A world-renowned innovation guru explains practices that result in breakthrough innovations "Ulwick's outcome-driven programs bring discipline and predictability to the often random process of innovation." -Clayton Christensen For years, companies have accepted the underlying principles that define the customer-driven paradigm--that is, using customer "requirements" to guide growth and innovation. But twenty years into this movement, breakthrough innovations are still rare, and most companies find that 50 to 90 percent of their innovation initiatives flop. The cost of these failures to U.S. companies alone is estimated to be well over $100 billion annually. In a book that challenges everything you have learned about being customer driven, internationally acclaimed innovation leader Anthony Ulwick reveals the secret weapon behind some of the most successful companies of recent years. Known as "outcome-driven" innovation, this revolutionary approach to new product and service creation transforms innovation from a nebulous art into a rigorous science from which randomness and uncertainty are eliminated. Based on more than 200 studies spanning more than seventy companies and twenty-five industries, Ulwick contends that, when it comes to innovation, the traditional methods companies use to communicate with customers are the root cause of chronic waste and missed opportunity. In What Customers Want, Ulwick demonstrates that all popular qualitative research methods yield well-intentioned but unfitting and dreadfully misleading information that serves to derail the innovation process. Rather than accepting customer inputs such as "needs," "benefits," "specifications," and "solutions," Ulwick argues that researchers should silence the literal "voice of the customer" and focus on the "metrics that customers use to measure success when executing the jobs, tasks or activities they are trying to get done." Using these customer desired outcomes as inputs into the innovation process eliminates much of the chaos and variability that typically derails innovation initiatives. With the same profound insight, simplicity, and uncommon sense that propelled The Innovator's Solution to worldwide acclaim, this paradigm-changing book details an eight-step approach that uses outcome-driven thinking to dramatically improve every aspect of the innovation process--from segmenting markets and identifying opportunities to creating, evaluating, and positioning breakthrough concepts. Using case studies from Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, AIG, Pfizer, and other leading companies, What Customers Want shows companies how to: Obtain unique customer inputs that make predictable innovation possible Recognize opportunities for disruption, new market creation, and core market growth--well before competitors do Identify which ideas, technologies, and acquisitions have the greatest potential for creating customer value Systematically define breakthrough products and services concepts Innovation is fundamental to success and business growth. Offering a proven alternative to failed customer-driven thinking, this landmark book arms you with the tools to unleash innovation, lower costs, and reduce failure rates--and create the products and services customers really want.

Create a world-changing venture. Silicon Valley’s latest trend for creating new ventures is based on trial and error: test market needs with new product concepts and a minimum amount of capital, expect that the product may not meet the market need, so fail fast and try another product with the hope that a product-market fit will eventually emerge. But this fail fast, step-and-pivot philosophy is like taking a random walk in the forest without a compass. If You Really Want to Change the World is about helping entrepreneurs find true north. Henry Kressel and Norman Winarsky—technologists, inventors, and investors with stellar track records—provide a guide for those who wish to create a market-leading company that will have a real impact: a disciplined and staged approach they have used to launch, invest in, and develop scores of highly successful companies. If You Really Want to Change the World leads entrepreneurs through the critical stages of venture development, from concept to acquisition or public offering to maintaining a rich culture of innovation in the company. It is a guide by innovators for innovators, with approaches that are practical and timeless. Drawing on the authors’ experiences as well as those of their partners from around the world, Kressel and Winarsky share the stories of their triumphs and misses, demonstrate their method in action, and inspire their readers in the process. There are more opportunities now than ever before to build breakthrough companies that touch millions of lives. If this is your goal, let this book be your guide to creating world-changing ventures.

Disregard the myth of the lone professional “superman” and the rest of our culture’s go-it alone mentality. The real path to success in your work and in your life is through creating an inner circle of “lifeline relationships” – deep, close relationships with a few key trusted individuals who will offer the encouragement, feedback, and generous mutual support every one of us needs to reach our full potential. Whether your dream is to lead a company, be a top producer in your field, overcome the self-destructive habits that hold you back, lose weight or make a difference in the larger world, Who’s Got Your Back will give you the roadmap you’ve been looking for to achieve the success you deserve. Keith Ferrazzi, the internationally renowned thought leader, consultant, and bestselling author of Never Eat Alone, shows us that becoming a winner in any field of endeavor requires a trusted team of advisors who can offer guidance and help to hold us accountable to achieving our goals. It is the reason PH.D candidates have advisor teams, top executives have boards, world class athletes have fitness coaches, and presidents have cabinets. In this step-by-step guide to the powerful principles behind personal growth and change, you’ll learn how to: · Master the mindsets that will help you to build deeper, more trusting “lifeline relationships” · Overcome the career-crippling habits that hold you back, once and for all · Get further, faster by setting goals in a dramatically more powerful way · Use “sparring” as a productive tool to make the decisions that will fuel personal success · Replace the yes men in your life with those who get it and care – and will hold you accountable to achieving your goals · Lower your guard and let others help! None of us can do it alone. We need the perspective and advice of a trusted team. And in Who’s Got Your Back, Keith Ferrazzi shows us how to put our own “dream team” together.

For years, Jonathan Cagan’s and Craig M. Vogel’s Creating Breakthrough Products has offered an indispensable roadmap for uncovering new opportunities, identifying what customers really value, and building products and services that redefine markets — or create entirely new markets. Now, the authors have thoroughly updated their classic book, adding new chapters on service design and global innovation, plus new insights, best practices, and case studies from both U.S. and global companies. Their new Second Edition compares revolutionary (Apple-style) and evolutionary (Disney-style) approaches to innovation, helping decision-makers choose between them, and make either one work. Cagan and Vogel provide more coverage of Value Opportunity Analysis and ethnography, as well as new case studies ranging from Navistar’s latest long-haul truck to P&G’s reinvention of Herbal Essence. Throughout, readers will find up-to-date insights into identifying Product Opportunity Gaps that can lead to enormous success; navigating the "Fuzzy Front End" of product development; and leveraging contributions from diverse product teams — while staying relentlessly focused on customers’ values and lifestyles, from strategy through execution. Using additional visual maps and illustrations, they’ve made their best-selling book even more intuitive and accessible to both industry and academic audiences.

Standing out is no longer optional Too many people believe that if they keep their heads down and work hard, they’ll be recognized on the merits of their work. But that’s simply not true anymore. “Safe” jobs disappear daily, and the clamor of everyday life drowns out ordinary contributions. To make a name for yourself, to create true job security, and to make a difference in the world, you have to share your unique perspective and inspire others to take action. But in a noisy world where it seems everything’s been said—and shouted from the rooftops—how can your ideas stand out? Fortunately, you don’t have to be a genius or a worldwide superstar to make an impact. Drawing on interviews with more than fifty thought leaders in fields ranging from business to genomics to urban planning, Dorie Clark shows how these masters achieved success and how anyone—with hard work—can do the same. Whether it’s learning to ask the right questions, developing and building on an expert niche, or combining disparate fields to get a new perspective, Clark outlines ways to develop the ideas that set you apart. Of course, having a breakthrough insight is only half the battle. If you really want to share your ideas, you have to find a way to build an audience, communicate your message, and inspire others to embrace your vision. Starting small is fine; Clark provides a step-by-step guide to help you leverage your existing networks, attract new people to your cause, and, ultimately, build a community around your ideas. Featuring vivid examples based on interviews with influencers such as Seth Godin, David Allen, and Daniel Pink, Clark shows you how to break through and ensure that your ideas get noticed. Becoming a thought leader in your company or in your profession is the ultimate career insurance. But—even more important—it’s also a chance to change the world for the better. Whatever your cause, perspective, or point of view, the world can’t afford for the best ideas to remain buried inside you. Whether it’s how to improve the educational system or how to make your company more efficient, your ideas matter. The world needs your insights, and it’s time to be bold.

From Bryan Mattimore, innovation guru to Fortune 500 companies, comes a book for aspiring entrepreneurs, corporate “intrapreneurs,” and anyone else looking to break the mold. Bryan Mattimore is a big idea guy. For the past twenty-five years, he has helped Fortune 500 companies create over $3 billion in new innovations using his unique creative-thinking exercises. In 21 DAYS TO A BIG IDEA: CREATING BREAKTHROUGH BUSINESS CONCEPTS, Mattimore takes readers through a disciplined creative process to create original and practical new business concepts. By investing less than an hour a day for twenty-one days, you will: 1) learn a new toolkit of creative thinking strategies and problem-solving techniques that can be used for solving a wide variety of both personal and professional challenges, and 2) generate more than a dozen new concepts from which to choose the highest potential/winning idea for a new start-up. Entertaining and easy-to-follow, 21 DAYS TO A BIG IDEA is a must-read for all aspiring entrepreneurs, helping you to discover and implement your first—or your next—biggest idea. "Greatness starts with an idea, but the chasm between ideas and truly great ideas is vast. This terrific, approachable book provides a simple and straightforward method for bending and torturing almost any idea until it succumbs to greatness."—Bob Dorf, co-author of THE START-UP'S OWNER'S MANUAL

Dispelling the myth that innovation is invention & revolution, this text argues that innovators past & present have employed a strategy of technology brokering to source, develop & exploit new ideas. It provides a clear set of recommendations for managing the innovation process in organizations.

Working with business journalist Murphy, Burgstone presents a guide that distills key lessons from the experiences of today's most interesting entrepreneursNPeter Thiel (PayPal, Facebook), Jim Koch (Boston Beer Co.), Wendy Kopp (Teach for America), and others.

Choose to be the best version of yourself—and keep on choosing it! For the first time, the world's leading mentor David C.M. Carter shares his most effective "breakthrough" secrets in this practical guide to becoming the best you can be. Previously only accessible to his handful of exclusive international clients, these strategies are the key to a more successful and happier you. By following them, you will learn how to identify and clarify your goals—and then achieve them in every area of your life. With simple easy-to-action "breakthroughs" outlined in each chapter, complete with how-to tools, you'll have no excuse to live anything less than the life you were destined to live.