Doreen Lorenzo's blog

Witnessing the Obama Effect in China

Doreen Lorenzo — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:49:41 -0600

I was in China when the election was held. I live in a state that allowed early voting, so I voted a week earlier and took off to visit our Shanghai studio and Chinese clients.

It was amazing to watch the election returns in a country with such a vastly different system of government. The people who I spoke with were fascinated by some elements of the election process that we now take for granted: online fundraising, candidate websites, blogs, emails, debates, electronic voting. As our new president was announced, there was a palpable level of excitement the Chinese shared with America, clearly helped by the unprecedented coverage of the election and record numbers of people following the process. Obama is immensely popular, with polls showing that the Chinese would have elected him by a healthy majority. As in many parts of the world, Obama represents a positive change for the Chinese, a new opportunity to build on US-China relations and a chance to help turn around a sinking global economy.

For Chinese and American companies investing in China and beyond, innovation is key to maintaining this enthusiasm and optimism moving forward. Innovation drives new opportunities and enables the creation of jobs, ultimately spurring economic growth. Since we opened our doors in Shanghai 18 months ago, we’ve seen amazing shifts in thinking about innovation in China, and my hope is that the new leadership in the US will only continue to build on this momentum. The reaction I had from a prospective Chinese client the day after the election only made me feel more optimistic. Walking into our meeting, our host and prospective client held up his fist triumphantly and said “Obama!” Enough said.

Five Women For The IDEA Conference

Doreen Lorenzo — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:54:52 -0500

The IDEA Conference starts tomorrow in New York City. It features an excellent line up of a dozen men. Only men.

I have been running a global innovation firm for the past 12 years and I regularly attend a variety of conferences that bring people from divergent fields together. This past fall I attended Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, and for a minute when I encountered this roster, I thought that perhaps it was intentional—that I was about to find a provocative supporting statement having a conference comprised solely of men—but no. The main statement is this:

The IDEA conference isn’t just about innovators, entrepreneurs and successful people of various creative stripes and hues deconstructing the genesis of ideation or discussing how networking stimulates their own creativity, suggested routes to fortune and glory or the actual value of eye of newt. That’s just some of it.

It seems like the perfect forum for a variety of perspectives, including a female one. Perhaps Elizabeth Diller, of architecture firm Diller, Scofidio and Renfro was their first choice, but they had to go with Charles Renfro instead. It’s not that the men who are listed aren’t first rate, it just seems that a lineup of various creative stripes and hues could easily include women. Here are five from the realms of art, social networking, design, food, and publishing who I suspect have a thing or two to say about keeping creativity alive, if glory matters, and all sorts of alchemy beyond eye of newt:

Jen Bekman, Founder, 20x200
Giana Bianchini, CEO and co-founder, Ning
Valerie Casey, Founder, The Designer’s Accord
Ann Cooper, Renegade Lunch Lady, Lunch Lessons
Eileen Gittins, CEO, Blurb

Perhaps we’ll see one of them on the roster next year.

Risk is Not a Bad Word

Doreen Lorenzo — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:47:33 -0500

The financial crisis has everyone consumed. The picture is not a pretty one, and clearly it will take us some time to climb out of the mess. However, there is an overwhelming consensus that we will climb out. The question is: How long will it take? People are frightened and consumed by fear. Fear causes people to make poor decisions.

We need to jump back in. And this is where an innovator’s perspective is helpful. Innovators understand that “risk” is not a bad word and shouldn’t automatically be associated with failure as it has been in relation to this financial crisis. Our success as innovators has thrived on the concept of risk. Innovators do their research and test their work. Risk is a factor, but one that can be calculated.

Our clients understand this idea, and in my conversations with them this week, I’ve been encouraged to hear them reinforce their commitment to innovation. They understand the risk involved, but they also understand that an investment in innovation now offers them the opportunity to make major leaps in market share moving forward. Their competitors may be taking a more conservative approach, but when the dust settles and consumers are ready for new and meaningful products and services, they won’t have anything to offer.

At this time in our history we need to increase innovation and the associated risk that comes with it. We need to build our confidence back up and get this economy moving. We cannot afford to live in fear.

Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit 2008

Doreen Lorenzo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:39:19 -0500

This week I attended Fortune’s Most Powerful Women’s Summit, which brings together a group of 300+ C-level executive women. I’ve attended for the past three years, and each year it gets better.

The event never fails to inspire, and this year there was no shortage of memorable moments. An interview with Warren Buffet by Fortune’s Carol Loomis was a special highlight. Listening to Warren Buffet speak would have been a treat anyway, but given the current financial crisis, his attendance at this all female event made an even greater impact. Warren’s pragmatic and comforting words are exactly what this country needs. I could not help thinking that he should be the person speaking to the American public rather than the person who currently occupies the White House.

