Truth About Innovation, The

Max McKeown is a new breed of management guru. Brilliant, young, original and entertaining, he could become the most listened-to British business thinker of the new era. He works as a strategic adviser for four of the five most admired companies in the world and is a well-known speaker on subjects including innovation, engagement, human potential, customer experience, marketing, team building, and competitive advantage. He has been elected to the Customer Service Hall of Fame, been nominated as a Star of Human Resources by Personnel Today, and been featured on national and international radio, television, and newspapers. Max has written six books, including E-Customer; an insight into evolving customer behaviour, Why They Don't Buy; an end-to-end guide to building profitable customer relationships across multiple channels and Unshrink, featuring the myths that stop people doing their best work and a set of new principles to engage their interest and ability.

PREFACE

TRUTH 1:  INNOVATION IS NEW STUFF THAT IS MADE USEFUL

TRUTH 2:  A BEAUTIFUL IDEA IS NEVER PERFECT

TRUTH 3:  A CRISIS IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE

TRUTH 4:  A GREAT INNOVATION DESERVES A GREAT NAME

TRUTH 5:  ANY FOOL CAN DO EITHER, GENIUS DOES BOTH

TRUTH 6:  ALL NEW IDEAS ARE MADE OF OLD IDEAS

TRUTH 7:  BET SMALL TO WIN BIG

TRUTH 8:  BETTER TO ASK FORGIVENESS THAN PERMISSION

TRUTH 9:  CREATIVITY IS A PROCESS NOT AN ACCIDENT

TRUTH 10: CREATIVITY IS ITS OWN REWARD

TRUTH 11: CROWDS ARE MAD, BAD AND ADVANTAGEOUS TO KNOW

TRUTH 12: CUT INNOVATION SOME SLACK

TRUTH 13: CURE APATHY BY SHARING PURPOSE

TRUTH 14: DO WHAT YOUR COMPETITION WON’T

TRUTH 15: DON’T GET LOST IN TRANSLATION

TRUTH 16: DIFFERENT STRUCTURAL STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS

TRUTH 17: EVEN USELESS CAN BE USEFUL

TRUTH 18: EVERY COMPANY NEEDS AN IDEA MARKET

TRUTH 19: EVERYONE CAN LEARN TO THINK BETTER

TRUTH 20: FIND THE BUZZ THAT WORKS FOR YOUR PEOPLE

TRUTH 21: FREE YOUR CHILDREN BEFORE SOMEONE EATS THEM

TRUTH 22: GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW

TRUTH 23:GOT TO SHARE MORE TO GET MORE

TRUTH 24:HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE TALENT SPURNED

TRUTH 25:HIRE FOR HOW THEY LEARN, NOT WHAT THEY KNOW

TRUTH 26:HOW MUCH IS THE FUTURE WORTH?

TRUTH 27:IDEAS ARE FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE

TRUTH 28:INNOVATE YOUR WAY OUT OF RECESSION

TRUTH 29:INNOVATION CAN BE MEASURED

TRUTH 30: INNOVATION IS NOT EVERYWHERE

TRUTH 31:IT’S A CULTURAL THING

TRUTH 32:JUST ENOUGH DISUNITY FOR PROGRESS

TRUTH 33:LEADERS GET THE INNOVATION THEY DESERVE

TRUTH 34:LITTLE DIFFERENCES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

TRUTH 35:LOOK OUTSIDE FOR A BIGGER BRAIN

TRUTH 36:MADONNA KNOWS MORE THAN YOUR BOSS

TRUTH 37:MEETING OF MINDS NOT MINDLESS MEETINGS

TRUTH 38:MOST THINGS WILL FAIL, GET OVER IT

TRUTH 39:NOT ALL NETWORKS ARE CREATED EQUAL

TRUTH 40:OPEN SPACES, OPEN MINDS

TRUTH 41:PEOPLE JUDGE YOU FIRST, THEN YOUR IDEAS

TRUTH 42:POWER IS ORIGINALITY’S BEST FRIEND

TRUTH 43:QUICK FIXES CAN LEAD TO GREAT INNOVATIONS

TRUTH 44:REINVENTING THE WHEEL IS A GOOD THING

TRUTH 45:SECOND CAN BE BETTER THAN FIRST

TRUTH 46:SOME IDEAS ARE EASIER TO SWALLOW

TRUTH 47:SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GAMBLE EVERYTHING

TRUTH 48:SUCCESS IS AN S-SHAPED CURVE

TRUTH 49:THE IDEAL DESIGN IS THE SIMPLEST DESIGN

TRUTH 50:THIS IS GOING TO HURT

TRUTH 51:UNDERSTAND CHANGE TO MAKE PROGRESS

TRUTH 52:WELCOME TO THE INNOVATION FACTORY

TRUTH 53:WHAT YOU KNOW CAN HURT YOU

TRUTH 54:WHO THE HELL CARES WHERE IT WAS BUILT?

TRUTH 55:YOU CAN’T CONTROL THE WAVES SO LEARN TO SURF

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR