February, 2011

Mills Scofield

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Invention without Commercialization = Extinction, not Innovation

Mills Scofield

My job at Bell Labs was to invent and create. We dreamed up all sorts of wonderful solutions to problems that did and didn't exist. But how did we learn about these problems? Some we just thought up. Some came from AT&T corporate product management & marketing. But few came from seeing customers firsthand, so we ended up using ourselves as ‘examples’ – not good.

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For Innovation, Best Practice is a Verb not a Noun!

Mills Scofield

One of the central tenets of 20th Century business has been ‘best practices' Let's dissect this veritable oxymoron: Best: highest quality, standing (at a point in time, place and context) Practice: a habit or custom (noun) or to do repeatedly to acquire proficiency Admittedly, and importantly, there are things to learn from others successes and failures.

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Lexington Kentucky - Entrepreneurs Take Charge!

Mills Scofield

I’ve been in Lexington, KY these past 2 days watching entrepreneurs learn and discuss how to transform their city. Eric Patrick Marr, founder of The Lexenomics Group, brought a friend of [.].

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Unrealistic Expectations of Innovation & Entrepreneurs

Mills Scofield

Humans are one of the few mammals whose babies are not fully developed at birth. Unlike horses, whales, etc., human babies can’t stand, walk, or forage on their own at birth. They are totally dependent upon adult humans for constant, continual support just to live. We are used to this, we accept it, we don’t expect anything different. Yet, when we discuss the birth and development of innovations and companies, it’ [.].

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Looking for Models in all the wrong places?

Mills Scofield

One of my favorite authors is Ismail Kadare from Albania. Over Valentine’s weekend, my husband and I had a romantic discussion of the Mid-East (ok, we’re ‘different’). Trust me, these are related. The media compares Egypt’s future to either Iran or what? Pakistan? Indonesia? Turkey? Always to other Mid-East, Asia, or Asia Minor countries (yes, Turkey straddles both continents, in so many ways).

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