Category Archives: creativity innovation

What’s going to be your 70:30:10 of how you do things in 2012?

At last the magic ingredient of Coca Cola’s success is now being shared. No, I am not talking about the tightly-guarded ingredients of its flavoured water. Rather, how it allocates its precious resources for brand communications to ensure its future … Continue reading

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How are you telling your Brand Story?

http://youtu.be/LerdMmWjU_E I have been preaching the need for any organization and individual to have compelling brand stories at their heart. The Coca Cola Content 2020 video, which announces their change of strategy and emphasis on Content Marketing is truly remarkable. Continue reading

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Unstupid thinking makes debut at How-Dow Public Services Awards

Sharing insights on ‘Unstupid Thinking – the key to unlocking your personal and business innovation’ is the theme of  new talk I will be giving at the How-Do Public Service Awards. Over 200 delegates are expected at The Comedy Store, Manchester … Continue reading

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Could you do a George Papandreou?

Could you do a George Papandreou? By which I mean could you take a really big decision that would be deeply unpopular with others – or with key individuals? My reading of his actions was that he realised at the … Continue reading

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How to Brainstorm

  Always define your question as tightly as possible. I define creativity as ‘flexible thinking around beautiful questions to add value’. Outstanding creativity is not coming up with 1001 different alternatives; it’s actually about asking the right question, the beautiful … Continue reading

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Two episodes don’t make a series

In my teachings on creativity and innovation I highlight how challenging assumptions is at the heart of creativity and innovation: if you want to challenge the status quo you need to identify, dismantle and re-build, or create new assumptions to … Continue reading

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Final quarter of 2011: Last chance to plan your Goals for the year

We are now entering the final quarter of 2011. You now urgently need to take stock of your plans – and critically, how you can make the most of the remaining three months to ensure 2011 is a great year … Continue reading

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Our ‘broken society’ needs a ‘Peter Beardsley’ and a ‘Waddle’

Talk of the UK being a ‘broken society’ makes me angry. A failure to put things in perspective may cost us dearly, economically, socially, emotionally – and creatively. Prior to the recent ‘highly localised riots in three main English conurbations’ … Continue reading

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8 flexible and creative thinking tips for responding to ‘the riots’

The riots across the UK have shown the worst – and the best of people. The film of a young man being callously mugged on the street while being injured can make you despair of humanity. Yet, the widespread responses … Continue reading

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Why creative people need to give themselves a ‘Chris Waddle’

  If you want to achieve anything in life, every so often you need to give yourself a ‘Chris Waddle’. Let me explain. The other day a friend of mine let himself down badly. He had an important sales presentation … Continue reading

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