Measuring Innovation
Friday, October 31st, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Measuring innovation is where the rubber meets the road. 
While it’s very easy to wax eloquent about innovation, I’ve found that for most companies, measuring innovation is quite a tall order. Moreover, even for those organizations that do measure innovation, are they measuring the right metrics, for the right reasons? I’ve authored many previous posts on the topic of innovation, and have lectured often on the necessity for executives to completely embrace innovation as a core focus area. The power of innovation to totally transform a mediocre business into a category dominant company is really only deniable by the ignorant or the prejudiced. However even those businesses that embrace the concept in theoretical fashion can fail to implement productive innovation management programs if they do not understand how to measure its impact. In today’s post I’ll address how to measure innovation…
Design Matters
Friday, September 19th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Let me make my position very clear…design absolutely matters. Whether it is aesthetic, functional, creative, process, innovative, intellectual, technical or applicational…design matters. While I have heard many a professional downplay the value of design, it has been my experience that most business people who espouse this opinion are commenting on something outside of their domain expertise in an attempt to justify a competing agenda or a position of ignorance. While this position may seem a bit harsh, it is nonetheless true. In today’s blog post I’ll examine why design matters.
Corporate Reengineering
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Times are tough, and they’re likely to get tougher, so my question is this; Should you, or should you not consider a move toward corporate reengineering? Whether directly or indirectly, your business will likely face negative repercussions of the struggling economy at some point, and there will be tough decisions that need to be made. The mere discussion of corporate reengineering can cause fear, anxiety, and in some cases even panic. This is so much the case that some CEOs will avoid restructuring initiatives at all costs. There are even some business theorists (see “Rethinking Good To Great“) that warn against undertaking complex restructurings because of the great risks involved. My question is this…since when have fear and avoidance become prerequisites for success as a CEO? Give me real leaders who possess courage, vision, and a bias toward action, and spare me the timidity of mediocre managers posing as leaders. In today’s post I’ll examine the benefits of, and the need for corporate reengineering…
Catalyzing Change
Thursday, September 4th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Change…it should be more than just a political sound-bite. While we’ve heard a lot about change of late as it relates to our current politcal landscape, it is also very relevant in the business world. Change…as and executive or entrepreneur it can either be your best friend or your worst nightmare. Nobody ever said change was easy, but I’m here to tell you that change is essential. In today’s blog post I’ll discuss why CEO’s and entrepreneurs (and not just politicians) need to become masters at catalyzing change.
Ideas Don’t Equal Innovation
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
It is my hope that today’s post will serve to help dispel the myth that ideas are inherently good things. Let me state right from the outset that I place little value on ideas. Not only do raw ideas have little intrinsic value, but they are often very costly. While I stipulate to the fact that ideas can sometimes lead to great things, I also submit that it is more frequently the case that ideas lead to disapointment, tragedy, and disaster. Those of you familiar with my work are probably wondering if it is really me authoring this text…if you’re baffled at how a champion of innovation can simultaneously be an idea basher, I urge you to read on and I promise the congruity will become apparent.
Managing Expectations
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
The art and science behind making commitments and managing expectations has always been a critical skill set for senior executives and entrepreneurs to master. In fact, understanding how to come out on the right-side of the expectation curve can often be the difference between average performers and corporate superstars. This is evidenced by the fact that the consulting industry has zeroed in on the importance of this issue such that it has evolved into an emerging discipline known as ”Promise Management”. In this blog post I’ll discuss the value of promise management as a discipline.
Disruptive Business Models
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
How disruptive is your business model? While much has been written about corporate vision, mission, process, leadership, strategy, branding and a variety of other business practices, it is the engineering of these practices to be disruptive that maximizes opportunities. Without a disruptive focus you are merely building your business model on a “me too” platform of mediocrity. In today’s post I’ll examine the power of disruption as a key business driver…
Read The Full PostIntellectual Property
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
While the security aspects of intellectual property (”IP”) are often sacrificed for speed to market considerations in today’s world of mash-ups and knock-offs, I believe when it comes to IP it is possible to have your cake and eat it too. The protection of all forms of intellectual property (”IP”) should constitute common sense and require no real explanation, however the courts are littered with case law precedent that has been decisioned against some of the largest and most sophisticated companies on the planet. What should be routine business 101 protocol, can easily turn into major financial and operational debacles if you don’t have a solid grasp of IP law. In today’s post I’ll discuss the basics of identifying and protecting your intellectual property.
Read The Full PostFinally, A Law Firm That Gets It…
Monday, April 21st, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Surely I jest…A law firm that gets it? I have been waiting to be able to make this statement for most of my professional life, and to be candid, I actually thought I would be dead and buried long before I found a firm that would wake up and smell the roses. No single industry has been guilty of lagging behind the times more than the legal profession. In fact, I think it is fair to say that no industry is more adverse to change than our venerable friends in the practice of law. In today’s post I’ll refer you to a law firm in Chicago that is going to revolutionize the way attorneys conduct business in the future…
Read The Full PostSocial Networking 3.0
Monday, April 14th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Social Networking 3.0…Okay, I said it and I’m sticking to it. It is time for Social Networking to live up to its potential and make the iterative leap to next generation Social Networking, or “Social Networking 3.0″ if you will…While I have no intention of disputing the commercial success of YouTube (Google purchased it for $1.65 Billion dollars when it was only a 9-month old company), FaceBook (more than 60 million active users with more than 250,000 new users joining daily), or any number of other organizations that have monetized on their first mover or early adopter advantage, Social Networking is still in its infancy. For Social Networking to make the next leap in maturation it will need to move beyond advertising driven consumer models and evolve to an enterprise class business platform. In today’s post I’ll examine what needs to happen for Social Networking to go 3.0…
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