The Business Fanatic: Recent Episodes
Dr. Dave Oventhal
The Business Fanatic podcast will introduce you to an eclectic group of people who have developed incredibly effective theories, tools, and techniques to help you rekindle your creative thinking skills to develop new products, new services, improve processes, and solve problems. This podcast will motivate you to dominate your industry and wake-up every day excited to start changing yourself, your organization, and your community.
In these times of fake news, misinformation, and conspiracy theories everyone needs to improve the ability to review and understand information. With social media providing never-ending, instant information, we are all becoming lazy as we digest opinions, superficial descriptions, and outright lies. Most of us have not had formal critical thinking education or training. Therefore, most of us form opinions based on often erroneous information and meaning.
Understanding and applying critical thinking empowers you to identify weak evidence and debunk faulty reasoning, evaluate information properly, let go of preconceived opinions, and avoid overconfidence based on experience and beliefs.
The Positive Revolution is not only about learning new skills and applying them to creatively solve problems. It is about developing a positive mindset to change the way you approach life. Unfortunately, most of us focus on the negative, rather than looking for the positives, even in a challenging situation.
Positive people develop a mental capacity that allows them to easily adapt during adversity. They develop a set of powerful mental traits. Life is about overcoming obstacles. The more you can focus on the positive of every situation, the less stressed and worried you will be.
Creativity is not solely about being an artist. Everyone needs to be creative just as much as musicians, ballet dancers, or sculptors.
Creative thinking is a crucial skill for Positive Revolutionists. Creating new businesses, new products and services, solving problems, or, improving processes, require creative thinking skills. Generating and implementing new ideas is critical to improving yourself and the world. Most people greatly underuse creativity based on the conditioning processes of society, educational systems, and business organizations.
Changing the future is not only about learning new skills and applying them to creatively solve problems. It is about developing a positive mindset to change the way you approach life. Unfortunately, most of us focus on the negative, rather than looking for the positives, even in a challenging situation.
For example, if you get a flat tyre on your car, you can be angry and upset. Or you can realize it is a great opportunity to get some exercise and be glad it did not cause an accident. Negativity is habitual.
The real challenge is finding positivity in every situation. Nothing is negative unless you think it is negative. It all starts with your mindset and how you focus on things.
In this episode Dr. O discusses the loss of RBG, the ongoing battle against COVID and the growing complacency of people, possibly resulting in a return to more stringent lockdowns. Dr. O also provides an update on his progress with The Positive Revolution and why a move away from negativity and destruction is critical to everyone's future. And he wraps up by reminding everyone to take advantage of COVID and focus on self-improvement. Dr. O shares his recent motorcycle adventure training, and his personal growth riding big bikes off-road.
As the pandemic continues, life and work keeps evolving. Many of us face new challenges as we juggle work/life balance. The time is ripe to rethink how we work and how we interact with our customers and partners. There is no better time than now, to improve processes and differentiate yourself from your customers. Dr. O discusses the need to change, create, and innovate, while sharing how he is working remotely and the new challenges he faces, especially working in three time zones.
Traveling Internationally during a pandemic is not the most relaxing way to spend a day, but Dr. O just flew from London to Los Angeles, and survived. He will share his experiences dealing with travel during the pandemic, and the differences between how England and the US are handling the various challenges. And Dr. O reminds everyone that this is an amazing time to "put your thinking hats on" as there are opportunities everywhere to improve our world.
This episode discusses the book One Small Step Can Change Your Life written by psychologist and kaizen expert Dr. Robert Maurer. The book outlines ways individuals can take small steps to achieve large goals; i.e, adopting the principles of kaizen for personal improvement. The seven steps outlined in the book allow individuals to develop new habits through simple, small methods. Dr. Maurer provides a clear and simple method for individuals to slowly build their confidence and overcome fear to achieve large, often insurmountable-seeming goals.
Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning "change for the better" or "continuous improvement." It was popularized due to the success of Toyota which utilized kaizen to create some of the world’s most dependable vehicles, while improving every aspect of the organization for industry-leading profits. This business philosophy involves all employees to continuously improve operations. Kaizen sees improvement in productivity as a gradual and methodical process, unlike innovation that often is seen as a large, impactful change that happens quickly. Kaizen is more akin to small, incremental improvements that combine for massive changes.
An IDEA FACTORY is a deliberate and systematic virtual and physical space which teaches people how to develop ideas and apply them for continuous improvement. An IDEA FACTORY can be for individuals, groups or teams, organizations, or communities. The goal is for people to learn how to develop and apply ideas to solve problems, take advantage of opportunities, create new products, services, or businesses, or improve processes. Now more than ever, IDEA FACTORIES are needed during such a massive time of change.
In good times you should never blindly follow the herd. But this is even more relevant during bad times. As Albert Einstein famously said, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result". To develop lasting competitive advantages and provide new, unexpected value for your customers, it is critical to think and act differently from your competitors. You have to reinvent the game. You need to become an intrapreneur.
In good times you should never blindly follow the herd. But this is even more relevant during bad times. As Albert Einstein famously said, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result". To develop lasting competitive advantages and provide new, unexpected value for your customers, it is critical to think and act differently from your competitors. You have to reinvent the game.
A contrarian is someone does not mindlessly imitate the competition or follows popular opinion or practice. A contrarian challenges the conventional wisdom and "zigs when others zag". Dr. O discusses the importance of having a contrarian mindset and levering the tenets of Maneuver Warfare to succeed in business by confusing competitors and exciting customers.
As the lockdowns and self-quarantines continue, you should not be wasting this once in a lifetime opportunity to improve your mind, body and spirit. For many of us who are working from home, it is time to start preparing for when this horrible event is over and we can get back to some sense of normalcy. Don't waste this opportunity. Work to become the best you can be. Focus on excellence, adding value, and developing new ideas to improve yourself and your organization. Become a source of hope and inspiration within your teams. Focus on positivity and driving excellence. Think how you can come out of this closer to your customers and be the only choice. Zig while others zag, or are frozen by fear. Be the one everyone can count on to move forward, successfully. Times are scary, but we will get out of this. Make sure you are the one who is ready. Don't follow, lead.
It’s a crazy time right now. Millions of people are in jeopardy of losing their jobs. Thousands of businesses are on the verge of closing. Schools are closed and might not reopen for the rest of the year. With all this chaos and uncertainty, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to evaluate ourselves and our businesses. Though we should always be looking at ways to improve and develop new ways to bring value to our customers, most of us don’t bother until a crisis. And the crisis is here. No matter what you believe, things are going get worse before they get better. The time is NOW, to develop new ways to conduct business, keep your employees working, and most importantly keep your business running. Take a deep breath. Sit back and develop new ways to reimagine how to navigate the new normal. Even if things go back to the way they were, there will be some fundamental changes we need to plan for. Don’t waste this opportunity. Put down the game controller and turn off YouTube. It is time to put some brain power to rethink how to do business.
Solve Tough Problems Faster & More Creatively
Do you want to:
- Create Strong Competitive Advantages?
- Grow Your Product Platform?
- Improve Customer Satisfaction?
- Gain the Trust & Respect of Colleagues and Senior Executives?
If so, Rethink How You Think: Creative Problem Solving for Product Management is the book you’ve been searching for. With this comprehensive guide, you will be able to create new, innovative solutions to solve tough problems and develop new business opportunities!
Become a powerful thinker
Product managers must continuously solve a wide range of problems. Using the 4i™ System of Creative Problem Solving, you will combine five critical skills into a powerful problem-solving process.
- Market Research – Identify customer needs.
- Statistics – Use data to help support decision making.
- Creative Thinking – Create new ideas, anywhere, any time.
- Critical Thinking – Narrow your ideas to the most viable, feasible, and desirable.
