We have absllutely know idea who the wedding party is. We don't remember lending our video camera out; it is possible that someone loaned us a tape that had already been used.

We do know this from watching the video:

• they were married by a Reverend Terry Hope
• their names are Nancy and John Prince
• they were going to Honeymoon in Niagara Falls

If you have any insight, please email jcarroll@jimcarroll.com]]> http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/07/mystery-wedding-video-do-you-k.html http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/07/mystery-wedding-video-do-you-k.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:10:44 -0500 As we end the first six months of 2009, one thing is clear: people are realizing that innovation is more than a buzzword. It's a critical component of an organization's success: it's the lifeblood that makes the organization tick and survive a world of high-velocity change.

As someone who spends a lot of time helping some of the world's largest organizations adapt to and understand the new high-velocity economy, I've long realized that there are big, creative-stumbling-blocks that have restricted the type of thinking that is necessary to "doing-things-differently."

Yet, I am encountering a new group of leaders who know that the emergence of the high-velocity economy means that they must have a a team that can constantly adapt and evolve, coming up with a regular stream of new ideas on how to better run the business, grow the business and transform the business.

There are several reasons why innovation will be the primary area of focus for every business, going forward:

• people are finally "getting it": They are realizing that innovation isn't just about new products ; it's also about looking at what you do, how you do it, and how you can do it better.
• people are realizing that innovation isn't optional: They have come to realize that in the fast paced world in which we find ourselves, with multiple competitive threats and unprecedented new opportunities, those who can think differently and who can do things differently will be those that make the leap from potential failure to massive success
• people are realizing they can "do" innovation: they're realizing that innovation isn't some dark, mysterious ancient ritual: they're realizing that it simply a mindset that involves constant probing to see how we can fix things, find new things, or transform things: whether those things be business processes, customer service methods, new products, marketing and distribution channel concepts, or just about anything else.
• people know that innovation is driven by extreme velocity: In every industry, the certain minimum expectations which have long existed are now constantly rising. Whether it issues of cost/price, customer service/support, logistics/delivery, brand coolness or new products, the rule is simple: to compete today, you have to keep up with high-velocity change. If you don't innovate to maintain the same velocity as everyone else, you get left behind. It's that simple.
• people know it becomes easier to be innovative if you plug into the global innovation idea loop. What has happened in the last decade is quite simple: there is now a huge and massive global discussion underway. If you can learn how to tap it, you can discover a wealth of innovative ideas and thinking, new knowledge, wonderful insight and creativity.
• people know that demographic change brings about more innovative thinking: quite simply, as change adverse baby-boomers begin to retire, they are being replaced by change-adept Gen-Connects: individuals who view innovative opportunities in the context of connectivity. They are always asking themselves, how can I do something cool with this business problem if I layer connectivity on top of it? Whether it's supply chain reorganization, collaborative tools or something else, they bring a whole new innovative perspective to the game.
• people are learning that innovation is not a one time thing: when it comes to innovation, the idea of a "suggestion box" is just so "20'th century." There is now an understanding that a company must live a culture of innovation: everyone must be completely and fundamentally focused on the new things we need to do to stay in the game, and excel at what we do.
• people know that innovation has gone mainstream: Everyday people are starting to use the I-word in conversation, and it's becoming natural. Innovation has left the realm of the esoteric, and has become the next natural area of focus in business.
• management is now focusing on the attributes of an innovation team: agility, insight and execution have become their guiding principles. They know that they must have agility to respond to the rapid change that constant innovation demands; they know they need depth of insight to discover where innovative ideas can work; they know that it isn't just coming up with the ideas, but making them work, that is so critical to their innovation success.
• people are seeking a head start on how to make the leap to innovation: A guy like me, who makes his living helping organizations understand innovation, now finds his agenda heavily booked. Management everywhere has put innovation on the agenda for the upcoming months, and they're doing what it takes to get a kick-start on the process.

