The Mindset for Innovation

The Mindset for InnovationSEATTLE  –  20 October, 2013. By Kristiina Hiukka

Last week in Seattle the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) unveiled the Bezos Innovation Center. The Center tangibly demonstrates the innovation power of Seattle. The exhibition space is engrossing, entertaining and very interactive. I love it. It is a fabulous place to spend a day for tourists and Seattleites alike!

Seattle is said to be a hotbed of innovation. After touring the innovation exhibit at MOHAI I do agree. Seattle companies from commercial airplanes and coffee to software, electric toothbrush and online commerce have been born in the gray rain of the Emerald city. Jeff Bezos – the innovator of Amazon – and his wife, author MacKenzie Bezos donated $10 Million for the center. At the opening he said there are three traits that he attributes to an innovator: 1) willingness to fail, 2) willingness to be misunderstood, and 3) childlike curiosity. Continue reading The Mindset for Innovation

Gender Balance Leads to Better Innovations

“Gender Balance Rules” according to a leading expert, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox.

Better InnovationSEATTLE, October 8, 2013 – Gender equality is not the same as gender balance, explains Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, author of Why Women Mean Business and How Women Mean Business. Gender balance in organizations is not a women’s issue, not even a diversity issue; instead, it is at the heart of strategic business decisions. It is a bottom line issue. We at WIN had an extraordinary opportunity to interview Avivah about her insights recently.  These points are educational and important for every leader to hear as they work on their strategies. You can get access to the whole series of 15 short videos by signing up for them here. The videos are between 2 – 5 minutes long so you can watch when you have a moment. Sign up here.

Avivah covers a wide range of topics like: Effects of the gender gap, Organizational multilingualism, Why STEM is not attracting girls, Why gender balance matters, Change starts at the top, Stop framing gender balance as a women’s issue, Why “leaning in” is outdated, Women can succeed without becoming like men, Domination is not the goal, Top leadership needs to be better informed, Moving from fixing women to building management competencies, Gender balance matters in small businesses too, and Bad bosses come in both genders. Watch one, watch all of them – you’ll be glad you did!