33voices interview with Soren Kaplan author of Leapfrogging.
The Power of Surprise
The term ‘breakthrough’ is one of those business metaphors that’s often referenced, but rarely achieved. And while most forward thinking companies are continually striving for something new, better and different; few are structured to handle the discomforts that accompany the cycle of innovation. Its becoming more apparent to me, that the more success an enterprise enjoys, the greater its aversion to risk becomes. I certainly believe there’s truth to the cliche, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, but in an era where consumers demand instant gratification, the winners will be those who use their ingenuity and cleverness to change the game. In his first book – Leapfrogging – Innovation consultant, Soren Kaplan encourages you to use the power of surprise as a primer to your next business breakthrough. You’ll learn that surprises come when you least expect them, but only appear when you’re looking for them. One of the ways to strategically tap the power of surprise is “to continually ask ourselves provocative questions and then go beyond our comfort zones by exploring new areas and giving ourselves and our organizations new experiences.” Here’s a good place to start……