People have come to realize that being innovative is just plain fun.

That fact, more than anything else, signals that innovation is becoming critical.]]> http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/increasing-the-stakes-why-inno.html http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/increasing-the-stakes-why-inno.html Innovation Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:33:55 -0500 intelligent energy infrastructure.

It's happening now -- it's happening all around you -- and the implications are pretty huge in terms of economic growth.

Here's a video that was filmed two years ago, in which I talk about what happens "when thermostats join the cloud."

Today, I bought the new ipThermostat app for my iPhone; it provides instant, seamless access to the two Internet-enabled Proliphix thermostats in my home and ski chalet/cottage. I've written about these devices previously on this blog. (I could link to my thermostat before, but it was via a Web page. iPThermostat makes it seamless and fast.)

Such connectivity allows me to actively manage my energy spend, and better manage my own little environmental footprint. Take us into a world in which hundreds of millions are doing the same thing, and you put a serious dent into heating and air conditioning spending.

Device connectivity is but one small trend in a number of major trends that are coming together all at once:

• HVAC 2.0: major industrial players are adding intelligence to the next generation of commercial, industrial and resident heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment. We're seeing remote monitoring and management; better analysis and insight into ; rapid response to out-of-norm operations. All of this allows people to more actively control overall energy usage
• increasing energy / electrical system demand: quite simply, despite the recession, the demand on our electrical grid continues to increase. This demands new solutions, with the result that a lot of people are putting a lot of mindshare to the issue of how to squeeze more out of our existing energy infrastructure.
• the new NIMBYismm : one impact of social networking is that it is far more difficult for any utility to build a new power plant. The new activism can slow and delay such efforts, and often, successfully shut them down. This only makes the challenge of doing more with what we have now ever more important.
• Energy grid 2.0: do a search for "smart grid" and you'll see a flood of news stories. There's a tremendous amount of hype, but much of it is real. Cisco recently suggested that the connectivity component of the infrastructure will be worth more than $100 billion over five years. That's some serious spending.
• the impact of analytics: raw computing horsepower will help to build the smart grid -- companies like Google are aggressively involved. The same horsepower will help consumers and users better understand their usage, and allow more intelligent demand. Big, big trend!

As thermostats plug into the cloud, everything changes.

More information:

• iPThermostat app from Our Home Spaces
• Blog post When thermostats get connected
• Blog post Silicon Valley: Is Innovation Dead?
• Blog post HVAC 2.0
• Trends document (big PDF); page 3 Analytics & the energy grid
• Proliphix Internet enabled thermostats

They engaged me to provide them with insight on the trends which will impact the global oil, natural gas, energy and distribution sectors in the years to come.

It was a small, intimate get-together with about 40 senior executives; I provided my insight into the trends that I believe will have the most impact. That was followed by about an hour of very intense, deep probing discussion; I obviously stirred up some creative thinking within the group.

While not going into the specifics, the broad brush strokes of what I covered off included my observations that they should be thinking about these issues.

