Best Philmckinney Podcasts (2024)

1
The Overlooked Secret to Innovation 4:51

4y ago4:51

4:51

As a society, we have a problem. Some years ago, the late Nobel Prize winner Dr. Albert Schweitzer was asked by a reporter, “Doctor, what’s wrong with people today?” The famous doctor was silent for a moment, then he said, “People simply don’t think!” Why do some not use our brains and think? The brain is a fabulous mechanism. It is capable of proc…

1
TNI-Affordance 6:51

4y ago6:51

6:51

On January 13, 2018, the people of Hawaii woke to a shocking alert on their phones and TVs. An incoming ballistic missile was on its way and that the warning was not a drill. It was 38 minutes later that the alert was retracted. During those 38 minutes -- panic set in. People were trying to figure out what to do. People drove their families to high…

1
TNI - Exceptionally Normal 6:30

4+ y ago6:30

6:30

It is normal that no two people are exactly alike. Not even twins. So the word normal should not be confused with the word average. If you leave your fingerprints on something, you might as well leave your name and address since no two people have the same prints. You hear music and see a sunrise differently from any other person. You might enjoy a…

1
Great Leaders Keep Cool Under Fire 5:37

4+ y ago5:37

5:37

My grandfather had an old saying when I was growing up, “Never burn a bridge." At the time, I thought it was a strange saying. It was only later that I realized what he was saying. No matter how someone treats you, don't get angry and never retaliate as to destroy the relationship. Great leaders keep cool even when the attacker is making it persona…

1
Find A Way To Say 'Yes' To Non-Obvious Ideas 6:11

5y ago6:11

6:11

The world is made up of ‘yes’ people and ‘no’ people. We need more optimistic -- more hopeful people who find a way to say yes to non-obvious ideas. During Thomas Jefferson's presidency in the early 1800’s, he and a group of travelers were crossing a river that had overflowed its banks. Each man crossed on horseback fighting for his life. A lone tr…

1
Avoiding the Habit Trap 6:12

5y ago6:12

6:12

When I was growing up, one time my grandmother baked a fantastic German Chocolate cake. I can see it now -- that moist chocolate cake and rich icing. It was great and everyone in the family let her know how great it was. We devoured the cake. But from that time on, we could count on a German Chocolate cake as THE dessert every time we would visit. …

1
Innovation Attitude is Innovation Success 6:15

5y ago6:15

6:15

I find it interesting that we usually get from other people exactly what we expect of them. If we are looking for friendship, we will likely receive it. If our attitude is that of indifference, we will get indifference. And if we are looking for a fight, we will in all likelihood find ourselves in the middle of a fight. The longer I live, the more …

1
Innovation Requires Getting the Facts Right 5:47

5y ago5:47

5:47

There is an old saying that goes something like this, “Speaking with passion but without the facts is like making a beautiful dive into an empty pool.” As John Adam’s famously said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” To co…

1
Change Caused by Innovation 5:30

5y ago5:30

5:30

As a result of some digital spring cleaning I was doing, I found and was listening to old shows from 2005 - the first year of my podcast. Honestly, given what I know now, I wish could have re-written and re-recorded them. The technology and tools now available to podcasters are far superior to what we had back in those early days. This got me to th…

1
Innovation Quality is a Virtue 5:56

5y ago5:56

5:56

I was looking through some of my old idea notebooks and came across a quote that I wrote down. It is one of those quotes that cause you to pause and contemplate. To question your own personal motivations. The quote? “Institutions, like vineyards, should be judged by the quality of their vintages.” Its worth think about, isn’t it? “Institutions, lik…

1
Ageism and Innovation 6:13

5y ago6:13

6:13

Some have put forth what I believe is a false premise -- that creativity and innovation are for the young. Silicon Valley has clearly bought into this premise. If you are over 40, some could rightly argue 35, many of the companies in the valley have taken the position that you are over the hill. The average age of an employee at leading Silicon Val…

1
Innovation Communities 6:37

5y ago6:37

6:37

I’m not sure who said it first but I’ll give credit to Tony Robbins for the now famous quote -- “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” With a slight tweak, you can apply this quote to networks, communities, tribes, and friends you socialize with. If you changed that quote to be … “You are the average of the five socia…

