Innovate with confidence, not buzzwords

A talk by Thor Ernstsson

Transcript

1. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS By Thor Ernstsson, CEO at Alpha
2. Hi, I’m Thor. I started Alpha to help Fortune 500 teams generate on-demand user insights. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 02/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com
3. Are you going to eat that? The average lifespan of a Fortune 500 was 67 years in the 1950s. Today, it’s 15 years. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 03/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com
4. FIRST OPTION Put on a show. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS This is the popular choice! It’s the perfect mix of exciting and easy. 04/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com
5. Your handy how-to guide to innovation theater. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 05/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com 1. Get written up in tech blogs 2. Casual dress code 3. Drones and hoverboards 4. Innovation lab
6. But the buzzwords aren’t fooling anyone. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 06/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com Just ask Blockbuster, RadioShack, or Kodak. Oh, wait. You can’t anymore.
7. SECOND OPTION Replace acting with action. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS In reality, this is the only option. But it’s much easier when embraced earlier rather than later. 07/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com
8. “Customer Centricity”
9. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 09/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com Massive reorganization to embrace ‘digital transformation’ and other vague terms. CUSTOMER CENTRICITY What it’s not:
10. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 10/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com A simple shift from focusing on internal capabilities to externally focusing on customer journeys. CUSTOMER CENTRICITY What it is:
11. “Breakthrough Innovation”
12. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 12/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com Putting lipstick on a pig by retaining a design studio every three years to upgrade the interface of your website. Breakthrough Innovation What it’s not:
13. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 13/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com Hiring ‘digital prophets’ due to the misguided belief in some mythical visionary like Steve Jobs. Breakthrough Innovation What it’s (also) not:
14. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 14/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com Teamwork and being uncomfortable in a continuous search to validate solutions for customer problems. Breakthrough Innovation What it is:
15. “Intrapreneurship”
16. Intrapreneurship What it’s not: 16/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS
17. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 17/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com A protected space and culture for employees to experiment and be rewarded regardless of success or failure. Intrapreneurship What it is:
18. “Skunkworks”
19. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 19/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com A sleek and expensive workplace designed to recruit top talent rather than solve hard problems. Skunkworks What it’s not:
20. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 20/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com A makeshift zone that lends employees the opportunity to be resourceful and bootstrap their way to customer solutions. Skunkworks What it is:
21. “Fail Fast”
22. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 22/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com Launching tons of new, un-validated products and tarnishing your brand’s reputation. Fail Fast What it’s not:
23. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 23/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com Learning fast by cutting through the red tape and finding ways to experiment before engineering products. Fail Fast What it is:
24. INNOVATE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT BUZZWORDS 24/24 @ThorErnstsson Alphahq.com thor@alphahq.com Join industry-leading brands that use Alpha to generate on-demand user insights.