Innovation and Two Book Recommendations

There's a great quote in Chad Fowler's My Job Went to India which I just posted a quick review of: In business, ideas are dime a dozen. It's the blood, sweat, tears and money you pour into a product that make it really worth something. I'd extend that and link it to a later part of the book that focuses on Execution. To be successful, raw ability will get you only so far. The final stretch is populated by closers - people who finish things. As Theodore Levitt said: Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things. In other words, the key is doing. One of my pet subjects;-) I can come up with a million creative ideas, but without follow-through, its all just a bit of mental fun. An excellent companion read is Scott Berkun's The Myths of Innovation. Get them both on your bookshelf! The sooner, the better.