Idea Time Innovation with Dr. Jo North

How to Lead and Manage Change

Leading and managing change is one of the most essential skills leaders, managers, innovators and entrepreneurs need in business today.

 

Everything around us is always changing, and our businesses need to be able to respond dynamically to those changes.

 

Plus, resistance to change gets in the way of great ideas happening. Imagine if all the unused, uncommunicated great ideas that people in the business had thought of over time were stacked in a room.

 

Not all of them would be gold dust, but the combined potential of the best ones would be massive.

 

Often people have great ideas that just don’t go anywhere due to lack of confidence, know-how or self-imposed constraints and limiting beliefs. Sometimes because of the fear of how leaders might react.

 

This episode will help you to become a driving force for the business ideas you believe in, becoming a stronger, positive changemaker for your business.

 

The purpose of this week’s show is to give you the tools, techniques and confidence to develop, communicate, and influence to make your great initiatives and progress happen within the business.

 

Content includes:

• Blockers and accelerators – and what to do with them.
• Implementation bulletproofing, and stakeholder engagement.
• Understand resistance, why it happens and how to overcome it to motivate others to get on board and act.
• How to influence peers, leaders and the wider organisation with integrity to make new initiatives happen.

 

For more free innovation and facilitation resources, go to https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/ and fill your boots with lots of great stuff!

 

To find out more about my virtual facilitation, have a look at https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/virtual-facilitation/

Business Storytelling for Innovators, Facilitators & Change Makers

This week’s episode provides innovators, facilitators and change makers with the tools and confidence to engage, inspire and move others to make progress, take action and get on board with new initiatives through the power of stories.

Business storytelling is a powerful communications tool for connecting with and moving people, and it’s a learnable skill.

It includes:

Why we are all wired to engage with stories, and how to apply that to the work environment.

How to use stories to support innovation, transformation and change.

How to use stories to make strong connections with teams, including when working remotely.

For more free innovation and facilitation resources, go to https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/ and fill your boots with lots of great stuff!

To find out more about my virtual facilitation, have a look at https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/virtual-facilitation/

To explore more content on how to get ideas flowing in online meetings, you might enjoy this article, too https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/how-to-get-ideas-flowing-in-online-meetings/

 

I’d love to hear from you and answer any questions you have. Please do let me know what you think in the comments.

 

Mixed Mode Meetings - How to Combine Virtual and In Person Meetings

As the world is fortunately starting to open up once more, many workshop facilitators need to lead “mixed mode” meetings. These “mixed mode” meetings combine some delegates attending virtually, others in person.

The advantages of combined virtual and in-person workshops are that people across large distances can connect. Mixed mode does need special consideration and planning, however, to make sure that everyone gets the best experience from the meeting, and that you achieve the target outcomes from the meeting in your role as workshop facilitator.

Tune in to learn some really useful tools, tips and techniques that you can use to make your mixed mode meetings and workshops a resounding success.

For more free innovation and facilitation resources, go to https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/ and fill your boots with lots of great stuff!

To find out more about my virtual facilitation, have a look at https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/virtual-facilitation/

To explore more content on how to get ideas flowing in online meetings, you might enjoy this article, too https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/how-to-get-ideas-flowing-in-online-meetings/

I’d love to hear from you, and answer any questions you have. Please do let me know what you think in the comments.

Innovation in Highly Regulated Industries - Interview with National Nuclear Laboratory

In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Dr. Tim Whitworth and Paul Knight from the National Nuclear Laboratory in the UK.

National Nuclear Laboratory works globally at the forefront of nuclear science, providing knowledge, technology, and access to cutting-edge facilities to partners and customers.

Their innovative approach means their people embrace the opportunity to make new scientific discoveries, using them to create market-ready products and services that drive the nuclear industry forward in performance, safety, and impact.

