Getting Ahead Should Be Routine

Written by Paul on June 5th, 2008

An article in this month’s Inc. magazine challenged A.G. Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble and Ram Charan to take on a toy company with $4 million in revenue and 30 employees. The result was a seven-step routine for innovation:

  1. Select the strategy: Looking for an underserved market.
  2. Connect to customers: The social network as idea collector.
  3. Generate ideas: Brain-storming done right.
  4. Select an idea: Time to separate the good from the great.
  5. Prototype and test: Bring on the customers.
  6. Go to market: Cookies versus cookie dough.
  7. Adjust for growth: The process evolves.

One line especially jumped out at me because it applies to you and me:

It’s not about brilliance. Valuable new ideas are the product of hard work and smart, disciplined processes.

I’ve read a couple of Ram’s books but two of my favorites are “Profitable Growth Is Everyone’s Business: 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning” and “What the CEO Wants You to Know : How Your Company Really Works”. Definitely worth picking up.

Enjoy that post?

Subscribe via the RSS feed or email updates and get the latest posts without checking the site.

Want to think like an investor?

Leave a Comment or a Question




Explore Results Junkies

  • Some lessons I wish I learned earlier in life
  • The 80/20 Rule
  • The Best Way To Spend $20, Today
  • On building awesome business applications
  • Summer Interns: Rules of the Road (and How to Kick Ass)