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The Story If you have worked in innovation or consumer experience for any length of time, you have more than likely made the same mistake so many of us have. You have a brilliant idea that you believe will shift the strategic direction of an organization. You envision being able to transform the culture or alter their mindset.…
Read MoreThe Story It is 9:30 p.m. and I am standing with my family at Gate A24 in Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. My wife, myself, and our two children (an eight-year-old and a soon to be two-year-old) are excited for our trip to Orlando and begin our Disney vacation in celebration of our son’s 2nd birthday.…
Read MoreWhy Should I Share My Story? This is a question I have asked myself numerous times in my life, and once again, over the past several weeks. It all started when a colleague and I journeyed to Dubai in January. We both had friends and family very concerned about the fact we were traveling to…
Read More“You Hire Crazy People!” That is my answer when I am asked how I hire people for innovation. There is so much truth to that statement (please do not be offended if you work in Innovation), but there is a part of you that has to be a little crazy to do this work no…
Read MoreI get asked frequently, “Shawn, how did you get into innovation & consumer experience?” My journey is probably not much different to many of us that work in the industry. You are doing one thing one day, and than the next day you want to do something different. I had spent the first part of my career…
Read MoreWhat I Was Doing… This week, as I turned a year older I realized something. In the past year, I have grown ten years wiser! I asked myself why I felt this way. Was it because of something that took place in my personal life? Was it the result of something that happened to me professionally? Could…
Read MoreWhat I Learned… Recently, I shared my experience around what it is like to start a center for innovation. Here is a 7-minute video where I answered some of the following questions or statements: State of mind when starting a center for innovation How have I personally and professionally changed? What encouragement would I give leaders?…
Read MoreWhat I Was Doing… “No, we can’t do it!” This is the most common phrase I have heard in my years as a leader in innovation. From big organizations to small ones, from the government to education. It seems that it is easier for people to say, no, instead of YES! This week I began working with…
Read MoreWhat I Was Doing… Well, #CES2017 is history! This past week over 175k people ascended on the Las Vegas Strip to see the coolest and newest technologies for 2017. I have to say, in three days, I walked over 50k steps and saw some amazing technologies. I mean, who doesn’t love drones choreographed to the…
Read MoreWhat I Was Doing: My Story… Over a year ago I wrote a blog post titled, The Power of Yes In Innovation. I wrote these words: Each day I try to live the POWER OF YES–the power to give people the freedom to explore, test, and win, the power to let my children be all they want to…
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