In this episode we discuss:

• Who National Nuclear Laboratory are and what they do
• A day in the life of a 'nuclear innovator'
• Defining and discussing ‘Disruptive Innovation’
• How long does innovation take at NNL?
• Looking for innovation outside your own sector
• Innovating in a highly regulated and safety-critical environment
• Testing fast and failing fast
• Innovating using Tiger Teams - opening the innovation process to external teams
• Favorite innovation tools and techniques

For more free innovation and facilitation resources, go to https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/ and fill your boots with lots of great stuff!

You can sing out more about Dr. Tim Whitworth and Paul Knight and the National Nuclear Laboratory at https://www.nnl.co.uk/contact-us-national-nuclear-laboratory/

To find out more about my virtual facilitation, have a look at https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/virtual-facilitation/

To explore more content on how to get ideas flowing in online meetings, you might enjoy this article, too https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/how-to-get-ideas-flowing-in-online-meetings/

I’d love to hear from you and answer any questions you have. Please do let me know what you think in the comments.

Idea Generation Activities for Online Meetings

Our ideas are our competitive currency. They are what differentiate us, our team and our organisation from everyone else. They’re at the heart of innovation because, of course, everything starts with an idea. 

 But getting your team to have great ideas in your online meetings and remote workshops can be a challenge. Especially these days, when we are still spending so much time on Zoom, MS Teams, Google Hangouts and other platforms.  

 In this week’s show I’ll share some of my favourite, tried-and-tested idea generation activities that will add some creative sparks to your remote meetings and online events. They’ll infuse your virtual facilitation with dynamism, and your online workshops, innovation and design sprints with purposeful positivity and energy.  

 To find out more about my virtual facilitation, have a look at https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/virtual-facilitation/ 

 Tune in to find out how I use these innovation, brainstorming and creativity techniques in my virtual facilitation to get everyone engaged, problem-solving and solution finding: 

• Thirty circles 
• Random stimulus 
• Exaggeration 
• S.C.A.M.P.E.R. 
• Exaptation 
• Inspired by greatness 
• And more…! 

 For more free innovation and facilitation resources, go to https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/ and fill your boots with lots of great stuff! 

 To explore more content on how to get ideas flowing in online meetings, you might enjoy this article, too https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/how-to-get-ideas-flowing-in-online-meetings/ 

 I’d love to hear your favourites, too, and answer any questions you have. Please do let me know what you think in the comments. 

Make Your Business Ideas Happen! Innovation in Action

Do you have great ideas for your business, but never seem to have the time to make them happen?

Have you got so many plates spinning that innovation, initiatives that would grow your business and potential opportunities fall by the wayside?

This episode of the Idea Time Show will help you with practical tactics that you can use, starting right now, to turn those great ideas from a “maybe one day” to a right-now reality.

Find out:

• What we all need to achieve challenging goals
• How to create time to make your ideas happen
• What is great “project hygiene” and how you can achieve it
• Top tips for turning innovation into action

Learn more about Dr. Jo and her company, The Big Bang Partnership Limited, here: https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/what-we-do/

For great resources that will help you to innovate to grow your business, visit https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources

For my Idea Time book on Kindle, go to https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/idea-time-book-one

5 Brilliant Energizers for Online Meetings

In this episode, I share 5 of my favourite quick, creative, fun and effective energizers for your online meetings and remote workshops. They are awesome to have in your virtual facilitation toolkit!

And if you’d like even more where these came from, you’ll find 26 brilliant energizers for your online meetings here in my blog:

https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/26-online-energizers-for-virtual-teams-and-remote-meetings/

In the show, I explain how and why energizers work so well and are so important for your virtual meetings and remote team working.

I then share how to facilitate these energizers with your delegates:

• An active online quiz, poll or voting activity
• A virtual treasure hunt
• Desk pilates, desk yoga - and box breathing, as a bonus!
• The giant paper loop challenge
• The ‘what if…?’ random numbers and questions game

You might like to access the free resources here on my website:  https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/

If you’d like to get in touch to book me for a live virtual session in your business, just comment below or contact me https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk using the contact us section.

Leadership: From Zero to Authentic Hero with special guest Nick Bradley

Join me and my special guest, Nick Bradley, founder of Mandala Leaders, for this week’s podcast on leading innovation and change. Don't forget to get a free copy of Nick’s book,  Zero to Authentic Hero.