• presume massive market disruption: Think GoogleCar: don't limit your view of the future as to what might transpire. The future of any industry will likely bear no resemblance to the industry structure of today. Future competitors will probably come from completely outside of an existing industry. Challenge every assumption that you have about the future.
• prepare for significant transformation: realize that existing insurmountable challenges are simply a big opportunity to someone else. Someone, somewhere, is going to figure out how to plug hundreds of thousands if not millions of small, local, home based renewable energy sources into the energy grid. It's mostly a computation/mathematical issue: the energy grid was not designed for two way electricity transmission, and so there will have to be an intense amount of computational dynamics to structure a solution. Result? An organization that is a master of massive computational capabilities --- and hence, grid management -- might very well be the new energy company of the future.
• find opportunity in scientific rapidity: we're in the era of global collaborative knowledge generation, and R&D is rapidly externalizing. The infinite global idea loop means that scientific discovery is now happening faster than ever before, which provides for more product and market opportunity. Innovative organizations plug in, ensuring that all staff are in tune with the rapid rate of scientific advance that surrounds them, and are prepared to ride new emerging ideas as soon as they begin to emerge.
• capitalize on skills fragmentation: the war for talent will define future success. We're entering a time of massive skills specialization and ever smaller knowledge niches. As I covered off in my keynote to a global financial audience in the Cayman's, it's the organizations that can build a culture, structure and flexibility to attract and retain skills that will find the key to success in the high velocity economy.
• structure for volatility: extreme volatility is the 'new normal.' If you have the capability to quickly adjust strategy, structure, plans, skills, projects and teams, you've got the right stuff for the new world of constant change.
• prepare for business intensity: innovative organizations plan for more rapid entrance and exits from new markets. They do so through flexible structure. Partnership takes on new role in era of exponentiating, fast complexity and the rapid emergence of new opportunities: if you can scale up, you can win big.

That's the bottom line for innovating in the high velocity energy industry.

Related posts:

• The Google Car and massive market disruption
• Global infinite idea loop
• Talent, not money, is the new corporate battlefront

The motivational wrapup to a recent Las Vegas keynote - advising the audience to "re-engage with the future."

This is based upon my "10 Great Words" document which you can find here, in a big PDF.]]> http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/video-reengage-yourself-with-t.html http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/video-reengage-yourself-with-t.html How to be innovative Innovation Video Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:39:59 -0500 In advance, I'm running a brief test of the polling service I use. Please participate in this poll to help me ensure I've got things scaled correctly.

POLL NOW CLOSED; THESE ARE THE FINAL RESULTS!

Simply use your cell phone to send in a text message to 99503, with the text response (i.e. ONEYEAR) in the body of your message (no charge for the poll from me!) or go to http://poll4.com on your Web browser and type in the one word response.

Keep an eye on this blog entry, as the results should update dynamically.

N.B. The chart is small; we've contacted tech support to see if we can scale it!]]> http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/live-poll-when-will-we-see-an.html http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/live-poll-when-will-we-see-an.html About the recession Global economy Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:43:57 -0500 One of my key themes through the years has been that "faster is the new fast" -- that the biggest challenge that organizations must face is how to keep up with the high-velocity economy.

I'm now observing that in many markets and industries, the pace of change is so fast that we need to put in place a senior executive whose sole area of responsibility is ensuring that the organization can keep up with ever-increasing rates of change.

Organizations need to adapt to all kinds of different issues when it comes to the velocity of change: rapidly changing business models, the emergence of new competitors, ever shrinking product lifecylces, a faster pace of new product development, furious rates of technological innovation, furiously fast new trends in terms of customer interaction, the decreasing shelf-life of knowledge and the more rapid emergence of specialized skills: the list could go on!

Hence, the likely emergence of the new position of "Chief Momentum Officer."

This individual will carry a number of responsibilities, such as:

• managing the product innovation pipeline, so that the organization has a constant supply of new, innovative products, as existing products become obsolete, marginalized, or unprofitable
• managing the talent pipeline, so that the organization has the ability to quickly ingest all kinds of specialized new skills
• managing the technology pipeline, so that the organization can adapt itself to constantly improving and ever-more sophisticated IT tools that will help to better manage, run, grow and transform the business
• maintain and continually enhance brand and corporate image; as I've written here many times before, brands can become "tired" and irrelevant if they aren't continually freshened and refreshed
• ensuring that the organization is continuing to explore new areas for opportunity, and that it has the right degrees of innovation momentum
• that the business processes and structure of the organization are fine-tuned on a continuous basis so that it can keep up with all the fast-change swirling around it
• ensuring that a sufficient number of "experiential" programs are underway with respect to product, branding, markets, and other areas so that the overall expertise level of the organization is continually enhanced

• keeping a fine tuned eye on the trends which will impact the organization in the future, and which will serve to increase the velocity that the organization is subjected to and;
• keeping their hands on the appropriate levers throughout the organization such that it can keep evolving at the pace that these future trends will demand.

