Dizzy's Wisdom
Take heed, oh aspiring innovators. Often, less is more...
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:57 PM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2011The Creative Impulse
Excerpted from this slide show
Idea Champions
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August 26, 2011A Leadership of the Average
"No institution
can possibly survive
if it needs geniuses
or supermen
to manage it.
It must be organized
in such a way
as to be able to get along
under a leadership
composed of
average human beings."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:17 PM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2011Create More Time to Innovate
Idea Champions
Awake At The Wheel
Free the Genie
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August 22, 2011TEENS FOR CHANGE: One Voice for Laos
Here is an intro to a wonderful non-profit venture, based in Woodstock, NY and coordinated by my wife, Evelyne Pouget. One thing that makes this project so exciting is the fact that more than 20 Hudson Valley teenagers are actively involved with fundraising and producing a documentary film of the project. If you want to make a donation or volunteer, contact evelynepouget@hvc.rr.com
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:54 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2011Genius Is Simpler Than You Think, According to Mozart
"Neither
a lofty
degree
of intelligence,
nor
imagination,
nor both together,
go to the
making of
genius.
Love, Love, Love.
That
is the
soul of
genius."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:22 PM | Comments (2)
August 20, 2011Exit Through the Gift Shop
It took me a while to finally watch this movie, but now that I have, I am beyond inspired. If you have even the slightest bit of desire to walk the high wire of beautiful insanity in service to whatever it is you are passionate about, this movie is for you. A force of nature. A farce of nature. A testimony to what's possible if you follow the yellow brick road with a camera and a can of spray paint.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2011INNOVATORS: Be Who You Are!
Idea Champions
Awake at the Wheel
Image
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August 16, 2011Greetings from Our Chief Fire Starter
Greetings! My name is Og, Idea Champions' CFS (Chief Fire Starter). I'm in charge of helping our clients ignite new possibilities.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that the economic downturn has not, in any way, affected our business. We are absolutely fine. (The desk furniture we're burning for heat makes our office quite toasty).
We realize, of course, that YOUR business may be struggling -- with the market being as volatile as it is and consumer confidence way down.
If so, feel free to call me at 800-755-IDEA. (Now that I have use of both my opposable thumbs, answering the phone has become quite a positive experience). At that time, I'll be happy to explain how we can help your organization raise the bar for innovation.
Or, if you want to get started today, buy our Founder's award-winning book (which is the only book I've seen that gives me the credit I so richly deserve as the inventor of the wheel.) Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I'm available for keynote grunting, bar mitzvahs, and webinars.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:46 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2011A Message to Workaholics
"The foolish man
is always
doing,
yet much
remains
to be done.
The wise man
does nothing,
yet nothing
remains
undone."
- Lao Tzu
Photo
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2011Cultivating Innovation Where You Work
"Organizations are like gardens, not machines. We keep bringing in mechanics, when what we need are gardeners." - Peter Senge
If you want to establish a culture of innovation, there are three things you need to know:
1. It's possible
2. It's simple (but not easy)
3. It's just like growing vegetables
Possible? Absolutely! Innovation is all about manifesting what doesn't yet exist -- but could (or, as the more entrepreneurial among us might say, manifesting the seemingly impossible).
Simple? That, too. But simple isn't always easy, especially since human beings have an odd tendency to make things complicated (especially business processes designed to increase innovation).
Growing vegetables? Really? Yup. If you want the fruits of your labor to yield results, you will need to make the same kind of effort a gardener makes. Forget about theory for a moment. It's a harvest you're after.
How to begin? Get the ground ready. Oh ... and one more thing: Roll up your sleeves and get to work.
The Garden of Innovation
Photo
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2011Inside/Out Culture of Innovation
If you work in an organization that wants a "culture of innovation" -- you have two basic choices: outside/in or inside/out.
Outside/in is the most common approach. It assumes that re-engineering systems or processes is the way to go. You know, crank up the rewards, have more brainstorming sessions, increase cross-functional collaboration, buy idea management software and so forth.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you, but it's often just a slick way of repositioning the deck chairs on the Titanic. It looks good. It's promising. You feel like you are doing something, but the ship is still sinking.
The other approach -- inside/out -- is far less common. Understandably so. And why it's less common is because it's slower and, to a lot of left-brained business people, borders on voo doo.
The inside/out approach doesn't so much aim for "organizational change" as it does individual change (working on the premise that an organization is nothing more than a bunch of individuals).
In the inside/out approach, each person commits to -- as Mahatma Ghandi put it -- to "being the change you want to see in the world."
Ah, personal responsibility! Personal accountability! The place where the buck stops -- and often starts. You! Me! And every person you work with.
It's not about re-engineering. It's not about new initiatives. It's not about process or compensation or flex time or whatever.
It's about mindset -- as in the "place" every single person in your company is coming from.
The fact is: every single person in your company already knows what to do in order to have a culture of innovation. They do. They really do. It's common sense.
Consultants like to make it mysterious, of course, but it's actually very simple.
Does your company's longstanding history of crapola get in the way of each individual operating at their highest potential? Of course it does. Will refining systems and processes help? Of course it will. But the real deal is NOT a "program". The real deal is each and every person bringing their innate wisdom to the table every single day. Their highest self. Their best self.
If you can find a way to get a critical mass of people to be committed to inside/out change, you're 90 percent of the way there.
Simple.
Simple, unfortunately, is not the same thing as "easy" -- especially these days where so many of us worship at the altar of complexity.
PS: This is just Part One of a much longer rant. How to elicit/spark the "inner change" necessary to establish a culture of innovation is the 64 trillion dollar (more than the debt ceiling) question.
Your thoughts?
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:01 PM | Comments (6)
