Innovation Begins with Fascination
I own a huge library of books on innovation. Mostly hardcover. The $27.95 variety with big indexes and forwards by people who make more money than I do.
Some of these books are actually good. Most of them bore me. (I must confess I have a secret desire, whenever I enter a bookstore, to put glue between pages 187 & 188 in all of the new releases just to see if the publishers get any complaints).
Most of the books attempt to describe the origins of innovation. You know, stuff like "the innate human impulse to find a better way" and "the imperative to find a competitive edge" and "the endless search to fulfill an unmet need." That sort of thing.
Corporate-speak, in other words.
In my experience, the origin of innovation is fascination -- the state of being intensely interested in something. Enchanted. Captivated. Spellbound. Absorbed.
Continue reading "Innovation Begins with Fascination"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:24 PM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2008The Good Thing About Bad Ideas
"You can only be as good as you dare to be bad." - John Barrymore
One of the inevitable things you will hear at a brainstorming session is something like "there are no bad ideas." Well, guess what? There are plenty of bad ideas. Nazism, for instance. Arena football. Bow ties.
What well-meaning "keep hope alive" brainstorming aficionados really mean is this: Even bad ideas can lead to good ideas if the idea originators are committed enough to extract the meaning from the "bad." It happens all the time.
Do you think that War and Peace was written in one sitting? Madame Butterfly? The Idiot's Guide to Volkswagen Repair? No way. There were plenty of earlier drafts that were horrid, but eventually led to the final outcome.
Even diamonds begin as coal.
The key for aspiring innovators? To find the value in what seems to be a "bad idea" and then use that extracted value as a catalyst for further exploration. The following technique, excerpted from Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an Uphill World) shows you how to do this. It's a particularly effective method for naysaying, skeptical groups to use. It's also a hoot and a great way to make boring brainstorming sessions come alive.
Click below for the technique:
Continue reading "The Good Thing About Bad Ideas"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:59 AM | Comments (3)
June 30, 2008I Am Moving to a Blog Cabin in the Woods
I see the future.
Everyone will have a blog. Every blogger's pet will have a blog. Every blog will have a blog. Every blog's blog will have a blog. No one will be reading any of these blogs because everyone will be too busy writing blogs. Bloggers will occasionally visit other blogs, but only for the purpose of leaving comments that will direct readers back to their own blog. Letter writing will become popular once again, gaining a new lease on life after the internet crashes repeatedly because of the profusion of blogs and youtube videos created by 5-year olds, holographic spammers, and terrorist groups.
Why all the blogging?
Because people want to connect. And WHY do people want to connect? Because there is a fundamental need inside each and every one of us to feel connected.
"Connected to WHAT?" is the question.
Continue reading "I Am Moving to a Blog Cabin in the Woods"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:32 PM | Comments (1)
June 29, 2008More On Where and When You Get Your Best Ideas
A big thanks to Chuck Frey of Innovation Tools for his June 26th posting on our just-released poll results re: "Where and When People Get Their Best Ideas?"
Chuck notes the top ten catalysts:
1. When you're inspired
2. Brainstorming with others
3. When you're immersed in a project
4. When you're happy
5. Collaborating with a partner
6. Daydreaming
7. Analyzing a problem
8. Driving
9. Commuting to and from work
10. Reading books in your field
And here are the bottom ten:
70. Swimming
71. Brushing your teeth
72. Drinking anything with alcohol
73. Playing a sport
74. When you're sad
75. Mowing the lawn
76. Shaving
77. Procrastinating
78. In a bar
79. Having sex
80. Smoking tobacco
(If you're looking for a fun way to spark some great ideas, click here.)
Or here.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)
June 27, 2008HEAR AND NOW: Small Business Big Ideas Show: 6/29/08
If you're looking for some inspiration and insight to help you grow your business and radically increase your ability to manifest BIG IDEAS, tune into the Small Business Big Ideas Show out of Toronto this Sunday, 7/29, at 9:00 am (www.ckdo.ca).
The delightfully open-minded Lissa Bergin-Boles will be interviewing me from 9:02 -- 9:15 am. We'll explore the fabulous world of creative thinking and what it takes to foster a culture of innovation within yourself and your business.