The event was also timed with the Vice Presidential debate. There we were, an audience of 300+ women, watching an historic event in a large conference room. What I witnessed in that room confirmed what I have always known about female executives. We are not blinded by loyalty to our gender. Instead, we are focused on doing the right thing. We want the best person for the job. For most in that room, Sarah Palin was not that person. One woman told me “Two steps forward and three steps back.” What amazes me is that eighty percent of the women in that room are more qualified for the job.

There were many discussions around leadership, innovation, and of course the financial crisis. What I witnessed were cool, level-headed women leading people through a storm. It was an outstanding event and I am thankful to have been a part of it once again.

Brain Refreshment at the FORTUNE Tech Summit

Doreen Lorenzo — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:40:43 -0500

I just spent a few days at the FORTUNE Brainstorm: TECH in Half Moon Bay. In my typical fashion, the night before the event I begin to think about all the pressing issues on my plate. I rationalize that I really cannot give up that much time and convince myself not to go. The next morning I wake up and realize that I really should go. Mark Rolston our Chief Creative Officer is speaking. I want to support him. There are many interesting panels I want to attend and of course, Half Moon Bay is a beautiful place.

Now it’s over and, you guessed it, I’m sorry it ended. I walked away refreshed and replenished. My mind is fresh with ideas thanks to some of the great sessions I attended. Here are a few that really stood out:

“Identity and Transparency:” This turned into a great debate about privacy issues and the web and I walked away firmly believing that the concern over privacy is age related.

“Power to the People…an interview with Nicholas Negroponte:” We’ve been hearing about One Laptop Per Child for years. So isn’t the topic old? Negroponte has continued to advance the project, opening up new channels for businesses like Intel to pursue. He beats the drum endlessly about the topic. As a result, governments are compelled to pay attention, and perhaps someday because of Negroponte every child will have access to information.

At the conference there was something akin to five minute “genius breaks.” The organizers don’t call it this, but I do. One session was entitled the “Digital Nervous System of the Earth” presented by Stan Williams of HP, and another was “Preventing Pandemics” presented by Seth Berkley, of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Their combined ten minutes would take two more blogs posts to describe as they both covered some incredibly thought provoking research.

My absolute favorite part of the event (aside from Neil Young’s performance), was the lunch session. I was able to choose to be a part of one of two discussions: “Shelter, Transparency, Peace, Energy, and Governance” or “Governing, Talent, and Health Care.” I was in the “Peace” section. I assumed we would eat lunch and all agree that peace was necessary. Instead, we spent the entire time really diving into what causes war, how poverty and education influence war, and how if we were able to teach compassion, the world would be different. There were several folks involved in UN initiatives working to stop the spread of disease, climate control, hunger and education. They asked for all of us to get involved, because it will take everyone’s collective help to make these things stop. It was emotional and fascinating.

So…back to innovation. I am humbled by what I don’t know and of course grateful that I changed my mind and made it to the conference.

frog Light Bulb Wins IDEA Gold Award

Doreen Lorenzo — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:09:49 -0500

BusinessWeek today announced the winners of the IDEA awards and our frogware LED light bulb concept won Gold.

Check out the online version:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/08_30/B4093idea_best_product_design_awards.htm

You should see the bulb prominently displayed on the landing page, and here’s another link directly to the bulb story:
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/07/0717_idea_winners/112.htm

Read the case study on our web site.

We Are Pioneering a New Trend at frog. It's Called Print.

Doreen Lorenzo — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:30:04 -0500

This week is the debut issue of our design mind magazine. A 60+ page magazine packed with interesting articles written by frogs around the world. It is a great way for our team to have an additional forum to express their ideas.

The magazine is an extension of our design mind platform which also includes a website and speaker series. The speaker series brings together leaders in business, design and technology for an evening of discussion and debate. They are always great events.

This week we hosted an event at NYU, speaking with Arun Chaudhary, video director for the Barack Obama campaign. Arun was interviewed by Ellen McGirt, a Senior Writer for Fast Company. The audience was engaged, Arun and Ellen were terrific, and it was just a fantastic event. It was videotaped, so I am sure it will be up on the site soon.

A great week at frog: a new magazine, a fantastic speaker series, and of course, as always, incredible people to work with.

Rallying Cry for Innovation at Fortune Brainstorm Green and the Milken Conference

Doreen Lorenzo — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:16:29 -0500

In the past two weeks, I had the opportunity to attend two very interesting conferences. The first one was Fortune’s Brainstorm Green, followed by the Milken Institute’s Global Conference. Both of these conferences attract the who’s who in the financial and business world. What struck me at both events was the rallying cry that innovation is key in solving many of the world’s problems. I continued to hear that change is needed for people to think and behave differently.