There are 147 million people interacting on social networks through mobile devices today - expect that to grow to 1 billion within 5 years.

A clip from a recent keynote in which I outline the dramatic impact that social networking -- Twitter, Facebook, etc -- is having on brand image, relevance of brand, and longevity of brand.]]> http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/video-the-impact-of-social-net.html http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/video-the-impact-of-social-net.html Branding & marketing Faster Trends Video Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:09:51 -0500

Enough said. Get over it. Get out and innovate.

Think growth!

]]> http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/video-the-time-to-invest-in-th.html http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/video-the-time-to-invest-in-th.html About the recession Global economy Video Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:44:45 -0500 ENTREPENEURS: Recessions provide 'tremendous opportunities,' trends expert says London Free Press, May 28, 2009

Recession or not, the future belongs to companies willing to adapt to rapid change, Jim Carroll, a trends and innovation expert, said in London yesterday.

Jim Carroll, speaking at the TechAlliance annual meeting yesterday, says smart businesses must look past the recession.

"Recessions provide tremendous opportunities for growth because everyone else is scared to do anything," Carroll said at the annual meeting of TechAlliance.

Carroll, who grew up in London, is an author, columnist and speaker specializing in new trends and technologies affecting the business world.

He said even when the economy is being "pummelled by negativity," smart businesses are looking past the recession for growth opportunities.

"Recessions are cyclical. I've seen this movie before. I know how it ends," he said.

He said at least one billion people in Asia are entering the middle class, providing new markets for agriculture, technology and other sectors.

Carroll said global food production will have to double in the next few decades, boosting opportunities for agricultural areas around London.

He said health care, another major sector in London, would soon undergo a major shift toward preventative care, aided by genetic testing and diagnostics.

"We will know what you are likely to develop in your lifetime and we will treat you before you develop those conditions."

He said medical care will enter an era of "bioconnectivity" in which expensive hospital beds will be replaced by remote technology allowing for care in the community or home.

Carroll said businesses have to adapt to a "high-velocity economy" driven by technological change. He said the shelf life of a digital camera model has shrunk to a few months while most of the sales on a video game are made within the days of release.

Carroll said business is entering an era of "pervasive connectivity" in which all industries will be transformed by smart communications technology."Everything in our lives is plugging into everything else."]]> http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/recessions-provide-tremendous.html http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/06/recessions-provide-tremendous.html Keynotes Press Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:35:35 -0500 One of the columns I write on a regular basis is for CAMagazine, which goes to about 100,000 professional chartered accountants. My big secret? Despite the fact that I spend my time advising some of the biggest organizations in the world on strategies for innovation and creativity, I'm also a professional accountant. I spent some 12 years way back in the 1980's which one of the world's largest professional services firm.

My June column is out -- and it talks about the challenge of trying to reconcile the emerging demands for more financial disclosure with the short attention spans that come with the Twitter era.

You can access the full article below; but here's a few excerpts:

We stand at a seminal moment - a crossroads as it were - between what we might call the new age of disclosure and the new era of inattention.

....we will see all kinds of new rules and regulations within the financial sector and beyond, including most of the business world. Let there be no doubt, in the year to come we will witness a new, onerous set of regulations surrounding financial disclosure....

On the other hand, while we ponder an emerging need for more detailed disclosure, media reports seem to indicate that the general populace is rushing off to Twitter-ize itself.

So here's the thing: to satisfy the demands of angry investors, the typical 10Q and SEDAR filings will have to quadruple in size, if not more. Pretty soon, a typical public company will need to file several thousand pages of disclosure documents to keep up with regulations. Financial statement footnotes will become complicated enough to deserve their own dead tree. An army of accountants will find itself dedicated to the cause of digging deeper with every single sentence.

