When we think of chemistry, we generally picture things like bubbling test tubes, lab coats and safety goggles.

Mark Twain would undoubtedly be able to identify with Gordon Moore—or, more specifically, the “law” that the founder of Fairchild Semiconductors and Intel devised more than 50 years ago. In Twain’s case, his death was “greatly exaggerated.” In the case of Moore’s Law, its so-called death is more irrelevant than overblown.

Being anticipatory can mean many things. In some cases, it’s about identifying opportunities for major disruptions that you yourself can introduce (think Uber, Kickstarter and other innovations that set entire industries on their ear).

In a previous article, I discussed the essential value of encouraging innovation on an organization-wide scale. To help achieve that, I addressed varied ways to nurture an innovative culture, including financial rewards, time off and the flexibility to work from a place that’s inspiring.

In 1889, Charles H. Duell was the Commissioner of US patent office. He is widely quoted as having stated that the patent office would soon shrink in size, and eventually close, because… 

Ask anyone in your organization to outline their responsibilities, and you’ll generally get the usual list—sales, marketing, employee benefits and other similar tasks.

No matter the industry or particular field, competition is the business of the day. Regardless of what you and your organization do in terms of products or services, there’s inevitably someone else offering a competitive alternative. Your goal is to “beat” those competitors, however that might be measured—greater sales, more customers, whatever the benchmark.

When people talk about innovation it is often pitched as a young person’s game – the focus is on millennial CEO’s like Mark Zuckerberg and Evan Speigel. 

In an era of fiscal and time constraints, is it possible to sell your ideas to company leaders? Yes, but the success depends on how you frame the opportunity.

Few people know what they mean when they talk about innovation. I’m sorry, but they don’t. They drop the ‘i-bomb’ in meetings and briefs because they’re on a crusade to do something new, cool and trendy, and think sticking the word ‘innovation’ on a chart - often accompanied by a logo of a lightbulb - brings clarity to their aspirations. It brings anything but.

What comes to mind when you hear the term “disrupt”? Does it suggest chaos, lack of direction or other unsettling events?

Buried in the basement. The other day I ventured down to the basement of my apartment building in Manhattan. Early for a scheduled meeting with our carpenter, I wandered away from the standard corridors, into a warren of small rooms and storage areas. I discovered workshops, break rooms, and archives not recorded on our floor plans, and unknown to me.