Global Innovation Summit Conference Recap

The Innovation Summit is here bringing people together to re-imagine the way we live, work, and play. The conference brought together business owners, thought leaders, change-makers, and entrepreneurs to discuss, challenge, and learn about innovation in a cross-disciplinary environment. The focus for this year's conference was around sustainability. The event defined sustainability as it relates to individual industries per socio-cultural, economic, and ecological initiatives. A wonderful conference packed with engaging interactive talks with audience-generated content, hands-on workshops with resources as takeaways, and connections with industry experts in an accessible, open forum. We went beyond conversation and took some new first steps to break barriers, build relationships, and forge a better future. Here is some key wisdom points shared from the speakers:

• Where do good ideas come from? Real break-through in ideas come from a collision of people and diverse minds coming together to do idea creation.  MetLife started a "Sprout" internal program dedicated to idea creation and new business generation coming from people at the company who dedicated time and conscious thought to create new business. In 10 years they have done 150 challenge runs and 18,000 employees engaged and hundreds of managers trained on process.  Now they have "Ignition" program investing and incubating startups that look outside the company via co-innovation. 90 test launches and 37 contracts signed with startups over last 6 years. Now active with 27 venture funded investments in this startup partners.
• 4 Lessons Learned: "All I need to know, to successfully innovate, I learned in kindergarten"

1. "When you go out into the world and cross streets, hold hands, look out for traffic, and cross together". The key is to form good friends & allies. Don't waste time with non-believers. Do a few things well to gain early wins and celebrate them. Use those wins to build momentum and recruit those on the fence.  Leverage your network to get warm intros (advisers, mentors). Ensure you communicate in ways that is all about the people you are communicating to and how you can help them achieve their goals and improve their life. 
2. Innovation is a team sport. Win or lose together. Form innovation teams. Understand the goals of partners and sponsors and find unique ways to achieve them. Know the customer priorities and focus. Show how you add value and make things simpler and do not create duplication or add clutter. Make their life easy and business better through your differentiation.
3. Successful take-off do not necessarily mean successful landing. Need a clear plan and clear target. Define the value proposition on your program. Align metrics/goals to those of your partners and customers.  Breakdown and link large objectives to small, measurable goals.  Agree to target outcomes and how metrics will be measured afterward.
4. Flush!  Know when to walk away. You have precious time, don't waste it.  Fail fast and inexpensively. Incubate ideas to understand key assumptions, then execute small tests or Proof of Concepts (POCs). If the POC fails, strongly consider walking away. Understand the business case and talk costs before investing heavily. 

• Never stop learning.  Stay humble, hungry, and keep open mind to learn and grow!

Magical Combo In Marketing Success: Clarity, Community, and Testing!

• Clarity, look out for "can't see the forest from the trees".  Strategy is what you say no to as much as to what you say yes to.  You need to be clear in who you are and what you stand for that sets you apart. What are you the best at and focus on that clearly. 

• Community: Invite people to be part of something bigger.
• Testing: Know your audience and then test the different platforms to see what works best for reaching them and securing engagements.  Test strategies like "Hype". Need to know someone to get you in or discount. Test "Influencers" to share your message. "Talk Triggers" per strategy around word of mouth marketing. For example, Double Tree word of mouth around their fresh baked cookies. Use cool quotes and talking points that result in "Talk Trigger". Example, "Just Salad", we give you your own reusable bowl, fastest service, and 10 items for under 10 dollars.  Talk trigger when you walk into boutique womans' store, "would you like a Raspberry Margarita or bubbly to sip on while you shop?"
• FYSO (Figure Your SH*T Out), stop and take time to grind out and get through things needed to be discussed and items needed to be done. 

Best practices in "DESIGN SPRINT"-Framework for solving problems. Involves prototyping via Idea, Build, Launch, and Learn. (2-5 day process to answer question or test hypothesis). There is normally 5-7 people for ideal sprint team. Know why they are there and intentions.

