Archives for July 2014

The Necessity of Failure: Enable Risk Taking to Fully Engage Employees in Driving Innovation

I work with companies large and small who are trying to develop a sustainable innovation practice. They don’t just want to launch an idea on a wing and a prayer. They want to find a repeatable process that can improve their chances of success. Admittedly they have tried the wing and prayer route before and they know it doesn’t work. The truth is that most of these disruptive or exponential innovation initiatives don’t succeed. They fail. The challenge that these companies face is that they are trying to build the tools and processes but they struggle to address the culture. They never address the necessity of failure.

Continue Reading

Former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak Discusses Government, Innovation and the Role of Failure

Last year I began writing an online column for Pollen titled Facing Failure as an effort to spark a discussion on the importance of failure in driving innovation in the non-profit, education, and government sectors.  Most of us would prefer to avoid failure and the pain that it can cause but to truly create something new mistakes will need to be made along the way.  In politics, a “failed” initiative can quickly sabotage a political career which is why most politicians are quick to dismiss or gloss over their shortcomings.  But there are some politicians are trying to reframe the discussion with candor and transparency.  I am excited to share my recent interview with one such politician, former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

Continue Reading

Signup for Matt's Periodic Updates

Receive periodic email updates from Matt Hunt including his published pieces, updates on his progress, and more!