We'll also be talking about how my new book, Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world), can help you turn your top-of-the-line ideas into bottom-line results.
If you want to call in and ask me a question, the number is 888-511-2436. Hope to hear you then.
PS: If you're interested in the results of Idea Champions' recently released "Where and When Do People Get Their Best Ideas?" poll, click here.)
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2008POLL RESULTS: Where and When Do You Get Your Best Ideas?
Einstein used to get his best ideas while shaving. Mozart used to exercise before composing. The Scientific Method came to Rene Descartes in a dream.
One of our clients gets her best ideas when blow drying her hair.
Fascinated by the question of what catalyzes people's best ideas, Idea Champions polled 163 people and are sharing the results with you here (i.e. "Where and When Do You Get Your Best Ideas?")
Why bother reading it?
1. It will help you be more creative.
2. It will increase your ability to capture your best ideas.
3. It will give you insights about how to create a culture of innovation.
4. It's fascinating (i.e Out of 80 choices, the "workplace" ranked #35. "Daydreaming" was #6.)
If, after reading the poll, you think of other "best idea" catalysts, let us know. When we get 20 or more, we'll share them with Heart of Innovation readers here.
And if you're looking for help establishing a sustainable culture of innovation, click here... or here...or here. (Clicking your shoes three times ain't gonna cut it.)
Or, if you want to spring for $13.95, you can read Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world).
(Much thanks to Tim Moore (scroll down to the 8th bio) for his deep thinking, coordination, analysis, and report writing on this project!)
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2008100 Simple Ways to Be More Creative on the Job
Have you ever noticed America's strange fascination with lists? Cruise any supermarket magazine rack and you will invariably notice some version of the following:
"5 Sure-Fire Ways to Find Your Soul Mate"
"10 Ways to Profit from the Recession"
"50 Ways to Retire Before 40"
"The 100 Best Companies to Work For"
For years I ignored this phenomenon. Then I mocked it. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Perfect sense.
Lists simplify.
Lists cut to the chase.
Lists help people make sense of the world.
And in today's world, where the collective sum of printed knowledge is doubling every four years, anything that helps simplify life -- without oversimplifying it -- is a good thing.
And so, in honor of America's love of lists, the little known patron saint of the phenomenon, and your own commitment to innovation, I cheerfully present to you Idea Champions' time-tested, easy-to-read, highly compelling, imminently practical 100 Ways to Be More Creative on the Job.
Continue reading "100 Simple Ways to Be More Creative on the Job"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:16 AM | Comments (4)
June 18, 2008IMPROVE YOUR INNOVATION ODDS: How to Win the Idea Lottery
As the story goes... in 1939, a Russian immigrant owned the rights to distribute vodka in the U.S. His efforts bombed. Americans weren't attracted to a colorless, odorless alcohol.
Depressed, he sold the rights to Heublein, an alcohol distribution company, who asked themselves: "What can we combine with Vodka to give it a distinctive color and a taste?" In time, they came up with tomato juice and, voila, the Bloody Mary was born, boosting sales through the roof.
What most of us think of as "innovation" is really just the elegant combination of two (or more) pre-existing elements resulting in the creation of a new, value-added product or service.
What is roller blading but the synthesis of ice skating and roller skating? What is MTV but the synthesis of music and television? When Johannes Gutenberg was asked how he arrived at the invention of the printing press, he confessed it was as simple as seeing a new connection between two existing products: the wine press and the coin punch.
If you are committed to coming up with a BREAKTHROUGH IDEA, start looking for new connections between the stuff that's all around you.
Click below for instructions on how to use this technique -- and where to find the online IDEA LOTTERY tool.
Continue reading "IMPROVE YOUR INNOVATION ODDS: How to Win the Idea Lottery"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2008IDEA CHAMPIONS' First Annual Word of Mouth Praise Poll
All human beings -- even the most cynical ones amongst us -- have had the experience of praising something at one time or another. For some of us, it may have been a restaurant, movie, or vacation spot. For others, a rock band, teacher, or TV show. Different strokes for different folks.
