A new year is upon us. You’re probably going full bore on new projects, ideas and partnerships. Rev up your engine by checking out these three innovation websites.
Innovator Mindset
Innovator Mindset provides innovation-consulting services. The company aims to help you call on the "brilliance of your people to accelerate change, discover breakthrough solutions and adjust to a constantly changing business landscape.”
Along with services, you can get real value from the Innovator Mindset blog. The blog focuses on innovation behavior, culture, strategies, how to lead innovation efforts and how to improve your personal innovation skills.
Whether you’re leading a team, crowdsourcing ideas or working solo to generate innovative ideas, the blog has something to inspire you. The core concepts have broad application to R&D, managing change, handling conflict, building engagement, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship.
Founder Dennis Stauffer's background in philosophy shows in his thoughtful writing. A recent post discussed the irony of successful innovators being locked in their old ways and resistant to changing how they innovate. His thought-provoking posts will get you thinking about the deeper changes needed to truly innovate in your business.
Innovation Coach
Innovation Coach founder Robert F. Brands gained hands-on experience innovating at a large corporation. At Rexam, he developed a system that led to regular, successful new product launches. He’s the author of Robert’s Rules of Innovation, and his company provides a range of consulting, coaching and evaluating business innovation.
Aside from the Innovation Coach services, you’ll find a useful directory of service providers, including legal help, design assistance and innovation software. The site includes a Trusted Advisors list and networks for entrepreneurial innovators.
The Innovation Coach blog pulls in lots of interesting examples from real life, as well as books and experts in the topic.
For example, a recent post examined the differing paths explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott took to achieve their dream of being first to the South Pole. Both men used innovative approaches to plan their journey, and the difference in how they innovated meant success for one explorer’s team. It meant death in the frozen snow for the other.
The Human Factor
This site isn’t focused on innovation, but on becoming an effective business leader. In today’s environment, innovation is a key ingredient in leadership. The founder of The Human Factor, Holly G. Green, combines business and behavioral science to help you train your brain, deal with change, plan strategically and lead innovation.
As former president of The Ken Blanchard Company, Green clearly knows how to get things done. A useful Leadership Toolbox is loaded with podcasts, webinars, newsletters and tips. Her blog offers lots of practical, commonsense advice, and is fun to read.
For instance, a Christmas-themed post on dinnertime conversation starters offered a few facts to throw in. “Pope John Paul II was an honorary Harlem Globetrotter.” And. “The blue whale’s tongue weighs as much as an adult elephant.”
What does this have to do with innovation?
“Exposing yourself to diverse sources of information—even those that seem to have nothing to do with your business—is a great way to stimulate the brain and spur innovation,” Green says.
Other recent posts covered dealing with distractions that keep you from innovating, tactics for gaining new perspectives on a problem and how to test your “innovation IQ.” This site will inspire you to succeed, not just as an innovator, but in all facets of your business.