Those of you who know me or have followed this Blog for any length of time know how strongly I feel about innovation as a key driver in business. You also know how heavily I value partnering, venturing and collaboration as key leverage points. Independently these two concepts are powerful, but couple them together and they create a catalyzing effect of unequalled proportion. In this blog post well examine what these disciplines can mean to your business.

The me too era of business is goneFollowing the crowd with a herd mentality will only run your business into the ground. I just finished reading the 64 page IBM Global CEO Study 2006 in which 750 CEOs of leading companies from around the world were interviewed. The result of the survey simply confirmed what I have been evangelizing for yearsCollaborate, Innovate and Dominate (my quote not IBMs). At N2growth we help our clients create market dominant companies and a big part of our success formula is showing our clients the value using collaboration to drive innovationThe bottom line is that nothing will be more meaningful to your business in the months and years ahead than your ability to excel in these two areas.

Collaboration starts internally, but as the IBM report emphasizes it is essential to defy collaboration limits and look for collaborative opportunities outside your company, spanning verticals, across geographic boarders and across competitive boundaries (note my link to competitor IBM). The reality is that great ideas are rarely incubated in a vacuum. New ideas, different perspectives and creative approaches can be used to refine organic initiatives in ways that you might not ever believe if left to your own thinking.

The IBM report clearly showed that CEOs around the globe have embraced collaboration and innovation. They understand that their success will lie in their ability to continue to add value in new ways, in new markets and with new products and services. CEOs in todays business world need to step-up and realize that they need to lead by example and drive a cultural and philosophical innovation revolution within their companies. Senior executives not capable of collaborating and innovating will have a very limited shelf life moving forward. I think Kluas Kleinfeld, President and CEO of Siemens AG put it best when he said: You can only win the war with ideas, not with spending cuts.

The moral of this story is dont find yourself caught in the innovation gap or cut off from collaborative advancements. RememberCollaborate, Innovate and Dominate!

Mike Myatt

Mike Myatt is the Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer at N2growth. Mr. Myatt possesses a broad range of skill sets, competencies and experiences rarely found in the business world. As an executive he has held numerous C-suite positions, as an entrepreneur he has been a principal in 4 successful ventures and as a professional advisor he has worked with clients ranging in size from start-up enterprises to high growth companies ranked on the Inc. 500 and Entrepreneur Hot 100 lists to Fortune 100 companies.

Some of his accomplishments prior to joining N2growth include serving as President and COO of a commercial real estate investment bank, Managing Director of a law firm, Director of Internet Strategy for the country's largest web enablement firm and he founded one of the country?s top 50 interactive advertising agencies.

Mr. Myatt is a frequently requested keynote speaker and published author. He has been featured in the following publications: The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Institutional Investor, CIO Magazine and others. He is also the author and moderator of the N2growth Blog which is rapidly becoming one of the most widely respected business blogs on the Internet.

Mr. Myatt has been married for 22 years, has a son who attends the University of Virginia and a daughter who attends George Fox University. He enjoys writing, running, rock climbing and time with his family.