Five things you should never say as a manager (plus better things to say) ‘Don’t bring me problems, give me solutions.’ is a phrase that leaders often say in meetings. A big problem, says innovation expert Simone van Neerven, as with these couple of words, leaders close themselves off for critical signals. And there are […]
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How come you don’t see the solution that’s right in front of you? The solution to most problems already exists and is probably right in front of you, but we just don’t see it. We are too stuck in our thinking, which hinders coming up with creative solutions, sees innovation expert Simone van Neerven. Here
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Struggling with change? These 6 steps guarantee success Implementing change in an organisation is difficult. Yet there is an approach that guarantees success, writes innovation expert Simone van Neerven: the six-step algorithm of office expert and columnist Japke-d. Bouma. “Just take a break from meetings for a while and see what happens.” Better than Elon
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Breaking the rules can save lives Rebels are known for colouring outside the lines. They never do this just because, though. Most rebels have a strong moral compass and act accordingly. They don’t break the rules because they want to, but because they feel it is the right thing to do. Deviating from the protocol
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Andre Agassi’s curiosity led to a surprising insight about Boris Becker’s tongue Curious employees are often intrinsically driven to make things better. Even though their actions don’t always seem to lead anywhere, Simone van Neerven illustrates with an anecdote about top tennis player Andre Agassi that it could potentially result in a breakthrough. Boris Becker’s
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Insecurity is former CEO Feike Sijbesma’s secret to success Being insecure as a leader is often seen as a weakness. Being overconfident, however, will not help you either since it will prevent you from being open to new insights. Feike Sijbesma’s leadership style is impressive and shows how to be insecure yet successful, writes innovation
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A rebel in your team? Congratulations! Rebels are a pain in the ass. They keep asking questions, come up with crazy ideas and never go along with the rest. But are they really such troublemakers? Or do they simply have a different view of the world, a good dose of creativity and the courage to
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Rebels are the ‘birds of paradise’ of an organisation Years ago, Nike struggled and almost did not make it. As an emergency measure, they organised a contest and discovered some hidden rebel talent within their own organisation. And that saved them from going under. Organisations need to understand that rebels are not troublemakers, but they
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If everyone knows it’s a bad idea, it won’t happen… right? How can a group of people make a decision that every individual disagrees with? This phenomenon is known as the Abilene Paradox. According to innovation expert Simone van Neerven, this can have disastrous consequences, such as the disaster with the space shuttle Challenger in
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The more dumb ideas, the better When do you come to brilliant insights? If employees are given the space to come up with absurd ideas, writes innovation expert Simone van Neerven. And it is up to leaders to create the right environment. The makers of South Park show how this is done. South Park thrives
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Are you open to crazy ideas from your employees? An ‘absurd’ idea from an employee can easily lead to a breakthrough for the organisation. At least, as long as leaders are open to it and won’t get in the way. And that takes a lot of courage… Let’s cut off the legs of the table!
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Follow your passion? What a nonsense! Following your passion is lousy advice for an entrepreneur, writes innovation expert Simone van Neerven. The best motivation comes from curiosity; just look at Boyan Slat (The Ocean Cleanup) and Lex Hoefsloot (Lightyear). But even that is not enough to be successful. More plastic in the sea than fish
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Our society converges towards ‘sameness’ and it numbs us White walls, wood, and black steel. We see these design elements everywhere; in homes, workplaces, and coffee shops. That feels comfortable, writes innovation expert Simone van Neerven. But it also dulls our senses. ‘There are fewer surprises that tickle us and that doesn’t do our creativity
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Holland’s best innovator? Dutch comedian Theo Maassen! Theo Maassen is praised for hosting Zomergasten, a Dutch prestigious 3-hour interview show. That’s not a surprise for innovation expert Simone van Neerven. The comedian has been reinventing himself for years and – consciously or unconsciously – successfully applies many innovation lessons. Just an excerpt from one of
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Today’s true innovators are regenerative farmers Solutions do not always come from technology, says innovation expert Simone van Neerven. In regenerative agriculture, farmers take a step back to learn from nature. ‘Such a holistic approach would also be very useful for organisations.’ Dare to step up The Netherlands cultivates flower bulbs over a total area
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Oh my lord! I am a rebel. Now what? As a rebel, you have unique qualities that you can use to help your team or organisation. Innovation expert Simone van Neerven lists five. Plus what to do if nobody is listening to you. Lots of people identify as a rebel, but feel they cannot show
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Why won’t managers listen to their employees? Organizations that listen to their employees perform better. Yet many managers ignore good ideas from their employees. Why is that, wonders innovation expert Simone van Neerven? “They often take criticism too personally and believe their abilities are being questioned.” Being silenced Sandra Palmen works as a top lawyer
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Man U soccer coach Erik ten Hag knows why some teams buzz with energy and others don’t Building a well-functioning coalition is difficult with super chickens in your team. Manchester United soccer coach Erik ten Hag understood this very well, writes innovation expert Simone van Neerven. He asked star player Ronaldo to leave, and now,
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Seven excuses from people who don’t want to change (and how to deal with it) Pioneering is fun, but can also be exhausting if you run into obstacles all the time. Innovation expert Simone van Neerven lists seven excuses from people who don’t want to change. Including tips on how to handle each situation. A
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One of the most fatal mistakes is loving your solution too much BlackBerry was so focused on its own success that the threat of the iPhone was ignored. Therein lies a lesson for entrepreneurs, writes innovation expert Simone van Neerven. Every now and then you have to take a step back and observe. And then
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Rebellion leads to magical results What do Spider-Man, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Ikea have in common? They almost didn’t exist, writes innovation expert Simone van Neerven. Fortunately, the inventors were rebellious go-getters. ‘Groundbreaking innovations often require a healthy dose of courage.’ Bohemian Rhapsody broke all the rules When Freddy Mercury proudly presented Bohemian Rhapsody to his
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Why going to the bathroom is good for innovation Often you get the best ideas in the bathroom or in the shower. You can dream away without being disturbed, writes innovation expert Simone van Neerven. But to come up with really good ideas, something else is needed: distraction. ‘Slide to Unlock’ on the first iPhones
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Launching something new? Trust emotion over data Relying too much on data without considering the human factor can be one of the most dangerous things a business can do. The examples of Nokia, Airbus, and American Airlines show that, writes columnist Simone van Neerven. ‘More data does not necessarily lead to more insight.’ Nokia over-relied
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Why do we make things so complex all the time? We have a natural tendency to make things increasingly complex, while the solution often lies in simplifying things. Innovation expert Simone van Neerven explains how this works with examples of cows and electric cars. A growing amount of people have gluten allergy or intolerance An
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Don’t miss your next breakthrough by underestimating your workforce Major breakthroughs can very well come from within organizations, writes columnist Simone van Neerven. Pioneering ideas such as Post-Its, the PlayStation, and IKEA stores are living proof of this. Two revolutionary IKEA concepts Big ideas often start very small. The key to success lies in seeing
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