Mills Scofield

FEBRUARY 2, 2014

'The top 5 posts for January includes 1 from 4 months ago! Yes, Hanna McPhee'' s post on Design & Science is still a top post - as it should be!! Here are the top 5: Thank You for Your Service by Lt. Col. Matthew Fritz ~ read, reread, be grateful! The Slippery Slope of Not Asking Why (me). Let Them Fail by Robin Pendoley ~ we need to accept & learn from failure in all sectors, including non-profits -- Yes!

Innovation 174

Innovation Learning-by-Doing Technology Strategy 174

Mills Scofield

JULY 27, 2014

'General John Michel of the U.S. Air Force has graciously written this post for my blog. To say I''m honored is an understatement. Gen. Michel is finishing his assignment as Commanding General (CEO) at NATO Air Training Command in Kabul, Afghanistan in a few weeks. Gen. Michel knows more than most of us ever will about leadership in ever changing complex, complicated, dynamic, multi-cultural, life-and-death situations (see bio at the end) Thank you, John, yes for this post but more so for your i

Positioning 170

Positioning Power Leadership Energy 170

Mills Scofield

MAY 27, 2014

'This guest post is by my dear friend, Brian Sooy , who helped me raise my voice when I started on my own. His voice is powerful. So please read this post and his book, Raise Your Voice: A Cause Manifesto , if you want to change your business.and yourself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. Why It’s Worth Planning and Pushing to Reach your Goals. At age 52, I ran my first half marathon.

Goal 161

Goal Entrepreneur Training Strategy 161

Mills Scofield

APRIL 27, 2014

'You know how much I believe in serendipity & random collisions (a la Saul Kaplan !). Meet Samir Rath (bio below). I met Samir when he was in the 2nd cohort of the IE-Brown E-MBA while simultaneously investing and starting companies all over the world, including Chile, because, doesn''t everyone? Read Samir''s thoughts on serendipity, luck and entrepreneurship - and join in!

Wiseman 155

Wiseman Kaplan Open-book Engineering 155

Mills Scofield

JANUARY 14, 2014

'This is one of most honored posts I''ve ever ever hosted. Lt. Col. Matthew Fritz is Director, Commander''s Action Group of NATO''s Air Training Command in Afghanistan. Training a newly formed Afghan Air Force is the epitome in complex continual change management. Matt has become a very dear friend, thanks to Angela Maiers , and fellow blogger at Switch & Shift.

Emotional Intelligence 150

Emotional Intelligence Participative Short-term Letter 150

Mills Scofield

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

'Data isn’t important in decision-making. What? Shocking! Then why aren’t we shocked when someone says that all decisions must be totally data driven? Perhaps it depends what we mean by data, which is usually something quantitative. We need to get out into the world and gather data by watching, observing, listening, asking – qualitative data.

Efficiency 142

Efficiency Engineering Trends Marketing 142

Mills Scofield

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

'What is your image of an inventor or innovator? A man alone in a lab? Increasing evidence shows most innovation comes from two or more people…one of whom might even be a woman! We stereotype innovators as men and mainly in STEM* products. A quick quiz – who invented the following: the circular saw, COBOL and the compiler, the windshield wiper, Kevlar and a radial keyboard for the paralyzed?

CTO 142

CTO Engineering How To Innovation 142

Mills Scofield

MARCH 31, 2014

'We all know language is key to leadership. The subtleties, nuances, intonations, and gestures have profound Portland Press Herald 3/26/14 effects on leaders’ credibility and on organizations’ success. Yet, while we think about the customers of our products and services, many of us don''t think as much about the ‘hearers’ (customers) of our words when it’s our own people.

Learning-by-Doing 142

Learning-by-Doing Engineering Entrepreneur Price 142

Mills Scofield

MARCH 20, 2014

'A little 1 letter ''article'' - "a" makes a huge huge difference - so what kind of leader are you ?? "There are so many important traits in making a great leader – character, integrity, honesty, authenticity, vulnerability, trustworthiness, conviction, vision, communication and others I’m sure you can name. Let’s talk about communication.

