The controlled chaos of Red Thread Thinking may be the best way for companies to innovate effectively – and efficiently.
IBM talked to more than 1500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries worldwide, and learned that by an overwhelming margin they believed that innovative thinking more than anything else was the key to successfully navigating an increasingly complex world — and keeping their businesses ahead of the curve. [Read more...]
I am a board member of Count Me In, a non-profit that helps women-owned businesses succeed, and was fortunate to be part of an exclusive one-day session this month to help small business entrepreneurs learn what it takes to really scale up. The goal: to get five or six of these companies selling their wares to Walmart. [Read more...]
Look at the most successful entrepreneurs you know and you’ll likely discover the overriding traits of passion and persistence. Winners have a deep passion for what they are doing and keep at it until they achieve their goals. This inner drive, rather than the desire to make money, is a critical component of their success. Think of Edison, Jobs, Dell, Hewlett and Packard, who all started out simply doing something they felt compelled to do. They persisted in looking everywhere for solutions to their challenges.
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What does it take to be a rapid-fire idea generator and solve problems in unique ways? A lot less then you think. It’s really about being open and having a positive attitude.
Thought is about making new combinations from existing elements. So being a great observer and looking at life with a positive, curious mind are really what it takes to enable great ideas to pop into your head. Openness and positivity mean that the next time a burr sticks to your sweater, instead of saying, “Uh-oh, a burr,” and discarding it, you might say, “Oh, a burr…look how it sticks….that’s useful,” and then go on to invent Velcro. In the first and more common instance, the reaction focuses on the object’s typical function and its annoying or negative implications (the sweater has a pull in it). The second reaction focuses on the possibilities of the function beyond the sweater.
Innovation is a word that feels big. It scares us because it signifies dramatic change, and that can be overwhelming to many of us. We also shy away from innovation because it seems reserved for geniuses with special knowledge about complicated stuff. That’s because we often hear about innovation linked to strides in science or technology – and not everyone has access to or feels at home in those two worlds.
Let’s put an end to these two irrational fears right now, and get you over the innovation paralysis that could be holding you back from developing ideas into great products.
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Innovation occurs when individuals formulate new ideas by making connections among observations, experiences, facts, history, and feelings that initially may seem unrelated—but are—to uncover fresh, brilliant insights. We all have the power to design and develop thoughts into practical, market-capturing products and services that will improve everyday living.
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It may be alluring to innovate based on trends, but it’s a trap. Those who look to trends to inform their future plans often miss the mark. Trends are seductive to innovation-starved companies because they look like no-fail winners with an already proven success story in the marketplace.
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Brainstorming, which owes its popularity to Madison Avenue adman Alex Osborn, who pioneered the concept at BBDO in the 1950s, has provided a convenient group-based structure for generating ideas. A focus on free association in a criticism free environment is the basis of the model, which is still popular everywhere from classrooms to boardrooms today.
However, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. Problem is brainstorming doesn’t unlock creativity; instead, it stifles it. Numerous studies reveal that brainstorming groups think of fewer ideas than people working alone, and group performance gets worse as size increases.
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I am on a mission. I want everyone to drink the Kool-Aid and know that his own head can be overflowing with innovative ideas. We all have the power to design and develop thoughts into brilliant and practical innovations for everyday living. You don’t need a test laboratory or big money. You just need a little confidence and the right tools.
My book, Red Thread Thinking: Weaving Together Connections for Brilliant Ideas and Profitable Innovation can help guide the way. Unlike other books that simply tell you how well known innovators developed their ideas into successful products, my book tells how you can build your own innovative ideas. Think of it as a sourcebook for your next flash of inspiration.
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