Ruthless Grace is the combination of high discipline and high empathy. Ruthless - not cruelty or punishment - but the likelihood of a sunrise and sunset tomorrow. Grace reminds us that we are human and our teams are human.

Approachability is an advantage. Making coaching easy is an advantage. This tool minimizes the effort to manage expectations, manage perceptions, and share helpful feedback across three communication channels.

An innovation team that emulates the arts has a competitive advantage. These culture traits include balance, vigilance, rejection, failure, and resilience.

An innovation team that emulates the arts has a collaborative advantage. These culture traits include safety, authenticity, welcoming beginners, trust, listening, practicing, and rehearsing together.

In innovation, most attention is the work within the project. Before your next project begins, consider what questions your team should answer. This documentation provides transparency, alignment, and sets you up for success.

When the Agile Manifesto was written, money was loose (dot com bubble) and frequent go-live dates were in style. As the intensity of innovation increases, Agile contributes to VUCA and low marginal cost is worth high upfront costs. Economics pressure us to innovate how we innovate.

Innovation professionals spend a lot of time in meetings. Rethink the relationship between meetings and “real work.” Have a firm grasp of the numerous ingredients of effective meetings.

Innovation should take inspiration from an expanded view of the Performing Arts - the Empathetic Arts. The world of innovation has much to learn, benefit, and profit from audience-centric collaboration that has a great employee experience.

Barriers, Risks, Issues, Questions (BRIQ) - until you know exactly what to do with them, get them on paper somewhere - a kind of parking lot!

The big day! Showtime! Opening Night! Let your stakeholders know that the new experience is ready for them. The Go-Live Announcement fulfills the latter “A” in ADKAR.

Change is disruptive, so evangelize to stakeholders why your change is desirable, stylish, and cool. Formalize the “D” in ADKAR. Craft an Elevator Pitch to convey the benefits of the upcoming innovation.

At the start of every project, to accomplish the first “A” in ADKAR, notify your stakeholders. An Awareness Blast is a low-maintenance way to let stakeholders know they need to contribute, and they need to help to identify other stakeholders who need to contribute.