The Fortune conference featured the usual suspects who have championed the environment long before it became a cause célèbre. One surprise twist was the number of investors in attendance. I met more financiers who had funds to invest in sustainability-related areas than I thought possible. There were also a large number of CEOs in attendance. Their interest in sustainability largely stemmed from the pressures they felt from their employees and customers. Will there finally be new green products and services that will meet the increasing demand? Will they be adopted by a larger segment of the population? It’s clear that there is enough money ready to be spent and corporations ready to commit to finally make a significant impact in green innovation.

From a personal perspective, the best part of the conference was a short speech delivered by a 16-year-old high school sophomore, Avery Hairston. Avery has started a foundation called ReLightNY that raises money from individuals and corporate sponsors. He uses the money to buy low wattage CFL light bulbs that he then distributes to those in need. Everyone is a winner. People use less power and it also saves them money. A double whammy winning strategy. The closing line of Avery’s speech was poignant: “Most of you probably will not be here in 2060, but I will, and I need to do something now.” Young people like Avery will not let complacency and comfort get in the way of solving problems.

At the Milken conference, the message calling for innovative ideas to solve problems was much the same. Panel topics were diverse and covered the fate of the newspaper and music industries, the environment, world hunger, poverty, mobility and healthcare to name a few. It seems that a conference such as this one, filled with so many powerful people in the financial and business world, would easily embrace and fund innovation as a means of helping to solve many of the issues that were so hotly debated. I talked with several “idea” people and heard consistently that although there was no lack of enthusiasm for great ideas, it had been difficult to move forward and secure commitments.

This lack of definite progress is likely due to one familiar symptom related to innovation: it usually makes people sick to their stomachs. It is unfamiliar, unknown and untested. It is a risk. This thought was echoed in what I felt was the most enjoyable panel of the conference which featured the 2006 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Muhammad Yunus, currently Managing Director of Grameen bank based in Bangladesh. He is recognized worldwide for his successful application for the concept of microcredit, the extension of small loans to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. His hard work has lifted millions of families out of poverty. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for efforts to create economic and social development from below.” His idea was so simple and so humble, yet when people initially heard it, they told him that it would never work. Muhammad used $27 of his own money to fund the first loan. Clearly the naysayers were wrong and his success has changed an entire country. My take-away from his speech was that innovation takes courage.

I hope that a year from now, I can return to both of these conferences and see how the changes that were proposed have been implemented. We need to give innovation a chance to be nurtured and to flourish. To make this happen, we all need to get over our fears and follow our heart.

Innovation Needs to Be Nurtured Early

Doreen Lorenzo — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:32:05 -0500

Innovation is hot. If you search the word on Google, there are 102,000,000 entries. You can buy books, take classes, attend workshops and conferences. There is no shortage of innovation information. I just hope that the concept of innovation is here to stay and does not go the route of the pet rock; a trend that does not last. It shouldn't -- we need innovation to drive our economy, solve world problems, and find solutions to medical problems. But why as adults are we trying to recapture something that came so naturally to us as children?

I believe that the emphasis on this frantic search for innovation is a result of our inability to foster this concept starting at the elementary school level. Shouldn't we all be innovators? Part of what makes us human is our ability to think and reason. With that in mind, innovation should be part of our fiber. Why can't children maintain their creative innovation past the 2nd grade? At some point the concept of innovation is ripped out of their souls. They are told to follow the rules, prepare for the standardized tests and think about getting a good job that pays well.

I recently heard of a well intentioned teacher who wrote a comment on a 6th grader's paper saying the child was "too creative." How can you be too creative? What does that really mean? I have also heard parents telling their kids that entering into a "creative" profession would mean that they will be poor for the rest of your lives. Now there is a great message to send to aspiring innovators. I travel a great deal and can honestly say this is not just a problem the United States is facing. It is in fact a problem I have seen in many of the countries I have visited.

Finding great creative talent continues to be the biggest issue in our world where in reality it should be the easy part. However, since schools begin to dismiss the notion of creativity once a child leaves kindergarten, the pool of applicants gets very small by the time they actually enter the workforce. How can we shift the focus to allow kids to explore, think bigger, reward their drive and ambition as not just an anomaly but a must-have in today's world? Instead, creative kids are often labeled "creative," which means "different." And different is too often not a good word for a child.

Isn't there creativity in every person? We will always have the handful of extremely creative people, but that is not enough. Great changes will not happen if we continue to make everyone the same.

We need to embrace creative thinking as something that is a must have not an elective.