The purpose of this poll is to identify precisely what these "praise-worthy" catalysts are; in other words, what moves a person to spontaneously speak glowingly of something to another person. True word of mouth, you might say.
Interested? If so, go ahead and take the poll. The whole thing will take you less than seven minutes.
And check back periodically. The results of the poll will be posted on this blog within the next six weeks or so.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2008New Blog Critics Magazine Review of Awake at the Wheel
OK. These two cavemen walk into a bar. The first one burps, pounds his hairy chest, and lets out a primal scream. The second mumbles something about Nietzche and thumbs through a recently purchased copy of Awake at the Wheel.
OK, so the first paragraph isn't exactly a joke (despite it's promising beginning), but it does technically qualify as a segue to the most recent review of my new book.
Sure, as far as segues go, the opening paragraph is not what I would call a "fantastic segue" or even a "good segue," but it IS a segue, which is all I was really going for here.
Violet Nesdoly is the reviewer. (Thank you, Violet!) BlogCritics Magazine is the website.
These two blog critics walk into a bar...
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:04 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2008Getting All Googley
Interesting summary of Google CEO's speech to the Economic Club of Washington this Monday.
Among other things, Schmidt talked about his company's attempts to innovate, including allowing engineers to use 20 percent of their time to work on projects of their own choosing. Schmidt acknowledged that trusting the workforce to follow their fascination has resulted in many successes for the enterprise. "Part of Google's success is creating more luck," he said.
Success also needs a positive environment and encouragement for employees to be more creative and innovative, Schmidt said.
"It is possible to build a culture around innovation, it is possible to build a culture around leadership, and it is possible to build a culture around optimism," added the googley Mr. Schmidt
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2008The Top 16 Reasons Why Human Beings Love Lists
This just in.
The three most popular postings on this blog, of the 116 we've written since July -- the ones most frequently cited by other blogs and websites -- have one thing in common:
They are all lists.
100 Simple Ways to Be More Creative on the Job
The Top 100 Lamest Excuses for Not Innovating
26 Reasons Why Most Brainstorming Sessions Don't Work
While I acknowledge that these three postings are engaging, entertaining, and useful, I don't think they are that much more engaging, entertaining, and useful than the rest of the stuff on our blog to warrant as much attention as they've been getting.
Something else is afoot.
And that, I believe, is the medium through which the content of these postings have been communicated: Lists.
What's up with lists? Why so popular? Why does every men's and women's magazine plaster their covers with them? Why do blogs?
After some major noodling on the topic and a few consultations with the Master of the Tradition, I am very pleased to report my recent findings to you. Here we go...
Continue reading "The Top 16 Reasons Why Human Beings Love Lists"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:04 PM | Comments (1)
June 01, 2008Innovation as a Happy Accident
A little known fact about innovation is that many breakthroughs have not been the result of genius, but "happy accidents" -- those surprise moments when an answer revealed itself for no particular reason. The discovery of penicillin, for example, was the result of Alexander Fleming noting the formation of mold on the side of petri dish left uncleaned overnight. Vulcanized Rubber was discovered in 1839 when Charles Goodyear accidentally dropped a lump of the polymer substance he was experimenting with onto his wife's cook stove. More recently, 3M's post-it was also the result of an accident in the lab. Breakthroughs aren't always about invention, but the intervention required, by the aspiring innovator, to notice something new, unexpected, and intriguing.
Continue reading "Innovation as a Happy Accident"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
AWAKE AT THE WHEEL: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world)
Ta da! After seven years, 22 rejections, multiple rewrites, 2 agents, and a whole lot of looking at myself in the mirror, here it is: the publication of my new book, AWAKE AT THE WHEEL: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an Uphill World). Part fable, part creative thinking toolbox, the book is a wake up call for all aspiring innovators -- a simple way to help people "get out of the cave" and manifest BIG ideas in a world not always ready for the new and the different.
If you have an inspired idea that is lingering in your mind and needs a fresh jolt to see the light of day, this book is for you.
To order from Amazon, click here.
Continue reading "AWAKE AT THE WHEEL: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world)"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:05 AM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2008Failure Is Not What You Think It Is
I dedicate this blog posting to all HEART OF INNOVATION readers who are taking risks, conceiving new possibilities, letting go of the past, exploring outrageous horizons, and going beyond their limiting assumptions of what "failure" is.
