Obama’s speech on innovation and economy could fit in a corporate environment

The last days were more difficult for the “rock-star” US president Barack Obama on the internal front. Popularity is slipping, getting nearer the 50% threshold. Most recent economic figures, though, are bringing some relief to the White House.

The recession is coming to an end, says the president. In his weekly address to the US citizens, Barack Obama stressed that a solid recovery should be supported by a recaptured spirit of innovation.

“It is only by building a new foundation that we will once again harness that incredible generative capacity of the American people. (…) All it takes are the policies to tap that potential — to ignite that spark of creativity and ingenuity — which has always been at the heart of who we are and how we succeed”

For the American president, innovation is part of anybody’s DNA. Innovation doesn’t belong to scientist and white coats solely. Innovation is embed in any active or would-be entrepreneur. Innonvation blooms thanks to fresh looks, unleashed from any kind of prejudice.

On that respect, the American president is in tune with similar considerations regarding the corporate world. In a country’s economy as in a private company, innovation pops up from individuals. The creativity and the engagement of individual people is the first engine of it. In order to fuel a new period of growth, one needs to put a appropriate climate that will foster individual innovators to speak up, and set a proper environment to help them convert ideas into achievements.

Obama’s statement could (should) be, today, what CEO’s say to their employees and executives. Trust people. Forget paternalism.

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A European video contest to promote entrepreneurship

2009 is the European Year of innovation and creativity. For those European not surfing from time to time on the jumble of European internet portals , it is a pretty hidden information. Though, a number of events organised during the year at the occasion are worth a glimpse. Undoubtly, the European Entrepreneurship Video Award initiative, organised ahead of the European SME Week, is part of the category.

Almost 250 internet video producers, rookies up to professionals, have uploaded their footages (maximum 3 min.) where they bore a message promoting either entrepreneurial spirit, innovative entrepreneurship or responsible entrepreneurship. The winners were announced in the award ceremony of May 6th, in Brussels.

The winner in the category Entrepreneurial spirit comes from Hungary. Ducsai SZABOLCS shows a race between two hamsters. The first is an employee, the second is the entrepreneur. No surprise, the latter demonstrates much more innovative skills and out of the box thinking than the “employee hamster”. At the end of the story, the entrepreneur gets it all: freedom and food.

I especially like the second best video selected by the jury, coming from Greece. Technicaly  simpler, the end message is targeted and strong.

The third award in the category goes to a Italian footage, advocating through a “dolls metaphore”, virtues of collaboration between entrepreneurs.

The other video a to be discovered on SME Week Channel. Or on Youtube ( tag: EEVA 09)

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Mass Innovation, Not Mass Production ( Charles Leadbeater ) Part I

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