Michelangelo on Genius
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2011Dizzy's Wisdom
Take heed, oh aspiring innovators. Often, less is more...
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:57 PM | Comments (0)
How to Create an Idea Factory
One of the reasons why most BIG IDEAS go nowhere is because the idea originators do not have a team of collaborators on board to help develop and execute their ideas.
In the absence of collaborators, the idea originators either try to do everything themselves (not a good idea) or spend so much time trying to enroll people on the fly that the idea loses momentum and eventually evaporates.
Simply put, it's easy to conceive. It's harder to deliver the baby.
But what if each of us who comes up with a potentially game-changing idea already had a team of collaborators in place -- people who were poised and ready to respond with enthusiasm, skill, and clarity?
This is not a new idea. There are examples in many other domains: Swat Teams, Firefighters, and Emergency Rooms, just to name a few.
These are people who are there when you need them. They are skilled. They know their roles. They are team players. And they are totally committed -- even when tired, cranky, and under-appreciated.
YOU need something similar every time you come up with a big idea. OK. Maybe not every time -- but at least sometimes.
Here are the people I want in my Idea Factory (or, as one friend renamed it, my "Opportunity Incubator").
1.Brainstorm Buddy to help develop the idea, give feedback, share insights, and keep me on my game.
2. Researcher to gather information, best practices, data, resources, etc.
3. Finance Person to do projections, budgets, and help build the business case.
4. Marketing Maven to help me sell the idea -- in house and out there in the "real world."
5. Writer to create proposals, business cases, and other support materials.
Five people. That's it. On call. Part time.
THE PROCESS?
1. The Big Idea comes to you.
2. You write a brief and email it to your Fab Five
3. On a conference call, you present the idea -- and get feedback.
4. You make specific requests to each member of the team.
5. You stay in close touch with all Idea Factory cohorts -- making sure to share info, progress, changes, and successes.
Anything I've forgotten? Any members of the team I should add? What would you need from me in order to say YES to playing one of the five roles noted above?
Or... are you ready to start your own idea factory?
PS: These do not have to be paid positions. I'm talking about inviting your friends or colleagues who are "in the zone" and would love to be involved in some cool projects with you.
Idea Champions
Collaboration Training
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:54 PM | Comments (4)
August 27, 2011When a Best Practice Is a Worst Practice
I'm a collector of best practices. I like to find out what forward thinking individuals and organizations have done to accomplish extraordinary results.
Sometimes I share these stories in my keynotes or workshops.
Invariably, my stock rises when I tell these stories. People think I know stuff. They get giddy. They take notes. They think about how to adapt these best practices to their organization.
But then things get weird.
People start becoming satisfied with emulating other people's lives. Instead of thinking up their own best practices, they imitate. Ouch!
The spirit of innovation gets replaced by the religion of innovation.
Gone is reflection. Gone is the process of discovery. Gone is the ownership that comes with birthing new insights. In it's place? Simulation. Imitation. And, all too often, the blind following of pre-packaged solutions.
I'm not saying there isn't value in paying attention to other people's best practices. There is.
But when when imitation replaces creation, something invariably gets lost -- and innovation eventually goes down the drain.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:47 PM | Comments (2)
The Creative Impulse
Excerpted from this slide show
Idea Champions
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)
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
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)
August 22, 2011Creators on Creating
Inspiring slide show of quotes by breakthrough thinkers, innovators, and other assorted wizards. View full screen for max impact.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:41 PM | Comments (0)
TEENS FOR CHANGE: One Voice for LaosHere 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 18, 201156 Reasons Why Most Corporate Innovation Initiatives Fail
Innovation is in these days. The word is on the lips of every CEO, CFO, CIO, and anyone else with a three-letter acronym after their name.
As a result, many organizations are launching all kinds of "innovation initiatives" -- hoping to stir the creative soup. This is commendable. But it is also, all too often, a disappointing experience.
Innovation initiatives sound good, but usually don't live up to expectations. The reasons are many. What follows are 56 of the most common -- organizational obstacles we've observed that get in the way of a company truly raising the bar for innovation.
See which ones are familiar to YOU. Then, sit down with your Senior Team... CEO... innovation committee, or best friend and jump start the process of going beyond these obstacles.
