Kevin Novak

Why the Road to Transformation Can Be Surprising Issue 189, December 5, 2024 Transformation is not a straight line. If you’re a sailor, you tack to the future unless you have a full tailwind. If you’re the turtle, you can out-navigate the hare. If you are the architect of your career, you use the career portfolio strategy to build a professional life on your terms. If you are a well-being advisor (think Deepak Chopra), you could redefine the perception of…

Kevin Novak

December 4, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

A Gratitude Retrospective

A Gratitude Retrospective Issue 188, November 28, 2024 As we take a brief break with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, we want to review what has been resonating so far during this interesting and surprising year. Our 2024 newsletters have focused on forward-thinking topics, reflecting on trends and challenges impacting organizations and leadership, always mindful of what motivates human behavior. Everything that intrigues us and we share with you is instrumental in the process of organizational change and transformation…

Kevin Novak

November 27, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

Why Are We Hooked on Speed?

Why Are We Hooked on Speed? Issue 187, November 21, 2024 Why are we always in such a hurry? We launched 5,481,437 startups in 2023. We introduce 91.9 million new websites every year: that’s 252,000 new websites each day. We debut 30,000 CPG products annually to add to the bewildering choice of favorite brands and 30 to 40 new domestic car models every year. It’s no different in the business world; in 2023 the retail trade had the majority of…

Kevin Novak

November 20, 2024

Ivory Towers: Unlocking the Gap of Theory to Practice in Business Transformation

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

Ivory Towers: Unlocking the Gap of Theory to Practice in Business Transformation

Ivory Towers: Unlocking the Gap of Theory to Practice in Business Transformation Issue 186, November 14, 2024 How often have you encountered a compelling transformation or change strategy that failed in execution? In today’s rapidly evolving, dynamically changing business landscape, organizations face constant pressure to change and adapt. A theory provides an idealized roadmap for transformation, attempting to predict and explain how change should work under perfect conditions. However, reliance on theory alone comes with consequences. Interpretation of theory can…

Kevin Novak

November 14, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

Will AI Replace You?

Will AI Replace You? Issue 185, November 7, 2024 One of the most popular debates of 2024 is what AI won’t replace. Is it me? Is it you? Is it all of us? Is it none of us? Surely you can think back to movies that projected what a possible future might look like as technology becomes more immersed in all aspects of our lives. Science fiction often isn’t fiction, but rather prediction. In real life, some of us will…

Kevin Novak

November 7, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

De-Risking Too Much Choice in Organizational Decision-Making

De-Risking Too Much Choice in Organizational Decision-Making Issue 184, October 31, 2024 You are ready to publish an article in the content section of your website and you go to GPT4 to game the system and fine-tune the title with SEO phrases to attract the most search traffic possible. You cut and paste the article into OpenAI’s tool, enter the prompt and voila! GPT spits out 20 choices. It then asks you if you want it to expand on any…

Kevin Novak

October 31, 2024

How Talented Are You at Achieving Consensus?

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

How Talented Are You at Achieving Consensus?

How Talented Are You at Achieving Consensus? Issue 183, October 24, 2024 One of the major sticking points in organizational (even family) decision-making is the pursuit of a shared goal in building consensus while recognizing the diversity of opinions, thoughts and expertise of those involved. But first, for the record, consensus is a general agreement about something, either an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group (Brittanica). And add to that, the result of…

Kevin Novak

October 24, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

Who Are Your Teachers?

Who Are Your Teachers? Issue 182, October 17, 2024 Several years ago, we attended a thought leadership conference that explored emerging trends. At the end of a session on sustainability (not just climate change, but resilience and prosperity) Chief Oren Lyons, the Haudenosaunee Faithkeeper of the Onondaga and Seneca Nations of the Six Nations of the Grand River, looked straight at the audience and asked us, “Who are your teachers?” It was one of those moments in time when a…

Kevin Novak

October 17, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

A Closer Look at Testing

A Closer Look at Testing Issue 181, October 10, 2024 A core strategy in any decision-making is whether we are asking the right questions. Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School professor and economist asked the classic question, “What business are you in?” Transformative examples are Uber is a technology company, not a ride-sharing company — ditto for Airbnb, Google and Amazon as tech companies, not the obvious. Okay for asking questions. But what about challenging the sacrosanct strategy of testing new…

Kevin Novak

October 10, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

Why Do We Lie? The Sequel

Why Do We Lie? The Sequel Issue 180, October 3, 2024 Even the most optimistic among us must admit that we are living in an unprecedented and unpredictable public arena of deliberate misinformation and lies. It has become accepted behavior, and among some, a badge of honor. It is confusing and discouraging that intentional lies have become part of the fabric of our lives. If we don’t know what is true and whom to trust, it can lead to the…

Kevin Novak

October 2, 2024

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