On TEDx Victoria 2011: Using our Innate Abilities to Innovate and Solve Complex Challenges
Posted on: 11/23/2011 - By Bert Zethof
The TEDx Victoria 2011 speakers came from diverse fields of interest to speak to the theme of cultivating evolution. I believe that by paying attention to the ideas of life-affirming thought leaders, we will see the outline of a solution to our world’s most difficult challenges. This likely explains the popularity of TED talks.
And the challenges before us are huge: for example, Garth Lenz, photographer, painted a picture of the large scale of destruction by the tar sands operations...
Lessons on Sparking Creativity through Collaboration
Posted on: 11/16/2011 - By Bert Zethof
CreativeMix 2011 in Vancouver BC was an inspiring place to be on November 3rd. Eight speakers, including a costume designer, photographer, artist, video game producer, ad agency creative director, actor/writer, architect, and social psychologist shared their thoughts and techniques for sparking creativity.
My take-away was that creative techniques that work in design and artistic circles can be readily applied to drive innovation and change in business, government, and non-...
Is Your Leadership Failing Your Team?
Posted on: 08/14/2011 - By Delaney Tosh
We have been having a lot of conversations with businesses, teams and their leaders, about engagement, disengagement and the link between team culture and a company’s or team’s ability to be innovative…or just productive. Top of mind is the competitive business environment and how a team can be not just responsive, but out-pace competitive pressures in the marketplace.
The extensive research on the topic of innovation all indicates that while there are...
When Dogma Gets in the Way of Innovation
Posted on: 07/07/2011 - By Bert Zethof
How to make innovation every employee’s responsibility was the topic of discussion at a recent Surge Group Breakfast Dialogue. Often organizations can’t get on the road to innovation because their people are blocked by the thinking of the past.
A story shared by Paul Barron, Associate Portfolio Manager at Odlum Brown Limited, illustrates the point:
When Paul was an owner of a graphic design firm, the production staff was hindered by a large industrial refrigerator in the...
Government 2.0 Conversations: Governments Getting Innovative
Posted on: 06/01/2011 - By Delaney Tosh
Part two in a series of conversations between Tanya Ney, Rockland System Solutions, and Delaney Tosh, The Surge Group, about Government 2.0 and the culture, technology and innovation the success and sustainability of a Government 2.0 initiative.
TANYA: On January 25, 2011, President Obama gave a stirring State of the Union address. In the address he used the words ‘innovative’ or ‘innovation’ nine times, and he used the word ‘economy’ seven times....
Government 2.0 Conversations: Show Me the Money
Posted on: 05/04/2011 - By Delaney Tosh
This is the first in a series of conversations between Tanya Ney, Rockland System Solutions, and Delaney Tosh, The Surge Group, about Government 2.0 and the culture, technology and innovation that a successful launch of a sustainable Government 2.0 initiative requires.
DT: Tanya, we've been discussing Government 2.0 and the use of Web 2.0 technologies. According to the Australian Task Force on Government 2.0, Government 2.0 refers to:
Open Data...
Risk Factors of Online and Social Media Marketing
Posted on: 03/07/2011 - By Delaney Tosh
In my previous post on allocating your online marketing efforts, I talked about how online marketing can be a source of marketing research (inbound marketing), but warned of tightening privacy legislation protecting consumers' privacy. Here I outline the risks of social media marketing and how to set policies to mitigate those risks.
It was somewhat jokingly asked if there is a manual on online etiquette during one of the breakfast dialogues. I haven't seen one, but ...
Online Marketing or Inbound Marketing?
Posted on: 02/15/2011 - By Delaney Tosh
In the previous post on Inbound Marketing versus Outbound Marketing, we discussed that Inbound Marketing isn't necessarily your online tactics, but actually the program of gathering marketing research to facilitate effective product development. Your online marketing can serve as an effective means for gathering this marketing information. So let's talk about Online Marketing:
What is online marketing? It can be a component of your inbound marketing strategy. It is...
Isn't Inbound Marketing the Same as Outbound Marketing?
Posted on: 02/01/2011 - By Delaney Tosh
"Isn't 'Inbound Marketing' essentially the same thing as 'Outbound Marketing'?" This was the opening question at both the breakfast dialogues (Victoria and Vancouver) recently. We agreed that, yes, they are the same in that you are still putting out some form of communication, be it an advertisement, a web page, collateral, workshops, or in a blog, a downloadable document, or a tweet. The advantage today is that communication with your public is...
Inbound Marketing: What is it, Really?
Posted on: 10/27/2010 - By Delaney Tosh
I will always stress this point: any marketing tactic should be considered against your overall strategy and your overall strategy is an alignment with your values and purpose, as a business, as a team, as individuals. Or is it? When you engage in the hyped up tactics of the day - those so called silver bullets of marketing - are you leaving your values at the door and eroding the value for your customers?
It begs the question…what is it to be truly...
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Recent Blog Entries
Posted On: 06/07/2010 - By Delaney Tosh
What a marvellous thought -- that my business strategy doesn't have to be focused on what I sell or be focused on the bottom line, but rather, can be about happiness.
This is what Tony Hsieh would have us believe in his...
Posted On: 01/22/2010 - By Bert Zethof
To discover the open oceans, one has to be willing to lose sight of the shore.
Posted On: 01/13/2010 - By Bert Zethof
Photo source: Kindle website
With the success of electronic wireless reading devices like Amazon’s Kindle we may soon see the end of the bookstore as we know it.
At least one analyst estimates sales of 2 million...
Posted On: 01/06/2010 - By Bert Zethof
The George Washington Sundial, Lexington, Kentucky
I’ve lived through more than half a century of Christmas holidays and I’d say my sense of the rhythms of the season is ingrained now. (Being raised a Christian,...
Posted On: 01/04/2010 - By Bert Zethof
Yesterday, I committed to installing tiles on our bathroom floor. I find it difficult to motivate myself to get started on renovation projects, but once I get going and see the results, I find them quite satisfying.
What...
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