At the same time, the audience for whom these lengthy documents are targeted is concentrating on writing 140-character texts.

So, the big question is, what is the relevancy of accountancy in the Twitter era?

Might you instead find yourself one day writing a financial disclosure that goes like this: Qlfd opn'n. Gng Cncrn vr m2m vln on unreal(dude!)ized rvnu.

If you understand that, then your brain synapses have shrunk enough to fit the speed of information in the modern age.

Accountancy in the Twitter era

Here's a video clip from a recent keynote in Las Vegas.

I was on stage in front of an audience of 4,000, speaking for a global organization.

In this clip, I'm speaking about the challenges that organizations face with innovation -- and in particular, the fact that every organization has people who wake up each day and ask themselves, "what can I do today to kill innovation?"

Do such people exist? Are there really attitudes like this out there with such high-velocity change in the economy out there? You'll realize the answer to this question is yes, as soon as you hear the list of the "innovation killers."

Think about what they say:

• "We've always done it this way"
• "It won't work"
• "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard"
• "That's not my problem"
• "You can't do that"
• "I don't know how"
• "I don't think I can"
• "I didn't know that"
• "The boss won't go for it"
• "Why should I care?"

The cover of my handout was titled, "It's January 15, 2020: What did we do to move through the great recession of 2009." Inside, I presented a number of scenarios that challenged the participants to think about innovation strategies that could be pursued right now, in order to provide that growth.

The concept resonated extremely strongly. All around me, I see opportunities for growth in a wide variety of industries. And what is becoming obvious is that some organizations are aggressively adopting strategies that involve "aggressive innovation" to change their direction now, rather than later.

Since last year, when the recession began, I've seen some of the best and worst approaches to how organizations are dealing with the challenges in the economy. And I go back to a previous blog post, in which I identified a list of 10 more things that smart, innovative companies do to create an overall sense of innovation-purpose. It's still a great list, and is worth repeating.

• Heighten the importance of innovation. One major client with several billons in revenue has 8 senior VP's who are responsible for innovation. And the fact is, they don't just walk the talk -- they do it. The message to the rest of the company? Innovation is critical -- get involved.
• Create a compelling sense of urgency. With product lifecycles compressing and markets witnessing fierce competition, now is not the time for studies, committee meetings and reports. It's time for action. Simply do things. Now. Get it done. Analyze it later to figure out how to do it better next time.
• Ignite each spark. Innovative leaders know that everyone in the organization has some type of unique creativity and talent. They know how to find it, harness it, and use it to advantage.
• Re-evaluate the mission. You might have been selling widgets five years ago, but the market doesn't want widgets anymore. If the world has moved on, and you haven't, it is time to re-evaluate your purpose, goals and strategies. Rethink the fundamentals in light of changing circumstances.
• Build up experiential capital. Innovation comes from risk, and risk comes from experience. The most important asset today isn't found on your balance sheet -- it is found in the accumulated wisdom from the many risks that you've taken. The more experiential capital you have, the more you'll succeed.
• Shift from threat to opportunity. Innovative organizations don't have management and staff who quiver from the fear at what might be coming next. Instead, they're alive from breathing the oxygen of opportunity.
• Banish complacency and skepticism. It's all too easy for an organization, bound by a history of inaction, to develop a defeatist culture. Innovative leaders turn this around by motivating everyone to realize that in an era of rapid change, anything is possible..
• Innovation osmosis. If you don't have it, get it -- that's a good rule of thumb for innovation culture. One client lit a fuse in their innovation culture by buying up small, aggressive, young innovative companies in their industry. They then spent the time to carefully nurture their ideas and harness their creativity.
• Stop selling product, and sell results. The word solution is overused and overdone, but let's face it -- in a world in which everything is becoming a commodity and everyone is focused on price, change the rules of the game. Refuse to play -- by thinking about how to play in a completely new game.
• Create excitement. I don't know how many surveys I saw this year which indicated that the majority of most people in most jobs are bored, unhappy, and ready to bolt. Not at innovative companies! The opportunity for creativity, initiative and purpose results in a different attitude. Where might your organization be on a "corporate happiness index?" If it's low, then you don't have the right environment. Fix that problem -- and fix it quick.

