward your innovative ideas. Get curious and identify where there could be an opportunity As your business and your team grows it is easy to fall into a rigid mindset of “that’s how we do things,” and the culture of innovative thinking that kickstarted your success [...]
Spend Time on Fresh Thinking. How to keep up with expectations in a rapidly changing world
STAYING RELEVANT and meeting changing expectations REQUIRES TIME OUT from day-to-day life to THINK THINGS THROUGH with a clear mind … Sitting on a balcony overlooking a rice paddy field, I start to write. I am here in Bali for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. I have wanted to come here ever since I heard about the Festival a number of years ago but, like most things that require ring-fencing time and personal space, I put it off. I have been reflecting a lot [...]
How to Innovate. The Six Stage Process
‘I don’t seem to be able to get traction’, said Susan, an aspiring entrepreneur as we discussed how she could get her new business idea up and running. ‘I get distracted by other ideas and can’t seem to settle on one to see it through.’ I was facilitating a retreat in Bali for leaders, which I hold a couple of times a year for female executives. Some were CEOs, others small business owners; some were between career choices and others [...]