7 Great Tips on Giving Better Presentations

by Stefan Lindegaard

I just attended the Open Innovation Summit in Chicago. Once again, it was a great event and a great opportunity to meet up with the open innovation community. You should go there next year!

At the event, I moderated a panel on “smartfailing” which I think went pretty well. I also gave a talk on how big and small companies can work better on open innovation. To be honest, I feel like I messed that one up. Granted, it was new content for me and I do find some comfort in the “fact” that it takes 20 tries before you can give a great presentation. Nevertheless, I was a bit disappointed, but I also had some luck in this.

I am a dog for feedback...

The Influence Project by Fast Company – Are You Influential?

by Stefan Lindegaard

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Recognition and Respect: How to Earn It

by Stefan Lindegaard

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell stated that it takes 10 years to become an expert in any given subject.

Many people actually reach this level. You might not be a professor or best-selling author, but you have probably worked long enough to become an expert in your given field – or you are on your way.

Yet, people having enough knowledge to qualify as a thought leader or expert do not get the recognition or credit they deserve – and often long for.

This is an interesting paradox. You work hard and at some point expect/hope to be perceived as an expert or thought leader, but it does not happen.

Why? The clutter of information and knowledge that surrounds us makes it so much...

Have We Forgotten The Power Of Motivation?

by Stefan Lindegaard

We have all seen a fair share of bad times in the innovation community the last year. People get fired, some fall hard with a depression and many do not feel valued on the work they are doing. In times like this, leaders and managers might forget to tell their people they matter and make a difference.

In a recent BusinessWeek article, Patrick Lencioni, talks about the No-Cost Way To Motivate. He wants us to get back to basic and to the obvious. He quotes 18th century writer Samuel Johnson like this: “People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”

Lencioni ask leaders and managers to take an active and genuine interest in the lives of their employees. Why?...

One Cannot Think If One Is Sure To Be Right

by Stefan Lindegaard

The Danish communications agency Mensch runs some interesting and thought-provoking text-based ads. The last one was titled One Cannot Think If One Is Sure To Be Right. It was a great read and since most of you do not speak Danish I translated part of the text.

It goes like this:

“Have you ever wondered why some people insist in hairstyles, eyeglasses or clothing that went out of fashion at least 20 years ago? They do so not because they are indifferent. Or cannot see that the world is moving. They do it because they want to stand still. They want to maintain time and their own appearance from a time when they felt on top.

We all experience a certain period in our lives...

More Happiness Tips For Tough Times

by Stefan Lindegaard

I recently posted six happiness tips from Tal Ben-Shahar which generated a lot of comments appreciating the value of the words from Tal Ben-Shahar. The response made me reflect on what actually makes me happy. It goes like this:

• Identify and nurture the 20% that brings true joy. Many people say that we should live in the now and get the best out of the situation we are in. I think this is a cliché. Why else do so many people continue to spend considerable time doing things they just need to get done or even dread?

I believe we can apply the 80/20 rule here as well by saying that 20% of our time brings us 80% of the true joy we...

Work Approaches: Rude Or Effective?

by Stefan Lindegaard

Another week just flew by and once again I had several issues that I did not get to attend. One particularly nagging example is the lack of my responses to the many great comments given on my blog last week.

Unfortunately, trips to Las Vegas and New York took away the time needed for this and suddenly I am facing a dilemma. Should I focus on the past and spend quite some time on the many comments on my blog and on LinkedIn? Or should I focus on the new ideas that springs up and hopefully are capable of inspiring others and starting some discussions in the innovation community?

Of course, the right answer is to strike a proper balance. This is most likely also...

URGENT: The Time Box We Live In And Why This Is So

by Stefan Lindegaard

I am pondering on what to do when I get stretched out and run out of time for the many things I would like to get done both on the business as well as the private side of life. I will get into my thoughts on this in a later post this week, but first I would like to share some insights on time management.

I think we can agree that working with innovation you are bound to have time issues. This career is time-consuming. You are being pulled from all directions, and no matter how many items you cross off your to-do list, the number of tasks just seems to keep increasing.

Time—or more likely the lack of it—is something we often get into...

Six Happiness Tips For Tough Times

by Stefan Lindegaard

1. Give yourself permission to be human. When we accept emotions — such as fear, sadness, or anxiety — as natural, we are more likely to overcome them. Rejecting our emotions, positive or negative, leads to frustration and unhappiness.

2. Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments throughout the week...

Only network if you have a reason

by Stefan Lindegaard

I have given many talks and workshops on networking and relationship building and I have learned that the best way to help people become better at networking is to create something close to a coaching sessions. I prefer getting into real issues trying to guide a volunteer with an issue on the spot. The volunteer gets a free coaching session and the other participants learn by listening and helping out.

More often than not, people have the same issues on networking. This evolves around career development and getting things done. The career stuff is more long-term and strategic whereas the latter is much more operational driven.

Relationship building

As we move towards open innovation, companies have to be able to identify and establish partnerships that...