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Previous Newsletters
- March 2009 — We're Doomed!
- February 2009 — Zen and the Art of Leadership
- January 2009 — Yankee Swap Rorschach
- December 2008 — Curse of the Half-Empty Glass
- November 2008 — Boiling the Frog
- October 2008 — Roof Never Leaks When It Doesn't Rain
- September 2008 — Things Go Boom
- August 2008 — Becoming a Talent Magnet
- July 2008 — Where Did The Time Go?
- Suggestions
If you have a particular topic you would like to see addressed in a future newsletter, please email your suggestions to steve@7stepsahead.com.
June 2009 — At Home To Mr. Cockup
When I speak or write on creativity and innovation, what upsets business leaders the most is the recommendation that they need to make more mistakes. Quite simply, companies that tolerate flashy, expensive mistakes are also the companies that are most likely to come up with the successful, unusual products. Big success requires a willingness to fail. Yet, what I hear over and over can best be expressed by a quote from Rowan Atkinson in the British comedy, Blackadder: "We are not at home to Mr. Cockup."
May 2009 — Right To Midnight
"Left or right?”
“Right to Midnight.”
I had this conversation recently with my 3.5 year old son. We were in the car, and he had just dropped his favorite stuffed animal, a black cat named Midnight. He couldn’t reach it, and I was feeling around trying to find it for him, while he kept telling me I was near Midnight. When I finally tried asking him if I should move my hand left or right, his response was that I should move my hand, “right to Midnight.”
April 2009 — How To Not Make A Lightbulb
Shoto Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate, was famous for saying that in the practice of karate, there is no room for error. During my brief study of Shotokan, my instructor told us that American students and instructors did not have the patience of their Japanese counterparts. They permitted a great deal of error until the student approached black belt. At that time, the student was expected to perfect his technique. Over time, American instructors noticed something very interesting: they were producing more black belts than the Japanese. Furthermore, although none of the Americans were as technically proficient, they were beating their Japanese counterparts in competitions far more often than expected.
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