- Decision Making – Make decisions faster with more confidence.
Dr. O has put these five skills together in an easy-to-learn and easy-to-use process using an A3 template to tell your “story” simply, visually, and convincingly. Many people (and organizations) think problems are negative. You will learn that problems are amazing opportunities to use a wide-range of thinking skills to outmaneuver competitors and create a fast-moving, highly innovative organization that focuses on continual improvement and lifelong learning.
Too many of us have chaotic lives. We try and juggle too many things and balance our work and personal lives. Many of us who are in product development jobs, typically have multiple projects happening at the same time. It is extremely valuable to have a system to organize all your work to ensure everything gets done, reduce stress, and most importantly keep work fun. In this episode, Dr. O shares some tips on how he is able to juggle multiple projects and have time to conduct field research while not falling behind. If you feel stressed and over worked, this episode will provide some possible solutions to help get things organized.
New experiences are the ingredients for creativity. And I try to have as many as possible. I love traveling, meeting new people, and challenging myself. With my new job and living in a new country, everyday is something new. And recently I had one of those “bucket list” experiences that was not just amazing, but terrifying, exhausting, and inspirational. I rode a motorcycle for about five days in India. With three other co-workers, we rode from Mumbai to Goa, on the west coast.
New experiences are the ingredients for creativity. And I try to have as many as possible. I love traveling, meeting new people, and challenging myself. With my new job and living in a new country, everyday is
something new. And recently I had one of those “bucket list” experiences that was not just amazing, but terrifying, exhausting, and inspirational. I rode a motorcycle for about five days in India. With three other co-workers, we rode from Mumbai to Goa, on the west coast.
We are living in interesting times to say the least. More people are being lifted from poverty and ongoing technology and science innovations are changing lives for the better. As we live in a time of incredible wealth, longer lifespans, and unimaginable progress, we seem to be moving backwards in terms of morality, caring for others, and a sense of community. Due to the ability of those who hate and blame others having a strong voice via social media and various digital outlets, we are at a pivotal moment in time, to stop the progression backwards and move to a positive and more creative future. If we do not demand change and create change, we will continue to slide into a world based on hate, division, and isolation. It is time to change ourselves and help those around us. It's time for a Positive Revolution.
Israel is known as a hub for medical and computer technology, but the country has a long history of innovations in all fields. A great book Though Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World by Avi Jorisch shares stories of many unknown Israeli innovators who have changed the world. From a group of volunteer medics who save both Arab and Israeli lives, to the inventors of modern drip irrigation, to the beginnings of marijuana research, Jorisch not only describes amazing innovations from a small, resource-constrained country, but shows how people can work together and put aside stereotypes and religious hatred to make the world a better place. The stories demonstrate how persistence and determination can help create amazing ideas to change the world for the better.
In this episode I discuss my first trip to India and then onward to Milan, Italy for the 2019 EICMA motorcycle show. The importance of expanding your perspectives and gaining new experiences is critical for improving your creativity and developing new products and services. If you can only make it across town to a new restaurant or visit something new in your city or state, get out there and challenge yourself. The only way to improve yourself is to try new things, see new places, and meet strange and interesting people. Enjoy as I share my trips around the world.
Mindfulness is the direct practice of developing a calm mind. The key method to develop mindfulness is daily meditation. Like creative thinking, mindfulness is a skill that can be developed and improved through daily practice. And that practice is founded on mediation.
The goal of mindfulness is to become patient, present in the moment, and calm. Anger, a typical emotion that we all encounter is a destructive reaction to perceptions created internally. As product development is typically a high-paced, stressful activity, anything we can do to improve how we respond to others, act in the face of conflict, or create new ideas needs to be a key part of our personal and professional toolbox. The benefits of daily mindfulness practice and a conscious effort to be patient and not anger is a critical goal to enjoy life.
