In 2011, the digital landscape underwent a significant shift that will have profound effects on business in 2012. The challenge is that hardly any business leaders noticed. That’s not their fault however. Although the impact of technology on business and consumer behavior was widely reported, in-depth reports on what to do next or how this will affect their business specifically were scant at best. I’m sure you heard it from experts everywhere, “You need a Facebook brand page! Why are…
Leadership in an Era of Digital Darwinism
As I think about disruptive technology, it’s clear that as an industry, we often get stuck in conversations about products, services, and features. In social media for example, we are enamored with Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and the like. At the same time, we tend to confuse emerging with disruptive technologies and overly invest in rising stars such as Instagram, Quora and to some extent Google+ before we understand the impact they have on our world and the impact we can…
Digital Darwinism: Who’s Next?
This is the first part in a short series to introduce The End of Business as Usual… Change is inevitable, but it is rarely easy. Among the greatest difficulties associated with change is the ability to even recognize its need at a time when we can actually do something about it. Sometimes, when we finally realize that change is inevitable, the vision or energy needed to push forward in a new direction is elusive. Or worse, when competitors recognize the…
The Games Businesses Play with Customers
Part four in a four-part series on innovation and change as the new schools of business management… As a child, you most likely played two very popular playground games, dodge ball and four square. If you’re an adult who is also an early adopter of emerging mobile applications, chances are you play them once again. The difference is that this time a mobile phone takes the place of a ball and it’s usually not hurling toward you. Dennis Crowley knows…
Zappos’ Tony Hsieh Delivers Happiness Through Service and Innovation
Part three in a four-part series on innovation and change as the new schools of business management… To call Zappos an online shoe store takes away from the brilliance behind the 12-year-old e-commerce powerhouse. While its original premise was based on helping people find the shoes they want, in one place, online, and discounted, it certainly evolved into something nothing short of disruptive. As we hear so often with technology startups, Zappos was born in a college dorm room. Already…
Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey and the Ideas that Sparked a Revolution
Part two in a four-part series on innovation and change as the new schools of business management… Jack Dorsey is the co-founder of Twitter and Square. He has since rejoined Twitter as Executive Chairman and will focus on product development to further Twitter’s mainstream appeal. He also remains CEO of Square. What follows is my uncut interview with Dorsey for a recent Entrepreneur Magazine cover story. Maybe you have to have helped conceive Twitter to be bold enough to take…
The Dilemma’s Innovator: Innovation and Change as the New Pillars of Business
If necessity is the mother of invention, then perhaps imagination is the source of innovation. In December 2010, I was given the opportunity to write the cover story for Entrepreneur Magazine. The article, “Change: Lessons on What’s Next,” explored the innovation behind three (well four) companies — Foursquare, Square + Twitter, and Zappos. Throughout the years, I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with Dennis Crowley, Jack Dorsey and Tony Hsieh. And over that time, I’ve observed inherent traits that…
The Undercurrent of a Cultural Renaissance
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Melissa Pierce recently at The Computer History Museum in Mountain View. Brett Petersel of Mashable and Jane Quigley of Crayon insisted that we connect and I gladly obliged. Melissa is a professional life coach and also the producer of Life In Perpetual Beta, an ambitious interview-driven documentary that features stripped-down, honest, and unpretentious one-on-one conversations with thought leaders and pioneers in the fields of New Marketing and Social Media. Life In Perpetual Beta…
What Inspires You?
I’m fascinated and inspired by the unity, education, and collaboration spurred by the socialization of media. The sources for insight, artistry, and influence have proliferated globally, giving voices to, and creating communities for, every day people who share ideas, passion, and aspirations. The Social Revolution is Our Industrial Revolution Intel is also inspired by education. The company recently created Inspire, a new community that spotlights education through innovation. It is a platform to celebrate the people, voices, and actions that…
