VOLUNTEERISM: Improving Innovation, Learning and Leadership Performance
When people are in need, my hand is often raised. Especially, wherever I see I can contribute and make a difference. I grew up reading super hero comic books—Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Hulk, Spiderman—you name it! Maybe this is where it all started. I collected them all. I believe this is my way of living into what they represented to me in my childhood—good, doing what’s right and helping others. Now, I am not claiming to be perfect or better—to the contrary. I have learned to respect there is always someone I can learn from and look up to. … Read More “VOLUNTEERISM: Improving Innovation, Learning and Leadership Performance”
Business is the heartbeat of our country and many continue to struggle, their pulse is weakening. Let’s face it, the economy is still tight. We are doing more with less; and, perhaps will have to do so well into the future. There are many blind spots that exist in business today. Organizations that discover and master these today will have a sustainable competitive advantage tomorrow. These include use of implementing a comprehensive social media strategy, shifting to a culture of change and innovation, managing internal and competitive intelligence, and leveraging grant opportunities that contribute to the bottom-line, among others. I will to speak about the latter in this posting today.… 
The key to sustaining innovation is being able to think out of the box—keeping fresh ideas coming. Taking leadership to the next level and providing programs that “go deep” means literally digging deeper. Over time, we develop tunnel vision. I know I have. So, I have to consciously keep myself out of that rut. Otherwise, the potential for blind spots increases—I continue to discover that I have more than my fair share. I can at times simply hit a brick wall. My team can also hit a brick wall. And, ultimately innovation is halted.