Peter Skarzynski, CEO, Strategos has a new book out, Innovation to the Core: A Blueprint for Transforming the Way Your Company Innovates. He provided lots of tips, real world examples, and humor.

How to succeed:

1. Listen to those closest to the problem; create a high trust organization and internal markets (Used Whole Foods as an example)

2. Humility: always someone smarter; example, CEO Best Buy; using collective wisdom and energy — you and others; Whirlpool welcoming ideas; Goldcorp Inc — global brainstorming

3. Focus on what’s important, the business model — who do we serve, what do we provide, how do we make money ….; dare to be radical – does it have power to change customer expectations; Allstate example of accident forgiveness

4. Teach. Learn. Apply. (rinse & repeat) — innovation & perspective

5. Challenge orthodoxy, challenge thinking and operations

6. Harness disruption (inevitable surprise); Second Life an example, virtual reality to reality is virtual, what can we do there?

7. Harness unarticulated needs of customers; social connections

8. Please crash (safely)

9. Approach systematically