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Opportunity Thinking 101
Ideas vs Opportunities
When truly understood, opportunity provides the clues to the right ideas. Think of an idea as a Koi fish and an opportunity as the pond. Some suggest if you put one of these beautiful orange and black Japanese fish in a small pond, it will stay small. Put it in a large pond and that same fish will grow quite large. The fish grow only as large as their environment allows. We need to start our growth journey focused on discovering and generating opportunity as the precursor to big ideas. If we want a big fish, we need a big pond, and if we want a big idea; we need a big opportunity.
This is an excerpt from Killing Ideas, Ch 1, Big Thinking
Interview with Doug Berger of INNOVATE ezine
Had a great interview today with Doug Berger, managing director of INNOVATE, to be featured in their next issue of The Innovators ezine. Doug interviews executives who are known for their cutting edge thinking. The interviews spotlight new thinking and perspectives enabling their successes. Readers glean actionable learnings immediately applicable to their own challenge areas. Doug and I sat down for an interview about my new book, Killing Ideas: You can kill an idea, you can’t kill an opportunity, to learn how Opportunity Thinking can lead to BIG growth.
Some of the key insights that were of interest to Doug during the interview and to be featured in the ezine is the overall fundamental element that it is all about the opportunity, not the idea and how to apply Opportunity Thinking within each Six Sources of Opportunity™ in order to achieve big growth. We also discussed how to find the starting place for opportunity as this requires observing what others have overlooked as opportunity may start in unexpected places. Opportunity doesn’t reside only in the new, the small, the white space, or the unusual. Opportunity can be overlooked at the other extreme: something old rather than new, something big and even obvious rather than little, a completely black space rather than a white space or something ubiquitous rather than unusual. The key learning from this interview and from reading Killing Ideas is that in order to have a big idea, you first need a big opportunity.
To read the full interview or learn more information on Doug Berger please visit the INNOVATE website at http://www.innovate1st.com/
Opportunity Thinking 101
“What is Opportunity Thinking?”
That’s what we’re here to answer. Opportunity Thinking 101 is a series of thoughts, blurbs, frameworks and excerpts compiled from almost a decade of work done by the Consultants at NewEdge and led by our co-CEO’s Pam Henderson, Ph.D. and Paul Stead.
In this series, we will explore the concepts that make up Opportunity Thinking and share them here on NewEdge’s OUR VOICE blog and on twitter @growopportunity.
Killing Ideas
Critical Acclaim Pouring in for Killing Ideas: You can kill an idea, you can’t kill an opportunity by Dr. Pam Henderson: Book Shows Companies How to Maximize Growth Through BIG Opportunities
Killing ideas as the starting point for growth is the starting point for growth, says Henderson.
Richland, WA (PRWEB) May 29, 2013 – Business leaders agree – Dr. Pam Henderson’s new book Killing Ideas: You can kill an idea, you can’t kill an opportunity is smart, accessible and rich with unique insight. It’s been called the most striking business and inspirational book readers will ever own – visually engaging with 240 beautifully illustrated pages. In less than 300 pages, learn bold new ways to think about and seize opportunities.
A “business” book edited by an award-winning sports writer so that it is more approachable, interesting and jargon-free; it appeals to executives, students, non-profits, and individuals wanting new growth opportunities.
“After years as a professor and then as a consultant I have seen too much waste in innovation and growth efforts. We can’t afford that, especially now. Organizations need a higher return on their growth plans,” said Dr. Henderson.
Among the business notables lavishing praise on Dr. Henderson’s book are:
“This book is a killer idea” – John Deere
“Pam Henderson nails it” – Lee + Wrangler
“Novel way of expanding how we think about growth” – PepsiCo
“Identify opportunities for top line growth” – DuPont
“Build big ideas” – The North Face
“Contains a veritable cornucopia of facts, experiences, and actionable ideas and insights” – The University of Texas at Austin
“Invaluable guide and inspiration to anyone wanting to get to the next level.” – Simon Majumdar, The Next Iron Chef
Killing Ideas: You can kill an idea, you can’t kill an opportunity features:
• Rich story telling with 30 historical examples from the age of exploration
• Actionable insights from 70 cases across businesses and non-profits in every industry including consumer and industrial goods, food and beverage, healthcare, consumer electronics, sciences and more
• World expanding with examples from over 50 countries.
So why kill ideas? Dr. Henderson demonstrates that ideas alone are failing! They promise growth but too often lead to products and services that don’t deliver. The wellspring of BIG growth is opportunity; opportunity that comes by killing ideas as the starting place for growth and replacing them with the pursuit of opportunity.
Opportunity thinking leads to growth and killer ideas Opportunity thinking is a powerful approach that empowers us to see potential in new places—across markets, technologies, business models, brands, and design. Understanding opportunity informs, inspires, and generates big ideas that win.
Dr. Henderson weaves a story with examples from history, businesses, quotes and illustrations that provides readers with the inspiration and tools to pursue growth through a deeper understanding of opportunity. An understanding that leads to the insights necessary to build bigger ideas that will win.
Killing Ideas: You can kill an idea, you can’t kill an opportunity
240 pages, 9” x 9”
By: Pam Henderson, Ph.D.
ISBN-10: 0988984105
ISBN-13: 978-0988984103
Hardback: $37.95
Paperback: $18.95
To read a sample of Killing Ideas: You can kill an idea, you can’t kill an opportunity, download the first chapter and purchase at Amazon and www.new-edge.com/killingideas.
About the Author
Pam Henderson, Ph.D., is cofounder and CEO of NewEdge, Inc. a growth, strategy, and design firm that delivers on new opportunities for start-ups through to Fortune 500 companies. Originally on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, Pam later worked with the national laboratory system and
Washington State University to commercialize early stage technologies. She publishes widely on market insight, business and innovation strategy, and design. She has received recognition in Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, NPR and speaks internationally.
11th Annual Front End of Innovation (FEI) Conference
Boston, MA
NewEdge CEO Pam Henderson will be speaking at the 11th Annual FEI Conference in Boston this week. Her speech titled Opportunity Thinking for Business Model Innovation will be on Tuesday May 7th at 6pm.