Chicago Loses Olympics to Rio de Janiero

On October 2, 2009

Chicago Loses Olympics to Rio de Janiero

The International Olympic Committee has chosen Rio de Janiero as the site for its 2016 Summer Olympics, deciding against frontrunners Tokyo, Chicago and Madrid. Not surprisingly, Chicago, which had Oprah Winfrey, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle to stumping for the city in Copenhagen, was left astonished to be the first city cut from the proceedings. Several ideas were mulled over why Chicago lost the bid: antipathy towards the United States and its policies, dislike of Obama's celebrity and not sending Michael Jordan. Although astonishment slowly gave way to acceptance, according to polls many Chicagoans didn't want the Olympics there. The $4.8 billion plan for an Olympic village, stadium and other venues, would leave residents with decades of debt not to mention...
On October 2, 2009

Why There’ll Probably Be No “Green Bubble”

Investors have been concerned about a "green bubble" from speculation in environmentally-friendly firms all year. Some even suggest that the bubble has already burst, at least in terms of support from politicians and the public. The most common bubble-beware argument suggests venture capitalists will repeat their dot-com mistakes and throw billions away at the green version of Pets.com. But there are plenty of reasons why the dot-com/green-tech analogy doesn't quite hold up. For one, many investors have been, and still are, quite skeptical about whether the green revolution is real. Also, there have been no significant land grabs yet (with the possible exception of managing "smart" electric grids due to new regulations) brought on by advances as significant as the...


On October 2, 2009

Finding a Suitable Business Venture

Quite often, people assume that entrepreneurs always have a plan or direction, but that isn't always the case. It is true that entrepreneurs get a strong urge to open a business, but in many cases, they don't instantly know what it will be.

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On October 2, 2009

IBM Sets Up Shop in the Business-Apps Bargain Basement

IBM has launched LotusLive iNotes, an email and mobile mail service that interoperates with Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. The package includes calendaring and contact management services. iNotes can be deployed to work with an existing on-premise email application or as a company's sole system.
On October 2, 2009

Should You Manage Like Howard Stern? Probably Not

Like many talented people, Howard Stern is as dysfunctional as they come. But it just so happens that he likes to air his organization's dirty laundry on the air, which is wildly entertaining and provides about the best lesson on how not to manage you'll ever find. Believe it or not, I've had worse CEOs!
On October 2, 2009

High Schooler Takes Amazon to Task for Deletions

Amazon's own Orwellian moment last spring may never be repeated, thanks to a high school student in Michigan named James Gawronski. According a document filed with the U.S. District Court in Seattle, first obtained by TechFlash, Gawronski sued Amazon in federal court after it deleted George Orwell's 1984 and Animal House from everyone's Kindles a few months back, claiming that his "copious notes" on 1984 were destroyed in the process. Amazon and Gawronski (plus an additional plaintiff) have now settled the matter. According to the court document, "Amazon will not remotely delete or modify" ebooks and other works from Kindles or similar devices "unless (a) the user consents to such deletion or modification; (b) the user requests a refund for...
On October 2, 2009

Exxon CEO Tillerson’s Argument For a Carbon Tax

Exxon Mobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson renewed his push for a straight tax on greenhouse gas emissions in a speech last night, touting the benefits of a plan that would give companies a predictable cost and keep the government from picking energy winners and losers. The head of the world's largest publicly trade company has been on the pro-carbon tax circuit for at least two years now. For many folks, including environmentalists and policymakers, Tillerson lacks credibility. It's not so much that he leads the largest energy company in the U.S. It has more to do with the company's active denial of climate change -- a stance it has since backed away from a little bit. Putting Exxon's past aside, for a...


On October 2, 2009

Why I’m Following the Disruption

A central argument of this blog is that every company must grapple with the reality that their current business model has a finite life, which means seeking reinvention and transformation.

Leaders, too, need to constantly think about how they can reinvent and transform themselves.

My own transformation begins this month as I transition from running Innosight's consulting operations to head up Innosight Ventures, Innosight's incubation and investing arm, in Singapore. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to move from advising companies on issues of disruptive innovation to the true front line of disruption.

Innosight Ventures has proven the most promising of Innosight's experiments. We set Innosight Ventures up a few years ago as a separate entity to incubate and invest in disruptive growth ventures. We very intentionally kept the business separate because of its distinct business model.

In that time period Innosight Ventures created close to 100 business plans, tested about a dozen ideas in markets, and has gained traction with four ventures: a laundry services business in India, a men's grooming business in India, an online education business, and a unique funding partnership with the Singaporean government.

Innosight Ventures' mission is to use the principles and patterns of disruptive innovation to foster the creation of booming growth businesses that improve the lives of unserved and underserved customers around the world. We do so by incubating and investing in the disruptive business models that venture capitalists ignore and corporations fumble.

There's a heavy emerging market focus to the business, with small offices in Singapore and India. The focus is consistent with a perception that the odds are very high that the West's innovation leadership will decrease, if not disappear in coming years. I plan to spend substantial time in Asia throughout the remainder of this year and move to Singapore in early 2010.

This kind of transition of course carries substantial risks. I will face new challenges that are completely different from what I have encountered on the consulting side of our business. On the flip side, using our tools in different ways will drive new learning that will increase our overall ability to make innovation more predictable.

I'll continue to blog on a regular basis, of course, with my focus increasingly encompassing on-the-ground learning and Asian-based examples.

I suggest those of you contemplating your own career in the face of the challenges and opportunities presented by today's economy consider three questions:

  1. What are you doing to expose yourself to new challenges?
  2. How can you get closer to the "action" in your field or organization?
  3. What can you do to get closer to transformational efforts in your company?

I'm greatly looking forward to taking the next step in my disruptive journey — and in sharing the learning with you.


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