About Me

In addition to writing and speaking about innovation and creativity, I'm a wife, stepmother of two vibrant young women, grandmother, author, poet, photographer and passionate believer in the power of people to change the world.

Joyce Wycoff -- Co-Founder of the InnovationNetwork, http://thinksmart.com, President of ThinkSmart Learning Systems, http://innovationigniter.com

I am a die-hard optimist who believes in the proverbial "better way." Life has also taught me to be a pragmatist -- to look for better ways that "work." My professional background has been a journey from financial management to creativity and innovation, with a lot of side trips along the way.

I fervently believe that a committed group of people can change an organization and that enough changed organizations can change the world. Because I have been working in this field so long and networking people around the world, Doug Hall once called me "the epicenter of innovation."

For more information about my work in innovation, go to http://thinksmart.com. You can also find some poetry samples there if you are so inclined.

Political Content: I have been writing Good Morning Thinkers! and Heads-Up! since 1996. Occasionally a political note has crept in and some people have liked it and some haven't. Since 9/11, I have felt more and more called to speak up ... but in a way that honors my contract with my readers.

So here's what I've decided. I will NOT put political content into the weekly emails, but I will occasionally speak up in Good Morning Thinkers!, the blog, since people come to it voluntarily and it's about life and general subjects as well as creative thinking.

My basic political belief is that, as Americans, we were lucky enough to be born (or naturalized) into a wealthy, stabile society, sheltered from war and blessed by abundant natural resources. It is our responsibility, our duty, to care for our country, our resources and our fellow citizens.

We are also citizens of the world and part of the interconnected web of life. Our responsibility cannot end at our shores. The air we breathe in is part of the out breath of a brother or sister walking the Great Wall of China, or fishing the Amazon, or basking on a South Sea Island.

We can no longer be concerned only about our own families because what we do impacts the entire planet.

Our primary concerns should be peace for all, health and well-being for all and vigilant care of the health of our planet.

Perhaps above all, I believe we should operate under the sentiment expressed in the Hippocratic oath of First, do no harm. If each of us could eliminate the harm we do ... to ourselves, to our family and friends, to our community, customers and associates, to our environment, the world would become a better place.