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Performing triage on medical procedures

One major barrier to innovation is certainty of what can and cannot be done. There are epic tales- like Lord Kelvin, President of the British Royal Society of Science declaring “Heavier than air flying machines are impossible” (1895) just 8 years before the Wright Brothers had their first successful flight.   Or, better known- the ‘physiological Read the full article…


Overlooking opportunity that’s very visible

During a 2001 company workshop, Volvo employees heard an expert on marketing to women say that women wanted the same things men wanted in a car- and more.  According to an article in Edmunds, the consultant said “When you meet the expectations of women, you exceed the expectations of men.” The fact that women influenced Read the full article…



Opportunity hiding in plain sight

Early in December, Inc announced the 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year:  Kevin Surace.  Innovator of the year would be an equally appropriate title- as well as social entrepreneur.  Kevin is based in Silicon Valley (my home territory).  High tech startup, you’re thinking.  Wrong.  The company is Serious Materials and the products are used in construction- Read the full article…


The Assessment of a Wo/Man – What a difference gender makes

According to the just released White House Project: Benchmarking Women’s Leadership, despite women’s education qualifications, acceptance of women as leaders by 89% of the population, and plenty of women in the pipeline, they continue to be underrepresented in the top ranks of the 10 industry sectors studied. They also are systematically underpaid. The basic question Read the full article…


Warning: Conventional wisdom can be hazardous to your wealth/health

One of the lead articles in today’s Wall Street Journal is “Crisis Compels Economists To Reach for New Paradigm”.  The story focuses on John Geanakoplos, a Yale economist whose observations of the machinations of the economy in the late 1990’s led him to believe that the market was not as efficient as economic theorists had Read the full article…


When rocket science isn’t

When I was on an assistant professor of organization behavior at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, the students (about 30% were engineers) complained about the required class on the subject.  They were there to learn how to be captains of industry.  That meant mastering finance, marketing, accounting, and quantitative analysis, not managing people.   Few “got” Read the full article…


Seeking prize money in the regolith

The Ansari X-Prize for development of a  vehicle that could carry three people about 62 miles above the earth, twice within two weeks demonstrated the power of competition to stimulate innovation.  The prize was $10 million.  But there was more than money driving the effort to succeed.    It cost more than $20 million (funded by Read the full article…



Never underestimate the power of women to change the world

This morning I received an email from my friend Almaz Negash, CEO of Entwine Global, announcing that her colleague Dr. Laura Stachel, an obstetrician and founder of the volunteer organization WE CARE Solar, was one of the winners of Nicholas Kristof’s Half the Sky Contest.  WE CARE “promotes safe motherhood and reduces maternal mortality in Read the full article…