1
Time Management 6:02

5y ago6:02

6:02

As it says in Psalm 90:10, we are allotted threescore and ten years to do with as we please. Of that, we will spend the equivalent of twenty-three years and four months of it asleep. We will work nineteen years eight months practicing our religion and ten years and two months in recreation. We will spend six years and ten months -- eating and drink…

1
So Your Idea Was Rejected 6:55

5y ago6:55

6:55

Your idea was rejected. Criticized. Dumped on. You were told to give up. I have yet to find anyone who likes to have their ideas rejected. But if you want to succeed in innovation, you have to put yourself and your ideas out there which means you will get rejected. You have no other choice. The alternative is to avoid rejection and criticism which …

1
Innovating Using The Daffodil Principal 6:09

5y ago6:09

6:09

Want to know the secret to take ideas and make them real innovations? It is what I call the “daffodil principle” which I learned/stole from an article published by Jaroldeen Edwards. In one of the small mountain communities in the Sierra foothills, there is a church. If you take the time to pull off the road and walk around the side of the church, …

1
Everything I Learned About Ethics I learned in Boy Scouts 6:32

5y ago6:32

6:32

Twelve words. Millions of 11-year-old boys, and now young girls, learn it when they join Boy Scouts. It was something that I had to memorize in order to earn my first step along the way to my Eagle Scout medal. Each weekly meeting started with everyone saying them aloud. We were expected to follow them at all times. When a person achieves Eagle, th…

1
What is Your Creative Inspiration? 6:21

5y ago6:21

6:21

I really enjoy getting behind this microphone. It is my personal creative outlet that is separate from the day job. What was it that got me to start back in 2005? Like all things, I got inspired. My inspiration was when my mentor, Bob Davis, lent me my first self-help set of cassette tapes created by Earl Nightingale. If you are not familiar with E…

1
Should You Use A Data Driven Approach 6:10

5+ y ago6:10

6:10

The inspiration for innovation takes all forms. For some its music. For others its art. And for others its data. When I was CTO, Mark Hurd, the CEO at HP at the time, had a quote that was ingrained into everything the executive team did. “If you stare at the numbers long enough, they will eventually confess.” Mark Hurd The expectation was that as a…

1
What They Could Become 6:09

5+ y ago6:09

6:09

Great leaders - in business, government or society, know that when it comes to others, there is always more than meets the eye. Earl Nightingale once shared a story that reminds us to look beyond what we think is obvious. It seems that the NBC orchestra was about to be formed, David Sarnoff, chairman of the board of NBC, gave one directive: “Do not…

1
Just Do It! 6:16

5+ y ago6:16

6:16

Any writer, syndicated cartoonist, innovator or perhaps a podcast host; sooner or later will run into what some would call writers' block. They find themselves drawing a blank. They have a deadline rapidly approaching and they find themselves with nothing -- not a single good idea. Writers Block It has happened to me more times that I would care to…

1
Be Brave To Innovate 6:12

5+ y ago6:12

6:12

Did you know the opposite of bravery is not cowardice? The opposite of bravery is conformity. Doing everything the same way that everybody else does it, being like everybody else, thinking the same way everybody else does. Conformity is the “safe” approach which actually puts us at more risk. It takes bravery to step out and leave the warm space of…

1
Innovate with Fresh Eyes 6:03

5+ y ago6:03

6:03

I’ve been in the innovation game for more than 30 years. Hard to believe. With that many years comes loads of experience but also some downsides. As with most things, when you’ve done something for a long time, you tend to fall into a pattern - a rut. You use your experience to recognize a pattern and then immediately apply the answer that worked t…

1
What Products Could I Create Out of Unused Assets 6:46

5+ y ago6:46

6:46

I’m an innovation guy. It may not say so on my business card, but that’s what I do. I encourage people, whether inside HP or in my meetings with customers around the world, to accept that they and their product are going to have to change. No matter how popular and successful your work is, things change. The economy shifts; your customers’ needs ev…