For creativity and innovation to grow, we all need to expand our experiences. Gaining a wider perspective is critical to develop new ideas to improve your world. Recently I have moved to England and it has been exciting, stressful, and a great learning experience. This episode will share some of my first experiences and why all of us need to move out of our comfort zones. No matter if you visit a town in your area, a new store, or just interact with different people, new experiences are the building blocks of creativity and innovation.
A great book by Douglas Smith and Robert Alexander called Fumbling the future: How Xerox invented, then ignored, the first personal computer. This book explains how Xerox failed to profit from all the amazing innovations developed at the company's computer technology lab, Xerox PARC. Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) was the epicenter of the digital computer revolution.
We have seen many examples of companies dropping the ball on game changing technologies and trends such as Kodak, Research in Motion, Nokia, and Blockbuster. But Xerox and PARC were great examples of mismanagement and arrogance. So let’s do a quick review of Xerox, PARC, and the personal computer.
Traveling is a great way to build your database of new experiences. And new experiences are the ingredients to creative thinking. In this episode, Dr. O shares a recent trip to Japan and how cultural changes are amazing ways to gather the building blocks of innovation.
If you have never been to Japan, or live there currently, you will enjoy this overview of the good and bad of this country, which Dr. O has lived in and visited for over 20 years. Put aside 60 minutes and take a quick trip to the amazing world of Japan.
In this episode, Dr. O talks about frugal innovation and why the world’s developed nations need to embrace this necessary method of advancement.
Frugal innovation is about reducing the complexity and cost of goods in order to sell to low-income consumers typically at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Frugal innovation has mostly been associated with developing countries such as India, China, or Brazil. But many global multi-national firms are now seeing the possibilities to applying frugal innovation techniques to developed countries as income inequality increases globally.
Simplicity takes effort and motivation. Simplicity needs to become part of an organization’s culture. Complexity creates inefficiencies, waste, and wasted mental energy. Knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore is the critical steps toward simplicity.
Never forget, “keep it simple and good things will happen”. Focus on problems, use creative thinking, and most importantly use common sense. Listen more than you speak and fully understand the situation. Simplicity is hard, but necessary as the global business environment becomes increasingly complicated and ambiguous. Having the mental courage and flexibility to simplify your world, takes a strong mindset so practice and do not give up. Remember, everything can and should be simplified.
The Lego Group has an amazing history and the brand has the capacity to reawaken the sense of experimentation and play that resides within everyone. From its founding in 1932 to the introduction of the interlocking toy bricks in 1949, to the massive losses in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the story of Lego is an amazing business tale of struggle, success, failure, and reinvention. With relentless innovation over the company’s 8+ decades and overcoming aggressive competitors offering electronics or other forms of building sets, Lego has survived and prospered.
In this episode I review a great book, The Toy Wars: The Epic Struggle Between GI Joe, Barbie, and the Companies that Make Them by G. Wayne Miller.
Toy Wars outlines the battles of the leading toy companies from the 1970s through the 1990s. Focusing primarily on Hasbro and Mattel, the book provides an excellent historical overview of each company and the legendary products they developed and the challenges of competing in a highly volatile industry that balances success and failure on the whims of short-lived fads.
Most people have incorrect assumptions about creativity. They think you either have it or you don’t. Many people also think new ideas just happen, serendipitously—but creativity is not mysterious. Everyone can (and should) become more creative. Not enough of us use creativity to improve ourselves, our organizations, and our communities.
But don’t worry, you can overcome these barriers with a positive mindset, learning the tools and techniques to develop new, creative ideas, practicing, and then applying your new ideas to create innovative new products, services, or processes. In addition, you can begin developing a creative culture within your organization by gaining senior leadership support, experimenting, and accepting failure as a critical part of the creative process.
Indian companies have gone global, and are dominating key industries. I recently read the book India’s Global Powerhouses by Nirmalya Kumar. This great resource shows how India’s global powerhouses are focusing on lucrative high-margin markets in the developed world while maintaining low-cost bases in India.