• Monday-Map, Tuesday-Sketch, Wednesday-Decide, Thursday Prototype, Friday- Test. Have CEO ("Chief Energy Officer" to cheer team on through all)

1. Map: Map the problem and create a shared brain. Do lighting talks with experts. Get leaders in on your subject matter in early and gain informed mindset upfront. Outline goal trying to achieve or problem to solve. Do Empathy Building Exercises. For example use sticky notes and start with question "How might we...." Then Build Success Metrics. Have KPIs. A realistic facade is all you need to learn from customers. Know when enough is enough. Don't aim for perfection rather what is good enough to understand people through reactions. (ABC method. Always be capturing. Write down useful things to sprint)
2. Sketch: Crazy 8s, divide 1 piece of paper into 8 squares, and draw 8 sketches of ideas in 8 minutes. "Creativity loves constraints and time is a great constraint." Have solution sketch.
3. Decide: What to prototype and build to test. Make group decision. Democratize. Allow for debate. Low impact collisions are healthy. Heat map voting. (Green, yellow, red stickers).
4. Prototype: The origin of great design is great responsibility. Quickly build to validate ideas. Storyboard, Assign Tasks, Prototype.
5. Validate: 5 customer interviews is enough to get confident assessment otherwise diminishing returns. Test with real people and gather feedback you can act upon.

How To Be A Vulnerable Leader that can create a sustainable business and raving fan base for your brand.

• Instead of focusing on what you have to do. Think about who you have to be! That is your unique value prop and special key.
• The more authentic and vulnerable you can be, the more people message resonates with. Be real and attract real people. The more human you can be, the more impact you can have.
• Think of confidence spectrum, Dependent-On the opinion of others vs. Independent-of the opinion of others. Goal is to move over to your independent side of spectrum. The way to be more confident is to have more strength in your skills, talents, and abilities in which you know that you know your as good at or better then most or close enough!
• Know your goal and steps needed to accomplish. Every moment counts. Do the things you need to do to propel you and your confidence will be boosted.
• Your thoughts create your reality. Focus on what you can control to build your confidence.

Your Brand- The Screen Play

• Your brand is your promise to fulfill expectations
• Branding as a business discipline is: The process of coming to conviction about the expectations you want established, understanding every mechanism that affects those expectations, and managing those mechanisms to deliver a consistent, positive promise at every point of contact
• Ask yourself is your brand bingeworthy? Like "Stranger Things". 
• Make people want to be engaged so much in what you are doing that they want to be a part of it and support it. Bingeworthiness= Sustainability (Good to community, Good To Employees, Good business model)
• Great stories end up making history. Like "Rudolph The Red Noised Reindeer". 
• Good story makes you feel something and is universal. If a commodity tell your story moving them with laughter or pulling at the heart strings.
• Strategy first then build content that support your brand building strategy.
• Brand comprised of: Purpose, Positioning, Values Of What You Offer and What You Stand For!

• Think of the Hero Journey in your story telling....From normal world to unknown world....First Just do it and start the journey to leave the known behind to go into the bigger aim unknown, Keep walking in your journey to cross the thresh-hold when times get hard, 3rd get the diamond and reward
• Most important three elements in story telling are: Theme, Character, and Plot. The theme drives the character through the plot!
• For example, The theme is what business you are really in and what you are really offering. Know your "Why". Disney is= keeping alive the magic of childhood. This is the "Why" they get up each day and deliver!
• Plot is around your Brand Positioning. Three things to execute on your positioning. Know your: Target Audience, Competitive Category, and Difference.

• Think of the Hero Journey in your story telling....From normal world to unknown world....First Just do it and start the journey to leave the known behind to go into the bigger aim unknown, Keep walking in your journey to cross the thresh-hold when times get hard, 3rd get the diamond and reward
• Most important three elements in story telling are: Theme, Character, and Plot. The theme drives the character through the plot!
• For example, The theme is what business you are really in and what you are really offering. Know your "Why". Disney is= keeping alive the magic of childhood. This is the "Why" they get up each day and deliver!
• Plot is around your Brand Positioning. Three things to execute on your positioning. Know your: Target Audience, Competitive Category, and Difference.
• Remember your brand personality is who you really are, the human traits that acts out in your brand persona and perception to the world. 
• Don't tell your brand story, show how your brand makes someone feel or adds value and promise is delivered. "Show & Tell".
• Ensure story makes emotional connection and covers human elements to pull at the heart strings.

Emotional Stability:

• When you know better, you can do better!
• Stay calm and carry on. Be mindful of your state and do not get stuck in "Fight or Flight" mode that leads to extra stress resulting in poor health. 
• Try putting your phones down and make real human to human connection. Look at people, smile, and say hello.  Be connected to people not disconnected from people. 
• Take time to play! Do things you love that make you smile and laugh! 
• Go outside more and be around nature. 15-20 minutes outside gives us more vitamin D and helps refresh & reset the brain. Do walking meetings. 
• Play and nature is our medicine! Community and connection is our medicine!
• Nurturing relationships can help you be healthier and thrive! Form great relationships!
• Take time to look up and connect!