But hey, don't take my word for it. Click below for some juicy quotes on the topic -- everyone from Miles Davis to Thomas Edison.
Continue reading "Failure Is Not What You Think It Is"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:19 AM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2008"The Business of Life is Not a Life of Business."
Yes, it's true. The business of life is not a life of business. And only when you realize that, will your business (and your life) really flourish.
Research has shown that business people are more creative when they are happy. Indeed, a positive mood is one of the precursors to a culture of innovation.
If you are a manager, entrepreneur, or simply someone who gets absorbed in their work, you would be well-served to create more balance in your life. All work and no play not only makes Jack a dull boy, it screws up marriages, friendships, health, parenting, and ultimately the workplace environment.
Any thing specific you can do this week to walk the talk?
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
May 20, 2008Doing More With Less
Idea Champions is happy to announce the launching of DOING MORE WITH LESS -- the perfect, cost-effective intervention to help your company keep innovating (while cutting costs) during recessionary times.
(You may need to tighten your belts, but you don't need to cut off your circulation to accomplish the results you want.)
What kind of challenges or opportunties might your team tackle in a DOING MORE WITH LESS session? Click below to find out...
Continue reading "Doing More With Less"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:22 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2008LIVE! On the Web! Streaming Interview with Mitch Ditkoff: May 22
If you are a coach, manager, business leader, trainer, therapist, change agent, light bearer, or simply feel the need for some inspiration, log onto my interview with Lynn Kindler, of CoachingCommons.org next Thursday, May 22, 3:00 PM (EDT).
Click here to sign up and find out more.
60 minutes worth. No commercials. No sales pitch. No quiz, afterwards. Just useful insights about how you can be a catalyst for innovation, creative thinking, and extraordinary results.
(Will feature my new book.)
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:26 PM | Comments (0)
The Inner Game
If you missed Tim Gallwey's classic Inner Game of Tennis the first time around, now's your chance to get it. Tim's book, the best selling sports psychology book in U.S. publishing history, is about as good as it gets. Using tennis as a metaphor, Tim has found an impeccable way to help athletes and non-athletes alike go beyond their inner obstacles and tap into their innate potential as human beings.
I'm speaking from experience, folks, because I worked with Tim for two years in the mid 1980's as part of his Inner Game corporation in LA. Tim doesn't just walk his talk, he lobs it, slams it, and puts just enough back spin on it to tease out the very best of his reader's and client's abilities.
Oh... he also gave me a wonderful testimonial about my new book, Awake at the Wheel: "A superb catalyst for anyone with the urge to bring their best ideas to reality."
Thanks, Tim! And thank all of you for making your effort to wake up and play the inner game of life.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2008Chuck Frey Rules! (and no, this is not a picture of him)
Many thanks to Chuck Frey, soulful Founder of www.innovationtools.com for his very kind review of my new book, Awake at the Wheel.
For any of you who don't know Chuck, this man is a gem. And he's done an extraordinary job putting together what I think is the best innovation portal on the web. If you haven't been to his site yet, go visit. It's a wonderful resource -- articles, links, reviews, research, whitepapers, products, blog -- and all things innovative.
We're all in this together, folks!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2008BOOK REVIEW: Growing Great Employees
I love this management development book by Erika Andersen. It's simple. It's beautifully written. And it's very useful.
It's clear that Erika is talking from her real-world experience and not the jive zone of wannabee consultants. It's rare to find a business book devoid of gobbledygook. This book is that rare book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the various ways in which Andersen coaches the reader through real-time challenges in the corporate workplace -- especially the art of hiring and listening.
Growing Great Employees reminds me of what Michelangelo said when asked how he made the David. "I just took away everything that wasn't."
It sure seems to me that the very talented Ms. Andersen has found that secret formula, taking away everything that didn't need to be in this book and leaving the reader with everything they need in order to understand what it means to manage people skillfully and with great humanity.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:42 PM | Comments (1)
Getting Down to the Business of Creativity
Here's a terrific article on creativity, based on the work of three Harvard researchers/professors.