This episode will review several of these global Indian firms which have dominated their respective markets. Indian firms are innovating and building low-cost business models to reach India’s masses and still be profitable. They combine frugal engineering and innovation, along with a low-cost business model to provide a growing customer base around the world.
For ages man has tried to control the weather, be it to keep cool or warm. Most early ways to cool was open windows and mechanical systems. And to deal with summer heat before air conditioning, most people would sit on their stoops or fire escapes, eat or drink cold foods and beverages or even sleep in parks, or other places outside.
The early applications of air conditioning were for consistency in manufacturing, not for the comfort of people. Factories were brutal “sweatshops” – built for profit not for comfort or employee well-being.
Air conditioning was the hybrid of two technologies – electricity and refrigeration. It did not immediately take-off with the public due to its costs and space needed for the large amount of equipment. Also, most people thought AC was a dream, not a possible reality. Pioneers like Willis Carrier envisioned a world of manufactured weather to allow people to escape the challenges of heat and cold and poor internal environments.
The Tata Group is India’s biggest conglomerate company, founded in 1868 by Jamsetji Tata and headquartered in Mumbai, India. The Tata Group operates in over 100 countries throughout the world is believed to be India's best-known global brand within and outside the country. The ongoing mission of the group has been and is to develop India into a modern industrial nation. The story of the Tatas is another great example of dreaming big and never stop innovating.
Innovation is the lifeblood of an economy. Every one of us needs to continually improve ourselves and the world around us. Developing new, fresh ideas is vital as the world goes though monumental change in terms of socio-economic forces and rapidly changing technology. The goal of innovation should not solely be profit, but most importantly a way to improve the lives of others.
This episode is a high-level overview of innovation and why everyone must innovate, every day. To truly change the world we must overcome the status quo and dogma. We must have laser-like focus and the ability to visualize our future. With the proper tools and techniques, along with an attitude and mindset of optimism, positivity, and passion, we can (and must) change the world, for the better.
Eiichi Shibusawa was Japan’s first modern venture capitalist. He financed and started more than 500 new businesses which he would leave when he felt they could operate on their own. As a serial entrepreneur, he championed the modern shareholder and corporate governance. He created the non-zaibutsu corporate model and created a vision for society as helped to create over 600 philanthropic institutes (zaibutsu: large Japanese business conglomerates, often controlled by one central family).
Frederick Lanchester was a key figure in the development of the automotive industry and the man who defined modern aeronautical technology and science. Lanchester is another legend in technology and science that most of us have never heard of or never learned about in business or engineering school. The theories Lanchester developed were adapted for business, especially sales and marketing which we will focus on within this episode.
Japanese business consultant Dr. Nobuo Taoka adapted Lanchester’s theories into The New Lanchester Strategy which provides guidelines for creating winning business strategies for both market leaders or firms struggling to remain profitable or increase market share. The lessons in this episode are straightforward but extremely effective for developing differentiation and keeping your competitors guessing and your customers excited.
Frederick Lanchester was a key figure in the development of the automotive industry and the man who defined modern aeronautical technology and science. Lanchester is another legend in technology and science that most of us have never heard of or never learned about in business or engineering school. The theories Lanchester developed were adapted for business, especially sales and marketing which we will focus on within this episode.
Japanese business consultant Dr. Nobuo Taoka adapted Lanchester’s theories into The New Lanchester Strategy which provides guidelines for creating winning business strategies for both market leaders or firms struggling to remain profitable or increase market share. The lessons in this episode are straightforward but extremely effective for developing differentiation and keeping your competitors guessing and your customers excited.
I am a scientist and require data and evidence when creating new products or developing new businesses. However, I also believe in some of the touchy-feely self-help side of life; the self-improvement stuff that most people do not associate with science or business.
But I believe you not only need to develop key business skills such as market research, creative and critical thinking, decision making and problem solving, but you also must have the mindset to achieve the impossible and never stop working toward improving yourself, your organization, and your community.
