I was privileged to be a guest speaker recently on the topic of innovation as part of an overall theme of "Preparing Your Business for the Economic Recovery." Thank you to Mickey Moore, a consultant and leader in value driven planning and the "Doodlebug" methodology, plus the teams from the Institute of Independent Business," and "the La Cima Business Alliance," for putting together a great event. The luncheon meeting was well attended by DFW business leaders, and it was evident that the topic is at the forefront of everyone's mind.
Key takeaways from the panelists and participants include:
1) Social technology is becoming more pervasive - indeed it was a "hot" topic at the event. You don't have to invest in all of them, but determine the best technologies to use to support your business strategy.
2) Make STRATEGIC investments now to be prepared as the economy improves - the costs to "catch up" with the market and technology will increase exponentially if you lapse in skills and leadership.
3) Focus on human capital investments to increase revenue and maximize cost savings - the right people are the key to your business success.
4) "Follow the money" for signs of recovery and timely and targeted investments.
5) Innovation is essential to differentiate your products and maximize ROI for investments - determine now which investments to enhance and protect as key business strategies and others to commoditize.
As I think about our discussion from that day and observe positive signs of change, I recommend we continue to explore the topic. Send me examples of innovations and investments that are making a difference in your business and career. Watch for my next post for additional insights from the presentation and recent research. It's great to be back again after a break from blogging!
New research from IBM provides a very good definition of "An Agile CFO." It is the best definition I've found recently for the role of the CFO in innovation. It is taken from The Institute for Business Success, 
I've been speaking frequently on the topic of innovation since the beginning of the year, and I continue to be excited and thrilled with the opportunities. The responses that I'm getting from the engagements and in reviewing leading industry and academic research indicate that innovation is still THE most important and urgent business topic today. If innovation is not the #1 priority for a chief executive, it remains in the top 3 priorities making it critical to most everyone's business plan. Whether my audience is composed of executives from large firms or a group that contains people in non-management roles, the top questions I receive are "how can I contribute to innovation," and "how do we create a more innovative environment?"
In my last post, I suggested that you watch for "not to miss" upcoming posts. My absence from posting was longer than anticipated, but I want to update you with insights and incredible research from Michael Cox, senior vice president and chief economist for the Dallas Federal Reserve. He was the guest speaker for the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) in Dallas in November. He gave a one- and- a-half hour riveting presentation on globalization based on his Dallas Fed research and knowledge and his personal experiences traveling globally. No one left the room early and, at times, the silence and attentiveness of the large crowd was palpable.
I hope that all of you are enjoying the holiday season as much as I am. What a great time to share a spirit of worship and thanks, generosity through giving, and anticipation for a new year. The holidays also challenge us as we add new activities into already full schedules. I'm catching up today on writing about several recent noteworthy events. 
Whether you find your business in the best of times or the worst of times, innovation can help you grow your business. In the best of times, innovation investments will help you increase your existing competitive advantage beyond that of your competitors. In the worst of times, innovation and creativity are your best opportunities to achieve stability, produce new products and services, and optimize your investments.
Have you recently considered how critical the skill of collaboration is to your company? As I thought about the importance of collaboration, I realized how many vendors are, and will continue to be, required to develop and deliver wireless and mobile services over the next five years. Wireless and mobile technology offers your company many opportunities for innovation and gaining market share. However, the technology, protocols, global restrictions, service and customer considerations are highly complex. Staff doesn't need to have all the technical knowledge, but service delivery will be much more achievable if they can...communicate and collaborate.
"What will be the key mobile and wireless technology trends through 2011? How will the mobile strategies of wireless service providers, device manufacturers and software companies evolve? How will corporations choose and use mobility?" These are just three out of several hundred questions and possible scenarios, accompanied by strategic planning assumptions, presented by Gartner, and large corporate, executives at the Gartner Wireless and Mobile conference this week in Grapevine, TX. I attended the conference to get a look at the current status and future trends in wireless and mobile technology to assist my clients in determining their best investment strategies. 
