Safi Bahcall: The 4 Rules for Generating Loonshots

Safi Bahcall: The 4 Rules for Generating Loonshots

What are loonshots? How can organizations cultivate a culture where innovative ideas thrive? Loonshots are innovative ideas that change the world (e.g., insulin, radar, computer animation). Initially, loonshots are dismissed as crazy and overly ambitious. For this reason, loonshots almost don’t make it. In his book Loonshots, Safi Bahcall argues that organizations can deliberately cultivate these kinds of ideas. He presents four rules for nurturing loonshots and explains how organizations can keep innovating no matter how big they grow. Let’s explore Bahcall’s four rules for generating loonshots.

Organizational Decision-Making: 3 Ways to Set the Tone

Organizational Decision-Making: 3 Ways to Set the Tone

When it comes to decision-making in your organization, how much power do you and your employees have? How fast are decisions made? What happens immediately after a decision is made? In his book What You Do Is Who You Are, Ben Horowitz discusses how decision-making is an aspect of your organization’s culture. As the leader, you set the tone for how decisions are made. Horowitz identifies three choices you make that determine what kind of decision-making culture you build. Keep reading for details on these three choices.

Balancing Growth and Continued Innovation

Balancing Growth and Continued Innovation

Why do large organizations struggle to innovate? How can you sustain innovation in your organization as it grows? Maintaining innovation is a major concern for organizations as they grow. According to Safi Bahcall, the author of Loonshots, it’s possible to balance growth with continued innovation. The key, he says, is to balance stake with rank. Here’s how organizations can keep innovating no matter how big they grow, according to Safi Bahcall.

The 3 Cultural Challenges That Leaders Face

The 3 Cultural Challenges That Leaders Face

As you strive to shape the culture of your organization, what should you expect? How flexible should you be? Does every employee need to be on board? In his book What You Do Is Who You Are, CEO and venture capitalist Ben Horowitz discusses three cultural challenges that leaders face as they seek to shape their organization’s culture. He explains that they must deal with the fact that culture is both aspirational and actionable, culture is always evolving, and culture is universal. Continue reading to learn more about these challenges.

Overcoming the 3 Major Obstacles to Innovation

Overcoming the 3 Major Obstacles to Innovation

What are the major obstacles to innovation in organizations? Why do innovative ideas get shot down? According to Safi Bahcall, the major obstacle to innovation is disbelief: Groundbreaking innovative ideas are often dismissed as crazy and overly ambitious. He calls such ideas “loonshots”  (loonshot = loony + moonshot). In addition, innovation-focused companies may fall into traps that keep them from innovating successfully. Here are three traps that kill innovation.

How to Improve Company Culture: 3 Tips From Prison

How to Improve Company Culture: 3 Tips From Prison

Does your company culture need improvement? If so, where should you start? What practical steps can you take to make lasting change? In the book What You Do Is Who You Are, Ben Horowitz shares three cultural leadership lessons taken from the story of Shaka Senghor. Senghor demonstrated transformational leadership when he served in prison. Horowitz discusses three lessons from Senghor’s story: take advantage of teachable moments, start necessary changes from the top, and meet daily to model changes. Keep reading to learn how to improve company culture.

A Look at Scrum vs. Traditional Project Management

A Look at Scrum vs. Traditional Project Management

In what ways are the traditional project management methods flawed? How does the Scrum method overcome those flaws? In his book Scrum, Jeff Sutherland compares the Scrum method to more traditional management methods, such as the Waterfall method. Sutherland points out that these traditional methods don’t work well because they’re based on unrealistic optimism, whereas the Scrum method is based on flexibility and reality. Let’s take a look at Scrum vs. traditional project management methods.

Safi Bahcall: How to Encourage Innovation

Safi Bahcall: How to Encourage Innovation

How can companies encourage innovative thinking? What can you, as a leader, do to inspire creative ideation that translates into a useful innovation? According to Safi Bahcall, the author of Loonshots, companies focused on innovation should separate innovators from implementers. This is because innovation tends to occur in a climate that’s highly unstructured. Successful implementation, however, needs order and structure. Here’s how to encourage innovation in your organization.

How to Assess Culture: Lessons From Shaka Senghor

How to Assess Culture: Lessons From Shaka Senghor

How often do you take the pulse of your company’s culture? Do you have a system to diagnose and solve problems? CEO and venture capitalist Ben Horowitz says you must keep assessing and improving your organization’s culture to ensure that it continues to serve your vision. He draws insights from Shaka Senghor’s story to pinpoint ways to keep a critical eye on your culture, root out the problems, and ultimately improve your organization. Here’s Shaka Senghor’s story and how to assess the culture in your company.