This episode will review five helpful books to improve your soft skills.
A great book to expand your business knowledge is, My Life and Work by Henry Ford. Yes, the founder and namesake of the world-famous automobile empire. The book was originally published in 1922 and is a brief autobiography as well as Ford’s ideas on business and life.
My Life and Work takes you inside the mind of a person who managed to change the world, yet who lived in obscurity for the first 40 years of his life. This was a long time to develop skills, both personal and mechanical, which laid the foundation for a massive enterprise.
The Mongol Empire was founded by Chinggis Khan (aka Genghis Khan) and became the largest contiguous empire in history stretching from the Sea of Japan to the Mediterranean Sea and the Carpathian Mountains. In the 13th century the Mongols redrew world boundaries, consolidating smaller countries into larger ones. Mongols still controlled India in 1857 and the last ruling descendant, Alim Khaim, emir of Bukhara, was still in power in Uzbekistan in 1920.
So why are we talking about the Mongols on a business podcast about strategy and innovation? Well, the Mongols were some of the most innovative societies ever. Mongol leaders ruled the world with an iron fist but created amazing innovations in military, economic, and social life. As business professionals, we can all learn and be motivated by the amazing changes the Mongols brought to the world and their ability to adapt and change based on different circumstances. Also, their strategies and tactics can be incorporated into business to allow you and your organization to become a leader in your market.
As product managers we need many tools in our quiver to excel at our jobs. From the ability to develop creative ideas, to the use of systematic research techniques to understand competitors and customers, to strong analytical skills to evaluate market data, these are all critical business skills. But an often overlooked skill is selling. As product managers we often have a love-hate relationship with salespeople. But no matter how we feel about selling, we all need to excel at this critical skill.
Edwin Land was a Harvard dropout, a tech genius with a relentless drive for perfection. Before there was a Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, or Mark Zuckerberg, a Silicon Valley type story was created in and around Boston Massachusetts. Land was a tech genius with amazing ideas, who was relentless and obsessive, and cwho hanged the world.
He was a modern pioneer who ran Polaroid for over 50 years, longer than Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and George Eastman ran their famous companies. The company was a truly innovative tech and marketing company. Polaroid and Land also worked with famous artists and musicians such as Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorp, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne from The Talking Heads, Ansel Adams, and Lady Gaga. Polaroid supplied them with film for photos and technical feedback, as well as the publicity the connections created.
As any great inventor, Land would note:
“You must expect failure after failure after failure before you succeed”
This episode is a recap of the previous 19 episodes. Past episodes focused on key themes such as creativity, lifelong learning, strategy, continuous improvement, and the importance of never giving up.
From amazing historical figures from business and military such as Sun Tzu, W. Edwards Deming, Peter Drucker and Col. John Boyd, The Business Fanatic podcast focuses on sharing stories to help you succeed in business and life. Sharing military and business examples that are not often taught in business or engineering schools, these incredible people and the companies they created provide important lessons to change yourself and the world.
The Japanese motorcycle industry is one of Japan’s most profitable and leading industries today. From over 200 motorcycle manufacturers in 1955 to only four by 1973, the Japanese motorcycle industry has gone through massive changes. This episode reviews how this industry started, grew, and went from hundreds of manufacturers to only four in less than 20 years.
Toyota influenced many organizations around the world and created the foundation of modern manufacturing. Toyota is the world’s most valuable automaker with a market cap of $200 billion and $50 billion in cash.
Part II of this two-part episode focuses on the Toyota Production System and its key elements. The Toyota Production System is based on continuous improvement and identifying problem areas first-hand. In addition, the Toyota Production System is the basis for current lean manufacturing. Also known as the Thinking People System, the Toyota Production System is about empowering every employee, at every level of the organization to continually improve themselves and the organization.
Part II continues the amazing story of Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic. If his early life was not incredible enough, the start of WWII puts the company and Matsushita in uncharted territory as the Japanese Imperial Army puts incredible pressure on the company to support the war effort.