From the introduction: Gloom has set in on global markets. Volatility rages. Some organizations have gone into a mode of "aggressive indecision," deferring action while they try to figure out "what comes next." A pretty lousy strategy that is doomed to fail in the longer term.

Future oriented leaders understand the reality of growth. They know that we live in a time in which opportunities for growth abound. They've aligned the mission of the organization so that they are capitalizing on real opportunity, not short term economic challenges.

Growth is everywhere

It's easy during a time of economic volatility to lose sight of where the global economy is really headed. Yet while stock markets might rock, innovation thrives.

New ideas continue to be explored, markets grow, and industries emerge. A variety of trends indicate that opportunities for growth continue to surround us.

• Global food production must double in the next twenty years to match population growth. There's nothing but upside in agriculture!
• New industries and markets continue to emerge as advancements in the science behind energy, infrastructure, connectivity and health care drive fascinating new areas of growth.
• Many simple and obvious trends drive growth. Generational growth drives the rapid emergence of new markets: by 2020, 17% of the global population will be 65 years or older. Someone will sell a lot of phones with really big buttons!

Think growth. Think opportunity. Innovate for future, don't stagnate with the past.

More information:

• Read Where's the growth : global innovation opportunities for the long term
• Read Infrastructure is the new plastic
• Read 7 Things to Do Right Now as the Upturn Begins

I was struck by paragraph that spoke to how the company worked hard to get advertisers on board in the early years. It took some time, but eventually, they began to sign up some of the leading brands of the time.

Home amenities also abounded, with promotions for everything from Crosswinds House beach towels and robes to Scintella Satin BedSheets, Lektrostat Kit record cleanerss to Mansfield Holiday II 8-mm. cameras, Leslie Record Racks to the Electro-Voice Musicaster (an outdoor "high-fidelity speaker system for relaxed enjoyment at the patio or pool"). personal accessory plugs included the Ronson Electric Shaver, Max Factor crew-cut hair dressing, Rogers "Rocket Flame" cigarette lighter, Merrin Gold Jewelry, and English Leather aftershave and toiletries. Ads focusing on romance promoted such items as Coty Perfume ("Nothing makes a woman more feminine to a man) and the Batch Book, "a new and modern address book that lets you list every pertinent detail - the surest way to avoid social errors."

Ask yourself this question when you read that paragraph: how many of those brands actually still exist? Very few of them. Some disappeared due to changing societal norms, others due to technological change.

Regardless of the reason, very few products and brands have any type of longevity in the marketplace. That's why continual product and brand reinvention is really, really critical. Even more so today than in the 1950's!

Which is why, when I'm speaking and working with my clients on the need for constant brand innovation, I always challenge them to ask themselves if their brands are from the "olden days."

I wrote about this in a blog post some time back, noting that brands can become old for a variety of reasons:

• Your brand looks tired, because it is tired
• Customers see a lack of innovation
• Lousy, ineffective customer service
• You don't know that you customers know more about your brand than you do
• A lack of purpose or urgency
• A lack of market and competitive intelligence
• A regular series of fumbling missteps

• Recognize that brand longevity is now a critical issue
• Ensure your sales, marketing, development and customer support team are relentlessly focused on the currency of the brand
• Make sure that continuous brand innovation is part of your corporate mantra
• When confronted with the new and challenging customer, learn from them rather than running away
• Be incessantly focused on the likely innovations that will come to impact your brand
• Learn to think five to six product lifecycles in advance -- and plan to do them all within six months.
• Make forward oriented intelligence a critical aspect of what you do.

More information

• Is your brand from the olden days?
• Your customers are high velocity. Are you?