1
What product or service to stay ahead 7:05

5+ y ago7:05

7:05

On October 4, 1957, Russia launched a beach-ball-sized satellite named Sputnik, which orbited the Earth in just over ninety-six minutes. The previous frontrunner in the space race, the United States, was now the runner up. Our only competitor had trounced us, seemingly out of nowhere. A month later the Russians sent up Laika, a small stray terrier …

1
Who is passionate about my product 6:41

5+ y ago6:41

6:41

I’ve never shopped at the online craft marketplace Etsy.com or even any of its competitors. Not an area of interest for me as I’m not often in the market for hand-knitted iPod cozies, customized guitar cables, or the like. As for my wife and daughters – they are big fans and very loyal and passionate users. And they are not alone. Since 2005 Etsy.c…

1
What is surprisingly inconvenient about my product 6:51

5+ y ago6:51

6:51

What is surprisingly inconvenient about my product? The designers and engineers who work at HP face many challenges in getting their ideas signed off on. It’s a long process from an idea to a finished prototype. Before any product can hit the market, it faces one final test. I take the prototype home, give it to my wife, and say, “Tell me what you …

1
How Can My Product Change in 5 Years 6:23

6y ago6:23

6:23

Do you sell atoms or bytes? Do you think that your answer could change over the next five years? Think about Amazon and the Kindle. Jeff Bezos asked, What is my role going to be if the nature of books changes? He realized that to stay relevant and necessary his company needed to retain control over something tangible and physical. There could have …

1
Where do we perform research and development 8:40

6y ago8:40

8:40

Where do we perform product research and development? Where else could this be done? What is your organization’s philosophy about design and development? Do you keep everything in-house, or do you outsource as needed? There are two schools of thoughts on this. By keeping the design process in-house, a company can build a sense of continuity and coh…

1
In What Order Do You Do the R and D Process 6:13

6y ago6:13

6:13

In the traditional R&D process, the product is developed and then handed off to the design team to “wrap” it and make it look pretty. The drawback is that this approach is out of date; in the last ten years consumers have become much more design-savvy. Consumers want functional, usable design that highlights ease of use, or a more emotive design th…

1
What emotional psychological or status benefit could people derive from my product 7:51

6y ago7:51

7:51

What emotional, psychological, or status benefits could people derive from using my product? Do you have diamonds stashed away that you reckon you can sell if times ever get tough? Say, a family heirloom, or an engagement ring from a failed marriage? Perhaps you know how much the diamond was appraised for by a reputable seller and feel confident th…

1
What is the process used by my customer to discover my product 6:49

6y ago6:49

6:49

Do you have a digital twin? The concept first formed on consumer sites like Yelp, but it’s becoming a catchphrase in marketing and sales. The idea is that dedicated users of sites like Yelp eventually notice that there are other users whose tastes, interests, and “favorites” match their own. These digital twins do not “know” each other in the tradi…

1
Who am I not selling to because I think they can’t or won’t pay for my product? 6:53

6y ago6:53

6:53

Who am I not selling to because I think they can’t or won’t pay for my product? Price is king, right? “Build ’em cheap and stack ’em high” is practically the motto of most segments of the tech industry Naturally, there are some notable exceptions for companies producing exclusive high priced products. It’s certainly a core assumption about what the…

1
What are your unshakable beliefs about what your customers want 6:30

6y ago6:30

6:30

One thing is to know what your customers want to do, another is to understand how they intend to get it done. It’s easy to look at their goals and tell yourself that your product will match their needs. However, if you don’t understand their internal philosophy about what they are doing and why they are doing it, you may find that they consider you…

1
What are the criteria to select research and development projects 4:39

6y ago4:39

4:39

What are your criteria for deciding that an idea is worth pursuing? We all have our own set of selection criteria, the first of which is usually looking for profits. However, selecting a course of action based solely on ROI can be limiting. If you are doing something really innovative, how on earth can you determine what the margins will be at an e…

1
What are we throwing away because we assume it has no value 6:38

6y ago6:38

6:38

My wife is famous for being a little frugal. She once routed me and our son Logan from Las Vegas to Phoenix to Los Angeles and finally to San Jose because she could save twenty bucks each over the nonstop fare. Kind of nuts, right? But if I’m honest I have the same mind-set in one respect: I am determined to squeeze everything I can out of any idea…

