Take yourself out of this universe that you understand and put yourself in a universe that you create and get to have agency over. Dive headlong into joy, and you’ll create pathways that you can find even in your darkest moments.

What turns you on, emotionally? What is it that moves you? What is the driving emotional force that drives you forward toward change? This is the emotional engine.

You’ve got an idea for a story. Or a new product. Or a non-profit venture. You have something inside of you that is deeply personal. Something you love and cherish. You’ve nurtured this idea in secret and finally started to bring it to life. But the thoughts creep in.

What you’re building might break. Or malfunction. None of us want this to happen — but would you rather learn your fracture points during a big pitch? Or during the early phase of development? The answer is easy and obvious, but it is crucial not to skip thorough and comprehensive testing.

Everyone has heard of brainstorming, but how about assumption storming? You list all of the assumptions you can gather from the experts and do research about the standard organizational orthodoxies in your field. A portion of this information may include unalterable facts, but you may be surprised how much of this information isn’t set in stone.

If you’re developing a product or a service, there are certain essentials that you need to hit in oder to be successful. But there are also certain pitfalls that you should avoid at all costs. Randy Hetrick walks you through 6 things to avoid at all costs. Doing any these things could cost you a significant amount of time and money. Your reputation will take a hit. And worst of all, your great idea may never see the light of day.

Whether you’re beginning the process of getting a new product or service to market — or innovating something that already exists — there are certain strategies that will greatly improve your chances of success. Here are some of the most important elements of successful innovation, from someone who’s done it time and again, for over 20 years.

There is a value to noting the incremental improvement of processes — it’s essential. But it’s important not to confuse incremental change with completely new and innovative business models.

Saul started asking questions: Who are the Market Makers? How do you become one? What sort of thought processes to Market Makers employ? What would it look like if businesses and institutions adopted this mindset? The answers to these questions helped shape his career.

It’s easy to assign creativity solely to other people. There is no such thing as a noncreative setting. And there are no noncreative people. But creativity is a mindset. You have the ability to bring creativity to everything you do.

When businesses notice a problem, it’s tempting to assume that it’s complex and hire an outside consulting firm to conduct a rigorous audit. Sometimes, that’s the right answer.

How do you solicit feedback in a natural way that works for both you and the person you’re asking? Kim Scott talks about the best ways that she’s found to solicit specific, actionable feedback.

10 months later you’re managing a crisis with the rest of your team and now you have to act. What caused this? Why didn’t you say something sooner? The answer is Ruinous Empathy.