This past fall, I had the pleasure of spending three days with some brilliant minds in our green industry.
We gathered in a picturesque valley in Montana to focus on the Crystal Ball Report #30. When I arrived on the first day, I was greeted by a rainbow over the mountains. At that moment, I knew it was going to be an amazing few days.
The four days spent together allowed me (and others) to:
· Open my mind
· Expand my thinking
· Get out of my comfort zone
· Validate that it is okay to fail
· Challenge myself to find better ways to serve my customers
· And so much more!
How was all this possible? It was one word and one topic that served as the catalyst for this thinking – INNOVATION.
Innovation has been around for quite some time. Innovation has so many meanings for so many people such as:
· “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” – Steve Jobs, Co-founded of Apple
· “If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very Innovative” – Woody Allen
· “Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time.”- Bill Gates, Founded of Microsoft
· “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat” – Anonymous
All of those resonate with me…and I foresee the act of innovating as an opportunity for my organization…and yours…and our industry as a whole. You, too, will feel the same after reading this great report, scheduled to debut at PLANET’s Executive Forum in February of 2011.