1
Could I create a standardized offering of a custom product 6:53

6y ago6:53

6:53

One of the first products I created as a software developer was a touch-typing program called Typing Instructor . This was back in 1985, and at that time there was no such thing as a standard PC. Instead you owned a specific brand and had access to the programs that had been written specifically for that make, whether IBM, Wang, or DEC. Each of the…

1
Who complains about my product 5:30

6y ago5:30

5:30

A few years ago, a passenger complaint letter to Virgin Atlantic circulated around the web. It was very long, fully illustrated with photos, clearly somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and very funny, but it made a few good points about the bad food and surly service this particular passenger had experienced. Almost three years later it still occasionally sh…

1
What input, if reduced, would allow me to cut the price by 25 percent 5:50

6y ago5:50

5:50

There is a reason that the percentage in this question is as high as it is. Sure, it would sound less scary and more reasonable if I asked you how you could cut your price by 5 percent, or maybe 8 percent, but that would be missing the point. If you want potentially game-changing moves to get ahead of your competition, you need to make big savings …

1
Who do I not want to use my product now, but may want to in the future 6:45

6y ago6:45

6:45

We tend to assume that any customer is a good customer. However, if you find that you’re working like crazy and have a solid and reliable customer base, but you’re still not making the profits you expected, then ask the Killer Question, Who do I not want to use my product? Do you remember back when dial-up Internet service first started to transiti…

1
Who is using my product in a way I never intended and how 7:30

6y ago7:30

7:30

Once a product has sold, it’s pretty much out of your control. You may have an idea why people will buy it, and what they’ll do with it, but the most you can ever do is guess. So why are you assuming that you know what your customer actually likes and values about your product, and how they use it solve a problem they have? One of my favorite blogs…

1
Can I recombine existing components to create new products for customers I don’t currently serve? 4:59

6y ago4:59

4:59

Magazine publishers are in the same predicament as the book-publishing and recording industries before it. How do you keep your customers believing that your content is worth paying for when there is endless free content available on the Internet? Some fashion magazines are experimenting with making their print issues feel like “must-buy” items; Ba…

1
Can I create an on-demand version of the product? 5:39

6y ago5:39

5:39

Do you need to have a finished product in order to make a sale? Is there any way that not offering a finished product would actually give you an advantage, or even become a selling point? My children have long since outgrown toys, but my grandkids have more than once roped into visits to Build-A-Bear. Build-A-Bear, like the paint-your-own pottery c…

1
What will future customers’ buying criteria be 5:30

6y ago5:30

5:30

A big part of any business is being aware of, and responding to, the life cycles of the industry and its customers. Some of these are easy to see; you only need a cursory understanding of the effect of OPEC on gas prices in the early ’70s to understand why cars became more fuel efficient in that decade. Other reasons are harder to see. Some criteri…

1
Who will not buy my product because they feel something is objectionable about it 4:34

6y ago4:34

4:34

Have you ever purchased a product that others hated? Or what about the opposite .. .have you ever seen others using a product or service that you absolutely despised? The flipside to any positive emotional connection is a negative one. If you are producing a product or service that is inspiring enough that some people love what you are doing --- od…

1
What Industries Are Analogous To Ours 5:21

6y ago5:21

5:21

No matter what business we are in, we are all fighting essentially the same fight—designing a product that a customer will prefer over that of our competitor. To do this, we need to constantly be aware of how our business environment is evolving, how our customers are changing, and what we need to modify in order to keep our product relevant and de…

1
How Can I Take Advantage Of Emerging Trends And Fads 7:32

6y ago7:32

7:32

“Weak signals” are the equivalent of a canary in a coal mine. They are the unspoken needs and wants of your customers, and they are also the arrows pointing to what your customers are going to need and want in the future.

1
What Customer Segments Will Emerge In 5 Years 6:37

6y ago6:37

6:37

With any radical idea you will see the corporate antibodies come out of the woodwork, giving all the standard reasons why the idea will “never happen.” Remember, the fundamental assumption of the corporate antibody is that the future will be the same as today. Your customers are going to change. It’s that simple. Don’t let others’ hesitation keep y…

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Philmckinney Podcasts

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