Each week I scour articles, wading through the dogs, and bringing you the best insights to help product managers, developers, and innovators be heroes.

Another reminder why new products need a workable business model. The field of dreams is the promise of “if you build it, they will come.” Products (wrongly) get created this way – product first, customer second, revenue third. Instead, the business model should be investigated early, before the product is created. Using the Lean Canvas is one tool I recommend to help product managers think through the business model while crafting new product concepts. Read about problems with not considering the business model early at https://blog.intercom.io/good-products-bad-businesses/

How product managers can create new ideas. Create the right mindset by first understanding product goals, such as increasing the number of customers or decreasing the volume of customer service inquires. Next perform primary research (know your customers) and secondary research (market and environment influences). Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-de-haaff/proven-ways-product-manag_b_11480252.html

2-year study looks at employees attitude at most innovative companies – Microsoft beats Apple. Innovation culture encompasses how employees feel about the work they do. In this study, Microsoft is found to be more innovative than Apple and Facebook is lagging in creativity. Take a look at http://www.fastcompany.com/3062634/the-disconnect-between-staff-skill-and-public-perception-at-facebook-google-and-more

Should product managers be technical? As the need for product managers heats up, the list of qualifications in job postings is growing. Some stress technical skills and even engineering or computer science degrees. For some organizations, technical chops are most important for product managers, but this is not the norm. Read just how technical (or not) you need to be… https://under10consulting.com/articles/technical/

Building your product team – interview with Steven Sinofsky, former MS Windows President. Steven shares that effective product leadership is not simple, but there are distinct actions to take. Read the interview at https://blog.mixpanel.com/2016/08/11/steven-sinofsky-product-leadership/

Conduct anthropological studies (ethnography) to know how people really feel. The context of the articles is product development for airlines but the points apply to product management in general. People are poor communicators of how they feel and why they feel what they do. Instead, insights are gained by making observations of customers instead of directly interacting with customers. Learn more at http://apex.aero/2016/08/18/anthropological-approaches-airline-product-development

Top 4 innovation skills for future careers. What are the skills innovators need? What about the skills that are most valued by employers? One study suggests communication, strategic thinking, leadership, and creative problem-solving. This article reviews several studies and offers suggestions for innovators…http://www.innovationtraining.org/innovation-skills-for-the-future/

Steps for infusing culture with innovation where you work. Innovation doesn’t just happen in organizations. Steps must be taken to make it happen, including shaping the culture to support innovation. However, by making both operational excellence and innovation excellence priorities, a supportive culture will emerge. See how at https://yourstory.com/2016/08/perfect-innovation-culture-work/

The largest hackathon in the universe – NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge. An innovation incubator that crowdsources solutions to common problems using NASA’s data is an impressive weekend hackathon. Read about this open-source approach to innovation at https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/GovLearning-Blog/2016/08/Cross-Functional-Collaboration-Leads-to-Innovation-at-NASA

What is a Chief Innovation Officer? Idea generator, collaborator, problem solver, pilot maker, team builder, resource leverager, … Interestingly, some state governments have CINO positions too. Read the description of a CINO for state government that applies well also to companies … http://www.govtech.com/people/What-Is-a-Chief-Innovation-Officer.html