Inflection Points Matter
In 1996 an inflection point moment occurred for me when Dr. Andrew Grove, Chief Executive of Intel Corporation at the time, published his book Only the Paranoid Survive, about managing the complexity of business and what he coined as strategic inflection points.
About this same time I was mentoring and training a small group of Intel engineers about my process for what they called my uncanny ability to “land on my feet” after re-orgs and other business disruptions. This process would evolve to become my Personal Inflection CurveSM model and part of an online course for professionals reinventing their careers in front of their curve and personal inflection point. But it would be another decade—and a Great Recession—before I would connect the dots between these two intersecting points. The negative hype portrayed in the media in 2008 that U.S. companies had lost their innovation ‘mojo’ triggered me to write this book. I had a different perspective with more than 25 years of practical industry experience—and the stories of businesses and individuals successfully navigating the rough economic waters by applying the 10 essential elements highlighted in Innovation in a Reinvented World. Massive leaps in advanced technology within the next decade will certainly add to the complexity of business and organizational change—workplace disruption and labor challenges—ushering in one of the most disruptive times since the Industrial Revolution, but one that provides us all with unique opportunities to lead and participate in the transformative changes gaining traction—artificial intelligence and smart robotics. |
“ Dee McCrorey provides a compelling blueprint for reinvigorating the innovative advantage of companies and other organizations. If business and policy leaders heed the straightforward road map for business success posited in this important new book, her unique insights may trigger a new golden era for American innovative leadership.”
– Dr. DAVID B. AUDRETSCH, Distinguished Professor and Ameritech Chair of Economic Development, Indiana University, author The Entrepreneurial Society