Look at More

Why does real innovation elude so many companies, including the biggest corporations with the best technical processes, the cheapest resources, and a Chief Innovation Officer in place to implement corporate-wide innovation strategies? The problem, in all these cases, is that they are lacking inspiration. Not to be confused with the burst of energy that sometimes occurs after reports of amplified quarterly earnings or the arrival of a charismatic new leader (both of those are real but tend to be short term), inspiration -- as defined and outlined in this book - is a discipline. It is a systematic approach that, when applied consistently, brings long-term, sustainable results.
 
So how do we inspire people? Well, it's all about learning to think differently and encouraging others to do the same. Unfortunately, for most of us, that's not something that happens all by itself. It is, however, a rigorous discipline that can be developed and sharpened with practice. It's also an approach. At Play, we call that process LAMSTAIH, which stands for Look At More Stuff; Think About It Harder. LAMSTAIH (pronounced "lamb's tie"), written in five-foot-high letters in Play's office, has also become part of the daily vocabulary of some of the largest corporations in the world, who hire Play to help them acquire the practical skills, leadership behavior, and cultural mindset to create ideas and drive innovation.
 
Look at More Stuff teaches you how to harness inspiration in order to achieve successful innovation. By focusing on the front end of the Inspiration-Creativity-Innovation continuum, this book brings a fresh perspective to a popular conversation that is experiencing fatigue. While other books on innovation focus on the output and organizational mechanics of Innovation, this book explores the often overlooked, and arguably, the most important, front-end of the continuum - people.
 
Look at More Stuff is designed to be an individual and organizational guide for harnessing Inspiration. It is filled with strategies, tactics, insights, and cases that show how you can instill inspiration at an individual, team, and organizational level. CEOs, managers and entrepreneurs alike will find this book an invaluable tool for navigating the ever-hungry innovation mandate and turning inspiration into a strategic competitive advantage. Readers will find road-tested recommendations that have been successfully implemented in leading organizations, digestible how-to's and colorful anecdotes told in Stefanovich's inimitable storytelling style.

Praise for Look At More "Andy Stefanovich is a masterful storyteller and a true 'curator of inspiration.' Look At More gives you a dose of Andy's adrenaline and creative can-do spirit, and it provides you with a powerful how-to guide for inspiring workplace innovation that lasts."-Beth Comstock, chief marketing officer, GE "Andy Stefanovich has always exhorted his clients to 'look at more stuff, think about it harder.' With this inspired and inspiring book, he shares dozens upon dozens of ways to put that principle to work. Look At More offers a way to real business transformation." -Daniel H. Pink, author, A Whole New Mind and Drive "Andy offers the reader a unique insight into what it really takes to create innovation within the structure of a corporate environment today. Andy doesn't think outside the box. He blows it up and starts again, helping large corporations think and behave like start-ups." -Duncan Wardle, vice president, Creative Inc., Disney Company "Andy Stefanovich delivers a host of innovative approaches to transform you and your business. The addictive narrative, while informative and actionable, is as creative as he wants us all to be."-Ivy Ross, executive vice president, marketing, Gap Brand at Gap Inc. "Look At More gives business leaders a practical and comprehensive framework to build, maintain, and most importantly inspire innovation not only at work but in all parts of life."-Stew Friedman, Wharton professor and author, Total Leadership

Introduction.
 
1 Mood.
 
2 Mindset.
 
3 Mechanisms.
 
4 Measurement.
 
5 Momentum.
 
6 Full Circle: The Sixth M.
 
Appendix: The Scientific Stuff.
 
Notes.
 
Acknowledgments.
 
About the Author.
 
Index.