Zero to Authentic Hero is designed to help you be the best version of your authentic leadership self and achieve much more success with much less stress.

Nick is a successful businessman having worked in investment banking and management consultancy for 30 years. He has a passion for inspiring individuals and businesses to achieve their purpose. He has travelled to support companies throughout Europe and the US and his skills have been geared to both leading and supporting individuals and teams through times of crisis and then to travel that hard path to create growth and success both personally and professionally.

Nick is qualified in Leadership from The Cranfield University School of Management. He is a qualified Business and Leadership Coach with the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC) and a member of the Association of Business and Leadership Coaches (ABLC). In addition, Nick is qualified in Sports Psychology in Business. 

In the show, we discuss the 7 key steps of the leadership of innovation, change and challenge:

• Step 1: Understanding your beliefs
• Step 2: Having a clear purpose
• Step 3: Living your core values
• Step 4: Improving your skillset
• Step 5: Communicating with clarity
• Step 6: Living your legacy
• Step 7: Building in resilience

If you’d like to access more free resources on innovation and business growth, head over to https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/. There’s loads of great stuff waiting for you!

Find Your Unfair Advantage

An unfair disadvantage is behind every single business or career success story.

In this episode, I’ll show you why it’s important to identify your own Unfair Advantages and how to apply them to your business or career.

You’ll need more than hard work and determination, and I’ll explore the importance of money, intelligence, insight, location, education, expertise, status and luck in your success journey.

I’ll show you how you can apply your Unfair Advantages and how to create, demonstrate and communicate them in a way that’s relevant and appropriate.

Together we will think about 12 different types of Unfair Advantage:

• Your ideas
• How you do business
• What you know
• Your network and connections
• Brand equity, recall and reputation
• The right “expert” endorsements 
• Your brilliant team
• Personal authority and “thought-leadership”
• Community 
• Existing customers 
• First mover advantage
• Intellectual property

I’ll give you some questions and thought-provokers, so that you can think along with me, and develop your own Unfair Advantages statement.

You might like to access the free resources here on my website:  https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/

If you’d like to get in touch to book me for a live virtual session in your business, just comment below or contact me https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk using the contact us section.

How to do Competitor Analysis

The purpose of this episode is to create space and insight for you to think about some useful, pragmatic competitor analysis for your business, to support innovation and growth.

 

Competitor analysis evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of competitors’ current strategies to help identify opportunities and threats for your business to enhance your own strategy.

 

When seen through a customer-focused lens, competitor analysis is not about head-to-head comparisons.  Instead, it’s about assessing how much better or worse a product or service is at helping the customer get a job done.

 

Together in the show, we’ll explore the context of the changing world and why competitor analysis is important for you and your business, including these key global trends for 2021 and beyond:

• Health and wellbeing
• Collective empowerment
• Back to basics
• Community focus
• Virtual living
• Sustainable spaces
• Digital challenges

 

I’ll share how you can access the benefits of competitor analysis:

• Nail down or create your value proposition
• Better understand current market trends
• Better target your current customer base
• Uncover untapped markets that your competitors aren’t selling to
• Gather benchmark data to measure your growth against
• Find errors and gaps in your competitors’ strategies

 

You’re looking for learning to create opportunity.

It’s not about copying - it’s about outperforming, finding gaps and opportunities – innovation.

 

Be savvy.

 

Avoid "comparisonitis”.

 

Tune in to learn more, and access my 7-step process for effective competitor analysis:

1. Who are your competitors?
2. How do your products & services compare?
3. What additional intelligence on them do you need and why?
4. Get the intelligence
5. Combine the intelligence with customer needs and trends
6. Identify gaps and opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage
7. Create and communicate competitive differentiation

You might like to access the free resources here on my website:  https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk/resources/

 

If you’d like to get in touch to book me for a live virtual session in your business, just comment below or contact me https://www.bigbangpartnership.co.uk using the contact us section.