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

 

3 keys to product success the Amazon way. (1) A customer-obsessed culture pays dividends, (2) Big (quantitative) data is great, but innovators need to master “small data” too, (3) Better innovation requires a better process. Read about each at https://www.psfk.com/2017/10/big-data-killing-innovation.html

A detailed guide of the do’s and dont’s of getting a product management job. This aeronautical engineer turned product manager shares what was learned after numerous employment applications, hundreds of interview questions, and a whole lot of rejection. If you are looking for a product role, read this article at https://medium.com/pminsider/breaking-into-product-what-i-wish-i-knew-ad22e99e8b26

What does a product manager do each day? This is the article to answer that question… https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/what-exactly-does-a-product-manager-do-all-day-anyhow

In a creativity slump? Try these 12 tools. These tools come from the Forbes Technology Council. Any group can get stuck thinking about problems in the same manner over time. To bring new creativity to problems, experiment with one or more of these tools https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/10/03/invigorating-innovation-12-ways-you-can-overcome-creative-slumps/#37e94d3a69bf

4 different approaches to creating an innovation function in your organization. (1) Labs, (2) investment, (3) all hands, and (4) champions. Which approach is right depends on your stage of growth as an organization, objectives, and resources. Read about each at http://www.oliverrees.co.uk/building-an-innovation-function-within-a-corporate-environment/

The steps for setting up an innovation team. Innovation must be part of an organization’s culture, but that is a challenge to change quickly. One approach is to begin with an innovation team that can create some visible “wins” for the organization that infects the organizational culture in the process. Read how to use this approach http://blog.hackerearth.com/innovation-management/how-to-setup-innovation-team

Want innovation? Get the right innovation leadership. Effect innovation leaders have four characteristics: (1) insight, (2) integrity, (3) courage, and (4) agility. Read about each in this important article at https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/leadership-in-innovation-needs-innovation-in-leadership

10 skills the best innovation managers have. (1) Business case-oriented, (2) project-oriented, (3) able to manage failure and exceptions, (4) willing to change, (5) curious, and five more at https://www.boardofinnovation.com/innnovation-manager-how-to-hire-guide-examples/

Is the cost of innovation rising and results dwindle? If you find discussing if innovation is actually slowing or increasing, this Economist article will be of interest. Research findings are shared that in the US the cost of new-to-the-world innovation is increasing but not dramatically slowing and the outlook for other countries is more positive. Details at https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21729746-exploitation-currently-available-knowledge-far-complete-cost