Letter 142

Letter Strategy Article Leadership 142

Mills Scofield

DECEMBER 3, 2014

'Many thanks to Barbara Kimmel of Trust Across America TM for letting me contribute to Trust Inc.: 52 Weeks of Activities and Inspiriations for Building Worldplace Trust (Vol 3.). My mantra, Experiment-Learn-Apply-Iterate , is a way to start building trust in one''s own capabilities and one''s team (pg 29). Get the book, try out these various ways and you''ll be surprised at how it works!

Teamwork 136

Teamwork Innovation Strategy Books 136

Mills Scofield

AUGUST 25, 2014

'Wow! TIME magazine ( online )!! Thank you Nicha Ratana-Apiromyakij & Saul Kaplan for this honor and story about BIF10. I am so privileged and blessed to be a part of BIF. "How many people end business meetings with an “I love you” and a hug? Venture capitalist and former AT&T Labs scientist Deb Mills-Scofield does. To Mills-Scofield, to do business is to negotiate diverse personalities to get things done — and she has the gift for it.

Venture Capitalist 135

Venture Capitalist Kaplan Business Model Diversity 135

Mills Scofield

MARCH 25, 2014

'Whoa!! I can''t believe it. The Switch and Shift post " Are You Just a Leader or a Just Leader" beat the record for number of views, previously held by the wonderful Ted Coiné (and he''s not even upset with me!). I hope it makes a difference for you, your teams, your people. because the difference can be positively profound. Thank you! "There are so many important traits in making a great leader – character, integrity, honesty, authenticity, vulnerability, trustworthiness, convicti

Innovation 134

Innovation Positioning Team Leadership 134

Mills Scofield

OCTOBER 22, 2014

'Alex Osterwalder & team have created the definitive easy-to/must-uses guide on how to create a compelling value proposition - Value Proposition Design. Yes, definitive. Any business is first and foremost about the customer, even though it seems so many have forgotten that. If you don’t have a compelling value proposition, you don’t need a business model because you won’t have a business.

Business Model 132

Business Model Handbook Definition Education 132

Mills Scofield

NOVEMBER 21, 2014

'So honored to host Frank Sonnenberg on my site!!! Wow! His new book, Follow Your Conscience : Make a Difference in Your Life & in the Lives of Others, is just out. Get it ! His wisdom is powerful and practical! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. 8 Great Ways to Learn. Learning requires more than attending lectures and regurgitating what you’ve heard.

Learning-by-Doing 132

Learning-by-Doing Follow-up Books Innovation 132

Mills Scofield

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

'Originally published in Harvard Business Review , this post needs to be reread since my friend Vala Afshar will be a storyteller at BIF1 0 and Sidney Kushner will be attending - in just two weeks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. One of the biggest assets in anyone’s life is a generous network. It is a gift that grows simply by sharing it. Think of it as the Law of Accelerating Returns — the more you share your network, the more people share it in return and the more the rate of sharing acceler

Power 132

Power Storytelling Health Care Sports 132

Mills Scofield

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

'Summer is ending, leaves are changing and we know what is coming, and I''m so filled with Hope ! Yup! In BIF10 Top Row L-R Marlea Brown, Andrew Kaplan, Nicha Ratana; Bottom Row L-R: Faisal Khurshid, Isby Lubin, Fiora MacPherson, Sarah Kandath, Me what, in Whom do you Hope ? Hope is a powerful force in life. It is based in what is both possible and probable , not in hallucination.

Blanchard 132

Blanchard Kaplan Business Model Bottom-up 132

Mills Scofield

JUNE 9, 2014

'Mali Health Given the great comments on last week’s post and a Huffington Post article on the subject by Matt Murrie , I thought a follow-up was in order. The comments centered on two themes: Investment funding’s acceptance of “Social” as a viable type of business. Business Modeling – social vs. regular. Investment: Venture capitalists have traditionally funded for-profit businesses with a strong focus on ROI – Return on Investment vs.

ROI 132

ROI Business Model Venture Capitalist Early Adopters 132

Mills Scofield

OCTOBER 19, 2014

'Why are we so lousy at teaching math? Why can''t it be taught so kids love it? Lukas WinklerPrins thinks there is a better way. As a 21 year-old mathematician studying metrics, dynamic systems, involved in STEAM and a major Lego lover, his advice is first-hand, based on recent experience and worthy of experimentation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Education 132

Education Metrics Creativity Learning-by-Doing 132

Mills Scofield

APRIL 15, 2014

'Note: Carl & I met at BIF9. As usually happens, a beautiful friendship and collaboration ensued. Our conversations are like jazz.live, interactive, impromptu. Eavesdrop on one here. Photo: Stephanie Alvarez Ewens. DMS : At BIF, you performed before an audience of over 400 people with two musicians you’d barely met before. It was fabulous – resulting in BIF’s first encore!

