Cooper hayes

The most important thing to know about innovation is that it's not the same as invention. I might even go as far as to say that, in the world of startups, invention is sort of immaterial. Just come up with problems that need to be solved and solutions that are unique and that people can actually use. More often than not, that will do the trick. where does innovation comes from? In Innovators Don't See Different Things - They See Things Differently, we talked about what  Malcolm Gladwell  calls the Creation Myth: that an innovator may not be the guy who comes up with the idea but the guy who turns that idea into something people can use. Driven by the need to prove something.                                  Innovative people are definitely on a mission to prove something to somebody and half the time I don't even think they know who. Passion.   Without passion and genuinely loving an...

  Improving leadership is an idea that can be difficult to grasp in tactical or practical ways. The first step to improving it is to define it. Our leadership definition, in its simplest form, means the act of getting individuals aligned and moving in the same direction toward a desired outcome. A key to effective leadership is the ability to define outcomes, but then helps individuals put their talents to use to get there. The best leaders know their people and are more aware of those people's strengths than they are of their weaknesses. Great leaders aren't blind to their own or others' weaknesses; they just know that their competitive edge lies within their strengths. Let's put this into perspective. A good leader takes responsibility for their leadership. They understand that everything they do directly affects the people they lead. In other words, the best leaders lead with their followers in mind. And one of the most important leadership traits is engaging your fo...

 Dreaming big doesn't have to mean we suddenly want to be a millionaire or become famous (although it could mean that for some of us). That's because "bigger" is a relative term. If we currently have no dreams, dreaming bigger might just mean we have a small goal that we want to reach. But even that is not always easy. If we knew how to dream bigger, we'd already do it, we might think. So how do you start dreaming bigger? Cultivate Confidence To achieve big things, first, you have to believe that you can. If we’re not sure we deserve to achieve big things, why would we try, right? That's why the first thing we need to dream big is to get a confidence boost. To get this boost, try to remember a time when you succeeded in doing something you set your mind to. Or, if you have a hard time, look for role models that dared to dream big and achieve more than was expected of them. Face Fear of Failure If you want to do something big, the fear can be intense. We might ...

  The power of positive thinking is remarkable. In fact, the idea that your mind can change your world almost seems too good to be true. I can assure you, however, that I have experienced AND witnessed the good that having a positive mindset can bring. Both positive and negative thoughts are powerful but have opposite results. Today I want to talk to you about how both can impact you, and how the power of  positive thinking  can truly transform every aspect of your life. Positive thinking means you look for solutions and expect to find them. You don’t ignore problems, but instead of complaining about them or letting them overpower you, you actively look for ways to overcome them. You take responsibility for your life on a consistent basis because you understand you are in control of how your life progresses. Here's the tip to turn invisible to visible. Know Yourself Identify what your unfavorable habits are so you can assess areas of needed change. Notice the thoughts you...

 Confidence is self-trust in your skills, choices, and values. It comes from within yourself and feels like an inner knowing of your strengths and weaknesses while still thinking positively about yourself. Varying levels of confidence can also show up in different situations. You may feel very confident in math because you were socialized and praised to succeed in your academic studies. You may feel less confident when it comes to public speaking because you've previously received criticisms from peers and haven't yet processed their feedback in a useful way. Again, the good news is that low self-confidence is fixable, and you are totally in charge of making it happen. Figure out where your lack of confidence stems from. Finding the root cause for low self-confidence can provide a map of how to build up more positive self-confidence. A good place to start is through self-reflection and journaling. Understand what self-confidence feels like for you. Take some time to figure out ...

 You were born with personal power. God gave you the ability to THINK, to KNOW and REASON, to SENSE and FEEL, and the determination and self-discipline to ACT. These gifts working in harmony give strength to your life and give you the PERSONAL POWER to manage your thoughts and emotions rather than let them be dictated by outside conditions. Personal power is the combined strength of three forces—your INTELLECT, SPIRIT and WILL—collaborating to bring vitality to your life—even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Personal power enables you to choose: Knowledge over ignorance Wisdom over foolishness Courage over fear Hard work over entitlement Hope over despair Humility over arrogance Appreciation over ungratefulness Love over hate Justice over unfairness Grace over condemnation Inclusiveness over alienation Service over self-interest Six enablers that will strengthen personal power. Know what you stand for. If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. Your person...

  Destiny, fate, karma, serendipity – whatever you call it, the idea that life is determined by powers beyond our control is as old as time. It appears in Greek mythology, ancient Chinese storytelling and in every culture around the world. But what if destiny wasn’t real? What if you could  control your destiny ? Believing that you  control your own destiny  means you have recognized your internal locus of control. It means you take responsibility for your thoughts and actions and their outcomes. By thinking this way, you can become unstoppable. You can learn  how to control your destiny .  ACCEPT REALITY To  control your destiny , you must first accept who you are and where you are, right now. If you fool yourself into thinking that you’re further along in your goals than you really are, you’ll leave yourself with nothing to accomplish. At the same time, don’t convince yourself that your life is worse than it really is. Take a step back and look at yo...