by Nathan Meffert on May 22, 2012
Photo: MadGrin
If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.
-Attributed to Zen Master Linji
I spend a lot of time in the lean space these days. Most of my work is with an advanced manufacturing company and we are busy designing pathways to lean.
Personally, I find that the design perspective in general opens me to a broader range of problems and solutions and, by extension, a more integrated approach than does the lean method. But, here’s what I really think. I think Taiichi Ohno, the founder of lean, was really answering a design question for his business: How do we eliminate waste (and thereby increase productivity) in a production environment today and for the long haul? [Read More…]
by Nathan Meffert on May 10, 2012
Photo: steveblank.com
I was on the edge of starvation.
At least it felt that way, as I looked at my first protein in three days of foraging gently roasting on a stone just out of reach of the glowing red coals. Three garter snakes.
Later, I’d add the minimal meat to a broth of wild carrot, nettle, spring onion, and garlic mustard. The first taste of the finished soup would redefine nutrition in my mind forever. There’s no parallel to the feeling of nutrient dense wild food disbursing to a truly hungry body.
And yes, this was voluntary. I’d actually spent several years preparing for that trip. It was my first true wilderness survival experience and, little did I know, I was learning lessons in entrepreneurship at the same time. [Read More…]
by Nathan Meffert on March 31, 2012
Photo: www.ideo.com
Phew! I’ve got some serious reading to do. I’m trying to keep up a steady clip of 1-2 book reviews a week.
So far, so good. But my years-old copy of Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics is looking more and more interesting to me every day.
This week, I looked at Chip and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick and today, Tom Kelley’s The Art of Innovation. I loved getting into the trenches with Tom. His view of IDEO from 2001 is really worth a look.
Things have evolved a lot since then, of course, but many of the challenges that design and innovation face still remain. Also, the foundations of design and innovation come across as truly timeless.
Even though I’m not sure that Thomas Edison was explicitly mentioned, it was clear that The Art of Innovation would have made him proud. I was constantly reminded that Edison was famously quoted as saying “I never even failed once. [Inventing the lightbulb] just happened to be a 2,000 step process”. Tom Kelley and IDEO’s version is to “fail forward”. [Read More…]
by Nathan Meffert on March 26, 2012
Photo: www.heathbrothers.com
Why is change hard?
Have you ever tried to break a habit, only to have it creep back in 3 months later? I have. I’m going through that with running right now.
I go through three month cycles with running. First I’m up on it, then I’m down. I’m hitting the trails three times per week, then a dry spell. Apparently, I haven’t been sticky enough with myself.
Made To Stick‘s subtitle sums things up tidily: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. The book was a great read and, whether you’re trying to get new products, ideas, approaches, strategies, or methods to stick, it’s going to be a HUGE help. Read it, practice it, stick it.
Now, how do I apply it to the conversations in my head…?
Hm. Enough diversion. Here’s the review. [Read More…]
by Nathan Meffert on March 22, 2012
Photo: businessmodelgeneration.com
Thanks a lot, Alexander Osterwalder.
No seriously. Thanks a LOT.
Business Model Generation is a book that ties some important threads together into one very important thread. It is a book that everyone on the planet should probably own. It goes beyond language, it’s driven by visuals. It’s universal feel makes it like the cave art of business design.
As I read it, I can almost picture our distant ancestors sketching out their transition from the hunter-gatherer business model to the agricultural business model on cave walls using the Business Model Canvas, or in the sand below their feet.
And I think that’s where this book’s strengths lie.
The Business Model Canvas that is the “spine” of the book is simple and straightforward. It makes me want to build an interdisciplinary team with my grandma and my 1-year-old cousin. I think we could build something pretty cool with this tool.
Anyways. Here’s my review… [Read More…]
