Look at More

Why does real innovation elude so many companies, including the biggest corporations with the best technical processes, the cheapest resources, and a Chief Innovation Officer in place to implement corporate-wide innovation strategies? The problem, in all these cases, is that they are lacking inspiration. Not to be confused with the burst of energy that sometimes occurs after reports of amplified quarterly earnings or the arrival of a charismatic new leader (both of those are real but tend to be short term), inspiration -- as defined and outlined in this book - is a discipline. It is a systematic approach that, when applied consistently, brings long-term, sustainable results. So how do we inspire people? Well, it's all about learning to think differently and encouraging others to do the same. Unfortunately, for most of us, that's not something that happens all by itself. It is, however, a rigorous discipline that can be developed and sharpened with practice. It's also an approach. At Play, we call that process LAMSTAIH, which stands for Look At More Stuff; Think About It Harder. LAMSTAIH (pronounced "lamb's tie"), written in five-foot-high letters in Play's office, has also become part of the daily vocabulary of some of the largest corporations in the world, who hire Play to help them acquire the practical skills, leadership behavior, and cultural mindset to create ideas and drive innovation. Look at More Stuff teaches you how to harness inspiration in order to achieve successful innovation. By focusing on the front end of the Inspiration-Creativity-Innovation continuum, this book brings a fresh perspective to a popular conversation that is experiencing fatigue. While other books on innovation focus on the output and organizational mechanics of Innovation, this book explores the often overlooked, and arguably, the most important, front-end of the continuum - people. Look at More Stuff is designed to be an individual and organizational guide for harnessing Inspiration. It is filled with strategies, tactics, insights, and cases that show how you can instill inspiration at an individual, team, and organizational level. CEOs, managers and entrepreneurs alike will find this book an invaluable tool for navigating the ever-hungry innovation mandate and turning inspiration into a strategic competitive advantage. Readers will find road-tested recommendations that have been successfully implemented in leading organizations, digestible how-to's and colorful anecdotes told in Stefanovich's inimitable storytelling style.