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

Improve products using guerrilla research to better understand the customers’ problem. Monal Chokshi, head of UX Research for Lyft, shares five lean principles for getting out of the office and having conversations with customers. Read and watch at http://www.mindtheproduct.com/2017/02/guerrilla-research-can-improve-product/

7 flaws of product management and innovation. From the Cisco Blog, Biren Gandhi extends insights from the book “Winning the Brain Game: Fixing the 7 Flaws of Thinking” to product management and innovation. See the details of all seven at https://blogs.cisco.com/innovation/7-fatal-flaws-of-innovation

How product managers can help others improve innovation skills. This article provides three simple insights product managers can share with others to improve innovation. (1) The willingness to change, (2) not settling for good enough, and (3) actions to assemble an innovative community. Read about each at http://www.forbes.com/sites/jackzenger/2017/02/02/3-simple-ways-to-improve-your-innovation-skills

Three ways to characterize what innovation is. (1) Break things, (2) flip things, and (3) increment and improve. When discussing what innovation is with people, many different perspectives emerge. These three cover much, but not all of innovation. Read about them at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ceyhun-yakup-oezkardes/post_13889_b_14100282.html

6 skills product leaders need to create innovation. You have heard it before – leaders of organizations say innovation is a top priority, but their actions don’t’ support the rhetoric. In private conversations with senior leaders, the issue is often that they lack knowledge of how to innovate. And, not only should senior leaders know how to innovate – any product leader should. Read about the six leadership skills needed at http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertbtucker/2017/02/09/six-innovation-leadership-skills-everybody-needs-to-master/

Radical innovation needs a portfolio approach. This is sixth in a series about how organizations can embrace radical (the new new) innovation. Product managers often hear about this in the context of the 3 horizons, with horizon three being the projects that you do today to prepare for radical innovation in 5 to 10 years. Read about radical innovation being part of an organization’s portfolio at http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhinssen/2017/02/06/how-to-secure-radical-innovation-with-a-portfolio-approach/

Simple steps for making an organization more innovative. Inexpensive, even cost-saving constraints, exist to foster an innovation culture. Here are some ideas from Fast Company https://www.fastcompany.com/3067814/innovation-agents/three-cheap-ways-every-company-can-innovate-by-the-end-of-this-quarter

Want to be innovative – focus on culture first. Many leaders spend time focusing on strategy, but it is the culture that creates the values of a company. When everything else is similar, culture is what separates good companies from great companies. And, that culture must support innovation. Read how at http://www.forbes.com/sites/chriscancialosi/2017/02/07/why-culture-is-the-heart-of-organizational-innovation/2