Efficiency 132

Efficiency Energy Senge Resources 132

Mills Scofield

JULY 18, 2014

'Yes! Thank you Barbara Kimmel for sharing some of my chapter in Trust Inc! " Deb Mills-Scofield shows how Menasha Packaging Corp proved “You Can’t Take 164 Years of Trust for Granted ” Menasha Packaging Corp (MPC), a 164 year old, 6 th generation family business, has grown from making wooden pails in 1849 to a design-oriented packaging company that today delights customers, employees and their communities with over $1 billion in revenue.

Company 132

Company Leadership 132

Mills Scofield

JANUARY 28, 2014

'If you ever wondered about the power of innovation to radically change lives, wonder no more. Anish Sarma , a volunteer at SpeakYourMind Foundation (SYMF) and research engineer at Braingate , tells us. SYMF spun out of the BrainGate lab at Brown University and Massachusetts General Hospital to develop communication technologies for people who can''t communicate effectively because of neurological injury and disease.

Innovation 132

Innovation Disruptive Innovation Health Care Engineering 132

Mills Scofield

AUGUST 5, 2014

'Anita Verna Crofts is a Flight Instructor at the University of Washington. © Tony Asgari Photography Yes, you read that correctly. She wrote this post last year and it''s only appropriate to repost as we start the new academic year. Anita is one amazing lady who is taking education to new heights - Flying Lessons. There is hope for higher-ed! Thank you Anita !

Education 131

Education Class Audience Content 131

Mills Scofield

AUGUST 10, 2014

'Thank you Switch and Shift for this series on trust! "We usually think of great leaders as strong, unflappable, all-knowing, all-confident and ready to forge ahead. They have all the answers, they know where they are going, and we trust them without doubt and question. Wrong! Great leaders are strong but don’t hide all their emotions. They know a lot but not everything, they are confident but not arrogant and they are ready to forge ahead – with the help of their team’s insigh

Leadership 131

Leadership Innovation Strategy Team 131

Mills Scofield

OCTOBER 26, 2014

'I had the privilege to share a panel with New Yorker Staff Cartoonist Liza Donnelly and Social Entrepreneur Superstar Susan McPherson on October 8th at the Granoff Center''s Martinos Auditorium, Brown University, discussing our professional paths. This was the first Creative Mind Lecture of the 2014-2015 series. Many thanks to Ian Gonsher for using his iPhone as a video camera and to Nicha Ratana who made the video as ''followable'' as possible and has made the Creative Mind Lecture series a re

Creativity 130

Creativity Video Education Advice 130

Mills Scofield

OCTOBER 26, 2014

'I grew up in Rumson, NJ using my fake ID to get into the Stone Pony with a $2 cover charge to hear Bruce Springsteen (before we knew how famous he''d be). Who knew? In his new book, Leading the Life You Want: Skills for integrating World and Life , Stew Friedman shares how The Boss has harmonized parts of his life to find a balance that works for him.

Learning-by-Doing 129

Learning-by-Doing Audience Open-book Innovation 129

Mills Scofield

APRIL 17, 2014

'This appears on Smartbrief''s Smartblogs for Leadership! Thank you!! " How many times have you heard or even said, “Is that market attractive to us”? We look at the markets we’re in, the markets our competitors are in, maybe even some that are new and wonder if they are/could be good for our business. We may even think of creating or segmenting in a new way." read on.

Marketing 129

Marketing Innovation Strategy Leadership 129

Mills Scofield

DECEMBER 15, 2014

'A huge thank you to all my clients who have made an impact not just on their customers and employees, but on their communities.who have matched 10% (and usually a lot more) to change and improve lives. I am humbled and blessed to work with you and make such a difference. By Jess Esch.

