5 signed copies of Myths – leave a comment!
I’ll pick 5 people to send a brand new signed copy of the paperback edition of Myths of Innovation. I’ll even write a personal note in there for you, with personalized innovation advice. Can’t do better than that.
Leave a comment to enter. I’ll count you twice if you say something clever enough to make me smile. I’ll count you 3x if it’s about innovation or creativity in some way.
(Closes at midnight PST – at the end of #mythsday).
Or if you can’t wait, help with #mythsday, and buy a copy anyway! The book is currently ranked at #1326! Buy now and you’ll help set the high mark.
Winners announced – comments closed: Go here for the list.
Your advice struck a chord today, team trust, being ok/learning from mistakes is clutch.
Innovation, in many circles, is a 4-letter word.
2B || !2B that is the question
I loved the first edition and am looking forward to the updated version. Next time you are in Minnesota look me up and I will hook you up with boots and a tour of our factory. We have been around as a company for 105 years and still innovating….we would love to see you in Red Wing.
Hey Scott! Have you ever came to present in Montreal? I am thinking about a way where my university (HEC Montreal) could hire you for a presentation just to teach (business) students on how to present but also to teach them about what you wrote in your great book “Confessions of a Public Speaker”.
Now, something on innovation..hmm..I have a rule for when it comes to innovation: be open to criticism! Like my favorite philosopher Karl Popper would say “the art of listening to criticism is the basis of reasonableness” and being reasonableness is key to innovation. This is what distinguish clever mans from wannabe-clever mans.
(I hope I win a copy of your book!)
Great ideas have lonely childhoods. But some terrible ideas can also be unloved and unwanted. It would be nice if we could tell the difference, and early–figure out when to endure the lonely period, and when to abandon the not-so-great idea.
Scott Berkun calls his book “The Myths of Innovation” and he does a good job of taking down the jump-and-the-net-will-appear mindset we often associate with new ideas. But if he had called his book, “The tools and questions to support a more consistent innovation” it would be way more accurate, if far less catchy.
There is no guarantee of success, but there are habits, practices and, yes, myths that encourage failure. Have you thought about how to navigate your pathway to innovation? Scott Berkun has.
The major impediment to a windfall of innovation is that the demand for innovation is much smaller than the supply, mainly due to cost to determine its viability. There’s a large supply of great ideas, relative to our ability to explore or test them all.
One question: Do ideas start great, or are they only great because they are implemented well/generate benefit after implementation?
Scott, I enjoyed your webinar today. Sorry about my question today. Like you, I think the language we use around innovation matters, but I really want leaders in organizations to create shared meaning around these words rather than simply banish them from the organizational lexicon altogether. As you pointed out today, creativity is actual work, and if you’re going to practice innovation, you should do the work of thinking through with others the deeper implications of the words you’re using to inspire and engage.
I’d really like to do a podcast with you. Can we schedule something? Let me know. Thanks!
I try living by this mantra: No idea is bad… but having no idea is bad!
Innovation is being creative without invoking or bumping into cliches, kitsch or badly punned words of wisdom.
Your next book is about online and social marketing, no? :)
Anyone in the field of business who still links innovation and growth together is a fool. Nowadays we ask to often what it new and to little what is good.
Innovation without action is just confusion!
But sometimes confusion leads to real, innovations..
“A child who knows how to wash his hands will eat with the chiefs/elders” -A West African proverb about innovation
If we are ever going to effectively create that significant positive change Innovation is defined by, we need to remember that Behaviour is not stable across space and time!
Fav quote from the webcast today: “Why, when we go to the drugstore, are there 15 different types of razors? Occam would be very upset by this.”
Always a pleasure, Mr. Berkun!
Hi,
I’m programme manager in UK. The book ‘Myths of Innovation’ cover page looks interesting above in the page. There must be some secret behind why the innovation is in bright color where as ‘ They Myths of’ are in dark side of the color. I will be much excited to read the book, If I’m chosen for it in your draw. Thanks.
I know I’m on to something new when I’ve got a big grin across my face that I can’t shake off!
Oooh a drawing … How innovative! :)
I’ve always learned to go to the source for information. If you are the source then I’d appreciate a copy of your book. If I’m chosen, I’d like you to elaborate on why your are the source and not an imposter.
In the meantime, I’m striving to apply +10,000 hours with the goal of creating my innovation while dealing with Darwin and exercising the Intrepreneur way… Just Do It!
Innovation makes life better although our universal human problems stay :-)
Once upon a time, a ‘public speaker’ confided to me. He said “You have 2 choices: Either you break ‘The myths of innovation’ or you start ‘Making Things Happen'”. The choice is yours.
Hmm, I can’t come up with anything clever at the moment. But if you send me a signed copy of your book I will be sure to relentlessly bombard my Twitter/Facebook followers, coworkers, friends, and random people I meet at a bar with tales of your awesomeness.
Some people are so damn worried about being innovative, that they’ll never step up to the plate, put the work in, and innovate. They’re so tied up in being the genius that they think everyone else has been that they can’t even begin to let their genius shine through the haze that is perfection.
I’ve got the twinkle, you deliver the dazzle.
Ok Ray: It doesn’t rhyme at all, or make much sense, but it made me laugh. 3x for you.