Matsushita’s experiences during WWII led him on a spiritual journey to change the world and help humanity. His never ending creativity and innovation to transform society to help all of mankind moved him beyond business to help Japan overcome massive changes and ensure a great future for his country and the world. Well into his 80s, Matsushita was still innovating and working hard to improve society.
Toyota influenced many organizations around the world and created the foundation of modern manufacturing. Toyota is the world’s most valuable automaker with a market cap of $200 billion and $50 billion in cash.
Part I of this two-part episode focuses on the origins of the company from its founder Sakichi Toyoda, to the founder of the motor company, his eldest son Kiichiro Toyoda, and a review of the Toyota Motor Co., and the father of the Toyota Production System, Taiichi Ohno.
This episode’s topic is on Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic. Also known as KM, the following quote epitomized his philosophy on business and life.
“An enterprise as a whole is as good or bad as the abilities of the individuals who comprise it. The development of the individual therefore, becomes of critical importance to an organization”
KM was one of the most amazing businessmen and philanthropists that most people have never heard of. He was the founder of the massive electrical firm Matsushita Electronics (or MEI), known today as Panasonic. He built one of the world’s largest and most prosperous electrical companies. He was born into a comfortable, wealthy family but soon his world was upended and his family was driven into poverty.
He had minimal formal schooling, lost the majority of family to tuberculosis, and was hampered by poor health that kept him bedridden for long periods of time. However, he continually developed new ideas to innovate his business. As he aged he maintained a youthful outlook on life that continually grew the business, while focusing on improving society.
Military theorists, most notably Sun Tzu focused on the benefits of deception to shock and surprise your opponent. Unfortunately, most business leaders ignore this technique as the daily requirements of Wall St. requires a short-term perspective and pressure to share to plans publicly. Unfortunately, this short-term mindset prevents leaders from using many effective ways to outmaneuver competitors.
Sun Tzu and his Art of War is a great resource for military and business strategists. Sun Tzu noted that all warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable, when using our forces, we must seem inactive, when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away, when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
This episode will review four key military campaigns that demonstrate the effectiveness of deception and surprise. These examples are great models for business leaders to adapt similar strategies and tactics to outmaneuver competitors and continually wow customers.
The ultimate game changer in the history of making copies was xerography, developed by a quiet, unassuming man who was sick of being bent over a desk for hours at a time making copies by hand. This man, Chester Carlson who grew up under unimaginable poverty, never stopped dreaming of inventing a machine to automatically make copies.
As an assistant to a patent attorney and later as a law school student, the nearsighted Carlson spent hours bent over his desk. With his muscles cramping and his back aching, he dreamed of a better way to make copies. He was never interested in money. He wanted to help society with an invention that would change the world.
As we grow older, our creative thinking skills atrophy based on conforming to societal norms (e.g., education, religion, business organizations). Unfortunately, our communities and businesses are in desperate need of new, creative ideas to solve complex problems. As businesses struggle, the environment changes rapidly, educational systems are failing the youth, and crumbling infrastructure is putting lives at risk, the world is desperate for new ideas and ways to improve the world.
Don't worry. All of us are born creative, we just need to rekindle those dormant skills. By understanding that creativity is an attitude, supported by skills, anyone can improve their creativity. It just takes some work and practice.
This week’s topic is about the incredible story behind instant ramen and the man who made it a worldwide source of tasty, inexpensive food. One man had a dream to provide low-cost, healthy food to ensure Japan’s citizens were able to recover from the destruction of the war.
The man was Momofuku Ando and the company he created was Nissin Food Products. Ando-san, better known as Momo-san, created the revolutionary product of instant noodles and later CUPNOODLES. His products and continuous innovations helped Japan be recognized around the world as a source of innovation.