Strategy 128

Strategy Leadership 128

Mills Scofield

DECEMBER 5, 2014

'Did you wash your hair this morning? Did you know big data probably played a role in the viscosity and aroma? Maybe! This guest post by Amir Golan , VP of Business Development at Signals , shows how important it is to look for the small signals and patterns in big data that are easily lost. Interminable Growth Pains. Once upon a time, before the era of big data analytics, corporations had similarly routine business growth issues and threats: i.e.: after years of being the market leader in a spe

Stage-Gate 128

Stage-Gate Productivity Products Innovation 128

Mills Scofield

OCTOBER 1, 2014

'In thinking about next week''s Creative Mind Lecture , designing our careers and paths and companies, I remember a classic archetype ~ Harold and the Purple Crayon! So, Where is your purple crayon? And what are you doing with it? © Crockett, Johnson “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” 1955 HarperCollins.

Creativity 128

Creativity Education Career Innovation 128

Mills Scofield

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

'With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought this was a story worth retelling - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah and a new year ahead. I am continually overwhelmed with the blessings in my life and this remains one of the most powerful in my entire career - thanks to Vala Afshar & Sidney Kushner.

Career 128

Career Power Leadership 128

Mills Scofield

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

'Thank you Molly Cantrell-Kraig for asking me to share my story on Women''s Impact Movement. Your founding of Women With Drive has impacted so many! "When I got married, my mom told me, “Don’t start doing the things now you don’t want to do for the next 40 years.” I’ve taken this advice to heart in so many areas of my life, discerning the trade-offs between today and tomorrow.

Power 127

Power Advice Innovation Leadership 127

Mills Scofield

MAY 14, 2014

'A 2-fer! One of my favorite companies & sites ! Menasha, 165+ years old, is growing, profitable, solving customers'' real problems and having an impact. Key? Integrity - it truly pays dividends. Read on. "While much has been written about the relationship between integrity, trust and profitability in the last few years, there are companies who have lived this for over 100 years, like a 165 year old, billion dollar plus, 6 generation family business in Wisconsin, Menasha Corp.

Efficiency 127

Efficiency Kaplan Innovation Strategy 127

Mills Scofield

OCTOBER 1, 2014

'What if you gathered with creative minds from all disciplines and talked about how you got to where you were and how you were going forward? Join me, New Yorker Staff Cartoonist Liza Donnelly and Social Entrepreneur Superstar Susan McPherson on October 8th at 6:00pm in the Granoff Center''s Englander Studio at Brown University for a discussion of what kinds of paths, careers, serendipity Creative Minds create!

Creativity 126

Creativity Education Entrepreneur Career 126

Mills Scofield

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

'STEM to STEAM - the "A" in STEAM stands for Art/Design.and Afghanistan Air Force. So thrilled to write this with my amazing friend Col. Matt Fritz about how STEAM was critical to re-inventing the Afghan Air Force! Yes, some parts of our military are design thinkers! Thank you Matt & Switch and Shift. " We don’t think of the military as a STEAMy organization, but parts of it are.

B2C 126

B2C Technology B2B Innovation 126

Mills Scofield

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

'Check out my latest on Smartbrief''s Smartblog on Leadership sponsored with LeadChangeGroup. “When we don’t give our people the space and freedom to take calculated risks, learn, apply, and iterate, we are risk our future. While there is a risk to improvising and spontaneity, there is a greater, more insidious risk to control.” When I wrote a version of this in a recent Harvard Business Review post , it prompted a great deal of discussion.

Efficiency 126

Efficiency Micromanagement Innovation Review 126

Mills Scofield

MARCH 14, 2014

'First post in Linkedin ! Are you becoming your boss ? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Have you asked your people? "Before you start complaining about your boss, stop and think. Sometimes, we unwittingly take on the traits we resent in our boss with our people. And, sometimes, hopefully most times, we take on traits we love the best in our bosses with our people!

Strategy 126

Strategy Management Leadership 126

Mills Scofield

MARCH 10, 2014

'Our value proposition is really all we have - it''s based on who we are and what we offer. Instead of all the words we put together that sound cliche and trite, what if we could distill it down to a cartoon ? What if?? Try! My latest with Liza Donnelly (Staff Cartoonist for the New Yorker!) in Harvard Business Review.

Entrepreneur 125

Entrepreneur Creativity Innovation Review 125