I can’t wait to learn more on the evolution of “wait 20 minutes to swim after eating”.
Oh wait, that’s in The Innovation of Myths book. Well I look forward to yours too…
Don’t hate, innovate.
I’m surprised how many people think that to “innovate” they have to come up with an idea nobody has ever thought of before. Applying an idea from one domain to another with successful results is innovation – as is finding a way to make something difficult easier, or (my favorite) combining multiple separate ideas in a novel way.
I would tell a joke here about an innovator walking into a bar, but one already did and he added a laundromat.
I wrote a blog post about your book here: http://blog.pmtechnix.com/the-myths-of-innovation/#respond
It looks like an interesting book. I think it will be very helpful.
“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.”
— Howard Aiken
One of the most basic and important lessons MoI taught me (allow myself to …teach myself?) was that innovation isn’t magical…it isn’t Eureka!, it isn’t a Muse whispering in your ear, it isn’t “luck”.
It’s hard work, dedication, and lots, and lots of f’ups (which probably describes many other things well, such as writing, parenting, teen years, me writing this comment and deleting everything but this, etc).
To my fellow non-clever friends, a second posting is another way to get to 2x. Bam. Innovation.
Today at work, I decided to spend an hour of my company’s time to watch Scott’s web cast. I am happy that I did it, even though my manager passed by me a few times with rolling eyes! I think I will send the signed copy to him and buy another one for myself, since he desperately needs this book. My company used to be one of the most innovative companies of its class, to name two, they invented Microwave oven and vacuum tube, you can imagine the rest. Today, we are struggling to understand what innovation means in 21st century and how we can have an innovative work place. Everybody at management level at any tech company needs to read this book.
Will you ever present this book on a tour in Germany (or better Hamburg, Germany)? It would be great to see you talk in person, as it would be easier, to ask and bring some things into question. And meeting an author in person is something, that adds flavour to his theses.
Greetings from Germany,
Sven
I don’t believe innovation can be in any way learned or taught – that’s why never read any book or material on this subject. Although i believe in innovation driving environments.
Hi Scott,
would love to read about the insight you gained from your promotion activities ;-) If I count blog comments so far your are getting better.
Scott, you already told me you’d send me your book. I tweeted about it; I posted a Network Update on LinkedIn; and I posted an update in my LinkedIn Group. Your webcast today was great. So many thought-provoking thoughts! I look forward to reading all your books.
I’m on vacation with the family and promised I whouldn’t be reading emails/feeds (let alone comment on them!). But I’ll even risk my marriage for a signed copy ;-).
Now, Scott, hurry up with the shipment ’cause I’m visiting the USA only for this week. Cheers.
Hey Scott,
This signed copies trick is getting a bit old now, you need to innovate ;)
–Harris
Hey Scott!
I read your book A confessions of a public speaker and found it very inspiring.
In regard to innovation, I believe too many people see it as a kind of miracle and not recognize it as part of a process. The history book writers are not of much help either as they tend to reinforce that image. However, I believe it is neither miracle, nor a product of a “okay, now do something innovative”-kind of approach, but happens more as a result of passion, asking the right questions and hard work.
Keep up the good work!
Grega
Innovation is easy.
Can you write me a book that teaches me to stop innovating and finish the stuff i started before?
I am posting too late for a free copy but I don’t care. :-)
The more you know about a field, the less you will be able to innovate, come up with clever unheard-of solutions. Once you know much in a field you know how things are done there. This is what the box is made of you are sitting in. To foster innovation, always get greenhorns in, complete outsiders (sic!). And don’t forget to listen to what they have to say…
“Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure.”
– Albert Einstein
Sometimes being awesome is enough innovation. If everyone else provides a service that sucks, then just focussing on giving great service is ‘innovative’ enough to win.
If you’re ever in my city, I’ll show you what I mean!
I had to post again, when seconds later I read on the bbc website that the secret to invention (ok, not innovation), is an egg.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11438219
I can get an egg quite cheaply, so you’d best send me a free book!
Hi Scott, I’d love a copy of your book. Oh God I hope I posted this in time. I don’t have anything clever to say but I’ll write a little about myself: I’m an undergraduate science student hoping to one day make a positive difference even if it’s just a small one.
Also I loved your video/presentation “Everything you need to know about philosophy in 5 minutes”, seriously that was brilliant.
This is what happens when traveling and leaving the tech at home. Miss out on the opportunity to win! Time to buy the book and read more than the blog.
I’ll throw in for a copy.
I liked the tone of this blog more by the time the marketing messages were less obtrusive. Wouldn’t it be innovative to resist the seduction, which lies in the fact of increasing popularity?
Cheers
Martin
something clever enough to make me smile
:p
How can you convince management that innovation doesnt usually happens on-demand without forcing them to read the book?? (“yeah, I’ll get to it later”)
At the end of the day, no matter how awesome you think your idea is, two personal skills will expose your innovation to the World. Persuasion, and Seduction.
Art from Ireland.
If I could come up with something creative and innovative I wouldn’t have to buy your books. :->
If I could come up with something creative and innovative I wouldn’t have to read your books. :->
Creativity and innovation happen inside a box, not out in a field of poppies.