This week’s topic is on Air Force Colonel John Boyd, a military strategist considered the modern Sun Tzu. Colonel Boyd made extensive contributions to fighter tactics, aircraft design, and the theory of air combat than any man in Air Force history. He is most famous for developing the OODA Loop.
In the same vein as Sun Tzu, Musashi, Liddell Hart, Napolean, Genghis Khan, and Mao Tse Tung, you can effectively apply his teachings to business. Business is not war, but you can apply the similar principles to outmaneuver your competition and continually surprise and wow customers. Just be a bit more PC than Boyd if you want to get your ideas accepted. It might take longer but you will have more friends than enemies and less stress.
What is more iconic than seeing a green tractor or combine in the middle of massive field of corn? Well, those green farm machines are probably Deere & Co. vehicles. And that iconic leaping deer logo that we all recognize has been used by the company for over 150 years.
John Deere created an iconic global company that helped transform America. The development of Deere’s iconic “singing” plow helped farmers conquer the Midwest and created America’s breadbasket. With the help of Deere’s products, farm output doubled from 1840 to 1860 and then tripled from 1860 to 1890.
Allowing for the settlement of the American Midwest and the ability to feed the growing population of America, Deere was instrumental in the growth of America in the 1800s.
Developed by Dr. Edward de Bono, parallel thinking is a powerful method to make decisions, develop new ideas, or improve processes. Working together rather than against one another, parallel thinking allows teams to collaborate successfully for a high probability of success.
In an unscripted episode of "Off the Cuff", Dr. O provides an overview of what leaders can do to help their organizations become more successful by learning the main elements of parallel thinking.
Innovative organizations focus on five key ingredients to success. In an unscripted episode of "Off the Cuff", Dr. O provides and overview of what leaders can do to help their organizations become more successful at innovation.
You don't often hear business gurus or professors at top level universities talk about market research. What you will hear most often is sexy musings regarding strategy and innovation, or the wonders of finance. But if an organization does not know what is going on in the market, their competitors will pass them and customers will not return.
Dr. Edward de Bono is a leading authority in the field of creative thinking, innovation, and direct teaching as a skill. He created the parallel thinking system and lateral thinking system. He is known for creating The Six Thinking Hats and encouraging individuals and organizations to move away from argumentative discussion and adopt cooperative methods to work in parallel to achieve the optimal solutions.
His teachings focus on practical thinking skills that are easy to learn, simple to apply, and can be used by anyone – 4 year olds or senior citizens. de Bono's methods have been adopted by schools, public and private companies, and governments around the world. Companies such as IBM, Siemens, AT&T, Du Pont, and British Airways have trained thousands of employees and adopted many of de Bono’s teachings.
This week’s topic is Peter Drucker. Peter Drucker is another one of the gods of business that many people have not heard of or studied. His writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation. He was also a leader in the development of management education. He also is known for creating the concept of management by objectives or MBO, and he has been described as “the father of modern management.”
W. Edwards Deming, the man many feel is responsible for Japan’s post-war economic success of the 1950s thru the 1980s, was largely ignored by U.S. industry before the Japanese heard about his theories and realized the benefits.
Due to his post WWII work, Deming is revered in Japan. They even have an annual competition for the top implementers of quality management and the winner is awarded the Deming Medal. Named after, you guessed it, Edwards Deming.
He created a revolution in quality and economic production throughout the world. And if you go into the Toyota headquarters in Japan there are three portraits in the lobby – the founder, the chairman, and Deming.
The Business Fanatic podcast will introduce you to an eclectic group of people who have developed incredibly effective theories, tools, and techniques to help you rekindle your creative thinking skills to develop new products, new services, improve processes, and solve problems. This podcast will motivate you to dominate your industry and wake-up everyday excited to start changing yourself, your organization, and your community.
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general who lived around 400 and 500 BC. He achieved fame and success during The Warring States Period who gained famed for his legendary book, The Art of War.
Applying Sun Tzu’s principles from The Art of War can result in any person or organization becoming disciplined and successful.