It comes like clockwork, once a week, an HTML email letting me know about the latest edition of Innovation Tools.
As I was thinking about what to post today related to innovation and reading Innovation Tools at the same time, I got one of those lovely “aha” moments (or maybe it was just an obvious but good idea hitting me over the head with a sledge hammer).
Everyone should know about Innovation Tools. It’s probably the largest ezine/portal related to business innovation. Just as important, it’s a site you can trust has no hidden agenda.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, and you are at all in the creativity and innovation space, either as a supplier or on the client side, I urge you go sign up. It’s a helpful resource that is constantly updated. Like the name implies, it’s heavy on tools, but you’ll find information on everything from Mind Maping to Triz to recent book reviews, articles, and, in today’s edition, 2 new iPhone apps to help generate ideas.
The editor and visionary behind it is Chuck Frey. Chuck is an old pro in the innovation industry (PR as well) and he impresses me with his even-handedness, breadth of knowledge, and editing skill. Unlike other e-zine/portal sites that pull content from various people in the industry and then use it to promote the editors own agenda (and books, services, etc.) Chuck mostly stays in the background. Which is a smart, and fair, choice — it makes Innovation Tools a neutral industry resource. He’s modest, but he’s a guru in his own right, having authored several books related to Mind Mapping. His MindMapping SoftwareBlog is another great innovation resource.
I don’t know him well but anybody who provides a service to the industry like Innovation Tools, and is from Milwaukee, is alright with me. Kudos to Chuck for his service to all.
Be looking for, and buy, Chuck’s new book, Up Your Impact, 52 Innovative Strategies to Add Value to Your Work — due out officially May 1 (but available now). It’s a brilliant idea for a book. It’s about helping people deliver more value in what they do, no matter what the economy is doing.