One of the things I especially love about the article is that it confirms the approach Idea Champions has taken since 1986.
According to Teresa Amabile's research, "inner work life" is one of the biggest determinants of creative output. In other words, a positive mood is a pre-condition for creativity in the workplace. If you are attempting to establish a sustainable culture of innovation in your organization, you (and everyone else) would be well-served to do everything humanly possible to positively impact the mood (i.e. tone, feeling, atmosphere, vibe, spirit) of the environment in which you work.
And that begins, of course, with the individual.
When you treat people with respect, acknowledgment, and genuine positive reinforcement, you significantly increase the odds of creativity -- and by extension, innovation -- flourishing in your organization.
Common sense? For sure. But common sense, it seems, is all too uncommon in most organizations. In our rush to produce, get an edge, and accomplish, we forget the most important thing...
And that is the quality of our interactions with others.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:35 AM | Comments (0)
May 13, 200826 Reasons Why Most Brainstorming Sessions Fail (and what you can do about it)
Whenever I ask Idea Champions clients to tell me about the quality of brainstorming sessions in their company, they usually roll their eyes and grumble. Bottom line, most brainstorming sessions don't work. Not because brainstorming, as a process, doesn't work -- but because it's usually done poorly.
What follows are the 26 most common reasons why -- and after that, a list of what you can do differently to turn things around:
1. Poor facilitation
2. Wrong (or poorly articulated) topic
3. Unmotivated participants
4. Insufficient diversity of participants
5. Inadequate orientation
6. No transition from "business as usual"
7. Lack of clear ground rules
8. Sterile meeting space
9. Hidden (or competing) agendas
10. Lack of robust participation
11. Insufficient listening
12. Habitual idea killing behavior
13. Attachment to old ("pet") ideas
14. Discomfort with ambiguity
15. Hyper-seriousness (not enough fun)
16. Endless interruptions
17. PDA addiction (Crackberries)
18. Impatience (premature adoption of the first "right idea")
19. Group think
20. Hierarchy and/or competing sub-groups
21. Imbalance of divergent and convergent thinking
22. No tools and techniques to spark the imagination
23. Inelegant ways of capturing new ideas
24. No time for personal reflection
25. Pre-mature evaluation
26. No follow-up plan
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO TURN THINGS AROUND?
Continue reading "26 Reasons Why Most Brainstorming Sessions Fail (and what you can do about it)"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2008YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRINK: 101 CreativiTeas for Aspiring Innovators
Some people say you are what you eat. Others, more cerebrally inclined, say you are what you think. I would like to propose yet another possibility -- you are what you drink.
And so, in this slightly tongue-in-cheek spirit, I offer you a selection of 101 exotic teas from around the world. Each one has been formulated to stimulate the specific, inner quality you need more of in order to be a more effective innovator on-the-job.
Your task? To choose three teas, from the list below, whose qualities you most need to imbibe -- then brainstorm ways in which you can bring more of these qualities into your life.
Drink deep... then think deep.
Continue reading "YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRINK: 101 CreativiTeas for Aspiring Innovators"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:52 AM | Comments (0)
May 07, 2008Top 100 Amazon Reviewer Favorably Compares "Awake at the Wheel" to "Who Moved My Cheese?"
This just in from Thomas Duff, Top 100 Amazon reviewer:
Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an Uphill World) can, in my opinion, be compared to the classic "Who Moved My Cheese?". Ditkoff does for creativity what Johnson and Blanchard did for living with change... It gives the reader a short, humorous story loaded with meaning and concepts that hit the reader right where they live.
Ditkoff explores the world of ideas and creativity though the story of Og. Og is a caveman who spends more time thinking than the average Neanderthal. He stumbles upon the concept of a circle, and becomes obsessed with what it could mean to the group. Of course, most of his fellow cavemen are more concerned about maintaining the status quo... hunting, eating, staying warm.
Og takes a journey to talk with a wise one, and from that trip the wheel is born. But even then, others in his clan are more interested in shooting it down as something that will never work. But one person does figure out the practical application, and pretty soon everyone is "rolling along" with the greatest thing since dried mammoth...
I really did like this book.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:11 PM | Comments (0)
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