56 Reasons Why Most Corporate Innovation Initiatives Fail
1. "Innovation" framed as an initiative, not the normal way of doing business
2. Absence of a clear definition of what "innovation" really means
3. Innovation not linked to company's existing vision or strategy
4. No sense of urgency
5. Workforce is suffering from "initiative fatigue"
6. CEO does not fully embrace the effort
7. No compelling vision or reason to innovate
8. Senior Team not aligned
9. Key players don't have the time to focus on innovation
10.Innovation champions are not empowered
11. Decision making processes are non-existent or fuzzy
12. Lack of trust
13. Risk averse culture
14. Overemphasis on cost cutting or incremental improvement
15. Workforce ruled by past assumptions and old mental models
16. No process in place for funding new projects
17. Not enough pilot programs in motion
18. Senior Team not walking the talk
19. No company-wide process for managing ideas
20. Too many turf wars. Too many silos.
21. Analysis paralysis
22. Reluctance to cannibalize existing products and services
23. NIH (not invented here) syndrome
24. Funky channels of communication
25. No intrinsic motivation to innovate
26. Unclear gates for evaluating progress
27. Mind numbing bureaucracy
28. Unclear idea pitching processes
29. Lack of clearly defined innovation metrics
30. No accountability for results
31. No way to celebrate quick wins
32. Poorly facilitated meetings
33. No training to unleash individual or team creativity
34. Voo doo evaluation of ideas
35. Inadequate sharing of best practices
36. Lack of teamwork and collaboration
37. Unclear strategy for sustaining the effort
38. Innovation Teams meet too infrequently
39. Middle managers not on board
40. Ineffective roll out of the effort to the workforce
41. Lack of tools and techniques to help people generate new ideas
42. Innovation initiative perceived as another "flavor of the month"
43. Individuals don't understand how to be a part of the effort
44. Diverse inputs or conflicting opinions not honored
45. Imbalance of left-brain and right brain thinking
46. Low morale
47. Over-reliance on technology
48. Failure to secure sustained funding
49. Unrealistic time frames
50. Failure to consider issues associated with scaling up
51. Inability to attract talent to risky new ventures
52. Failure to consider commercialization issues
53. No rewards or recognition program in place
54. No processes in place to get fast feedback
55. Inadequate sense of what your customers really want or need
56. Company hiring process screens out potential innovators
Others we may have missed?
We can help. Click here for more.
Thanks to Barry Gruenberg, Bill Shockley, Chuck Frey, and Farrell Reynolds for their sage input.
Photo
Illustration
Illustration
Photo
Photo
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:31 PM | Comments (2)
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)
August 02, 2011What's in a Name? Plenty!
When I co-founded my company in 1986, I had two business cards made. One said "President." The other said "Archduke." Whenever I gave clients a choice, they always wanted the Archduke card.
In time, I gave all the Archduke cards away and never re-ordered them -- in a pitiful attempt, I think, to seem more professional.
Fortunately, everything comes full circle. Last night, while enjoying a wonderful concert in my hometown of Woodstock, my next title was suddenly revealed.
Director of Public Elations (and, no, I did not forget the "R".)
In a flash, not only did I get an insight into what my focus will be for the next few years, I also discovered an entirely new field.
Cirque du Soleil is a perfect example.
Gracefully walking the high wire of the Experience Economy, they know their success is intimately connected to their ability to elate the public -- to uplift, inspire, and activate joy.
Southwest Airlines also understands this.
Theirs is a corporate culture founded on delight. Even Starbucks and Barnes & Noble have gotten into the act. Both of them know their product needs to be more than coffee and books, but a feeling -- a sense of well-being, ease, and community.
In a word, elation.
And so, I decided to share my title-changing revelation with my colleagues -- the "Senior Consultant," the "Webmaster," the "Chief Technology Officer," and the "Director of Operations."
I asked them to tell me what new titles they'd like. Here's what they told me:
- Chief Enlightenment Officer
- Princess of Possibility
- Head of Lettuce
- Webmaster of My Domain
- Director of Whatever Needs Directing
- Duke of URL
- Head of Steam
- Lord High Minister of Depth and Feared Wielder of the Reality Check
How about YOU?
What new title do YOU want to see on your next business card? What name more creatively describes what you really do at work?
Idea Champions
Free the Genie
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:30 AM | Comments (9)
August 01, 2011Howling Thomas Wolfe at Your Door
I can't recall reading anything as moving about being at the creative crossroads as the following passage by American novelist, Thomas Wolfe. If you feel like you are on the cusp of a breakthrough (or need to be), this one's for you...
"During this time I reached that state of naked need and utter isolation which every artist has got to meet and conquer if he is to survive at all.
Before this I had been sustained by that delightful illusion of success which we all have when we dream about the books we are going to write instead of actually doing them.
Now I suddenly realized that I had committed my life and integrity so irrevocably to this struggle that I must conquer now or be destroyed.
I was alone with my work and knew that no one could help me with it no matter how much anyone might wish to help...
For the first time I realized another naked fact which every artist must know, and that is in a man's work there are contained not only seeds of life, but the seeds of death, and that the power of creation which sustains us will also destroy us like a leprosy if we let it rot stillborn in our vitals. I had to get it out of me somehow.
I say that now. And now for the first time, a terrible doubt began to creep into my mind that I might not live long enough to get it out of me, that I had created a labor so large and so impossible that the energy of a dozen lifetimes would not suffice for its accomplishment.
During this time, I was sustained by one piece of inestimable good fortune. I had for a friend a man of immense and patient wisdom and a gentle but unyielding fortitude.
I think that if I was not destroyed at this time by the sense of hopelessness which these gigantic labors had awakened in me, it was largely because of the courage and patience of this man.
I did not give in because he would not let me give in, and I think it is true that at this particular time he had the advantage of being in the position of a skilled observer at a battle, covered by its dust and sweat and exhausted by its struggle, and I understood far less than my friend the nature and progress of the struggle in which I was engaged.
At this time there was little that this man could do except observe, and in one way or another keep me at my task, and in many quiet and wonderful ways he succeeded in doing this.
I was now at the place where I must produce.
Even the greatest editor can do little for a writer until he has brought from the secrete darkness of his own spirit into the common light of the day the completed concrete accomplishment of his imagining.
My friend has likened his own function at this painful time to that of a man who is trying to hang on to the fin of a plunging whale, but hang on he did, and it is to his tenacity that I owe my final release."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:24 AM | Comments (1)
