If you want to CREATE something extraordinary, you're going to need some of the spirit that Dean Schambach exudes. When the true force of creativity is burning bright in every cell of your body, all the rest will follow. Hats off to David McDonald, Woodstock filmmaker, for this pearl of brilliance.

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:48 AM | Comments (2)

Facilitating a brainstorm session is like going to a casino.

You show up, find your favorite game, place your bet, and pray for luck. Sometimes you win. Most of the times, you lose. And the odds are always stacked against you.

That's the way it is for most of us -- casual visitors to Vegas or Atlantic City or a neighborhood poker game.

Then, of course, there are the professionals -- people who gamble for a living. They have a different approach. They know how to find an edge.

They count cards. They calculate the odds. They read body language. They know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. And they know how to trust their instincts -- developed over years of study, practice and experience.

Bottom line, they've learned the art and science of navigating their way through various games of chance to radically increase the odds of success.

And while they understand that luck is a big part of the equation, they also know, that "luck favors the prepared mind."

They prepare. They're ready to play.

If you want your brainstorm sessions to get results, you'll need to remember two things: 1) It's a game of chance and; 2) The tools, techniques, and skills you bring to the table will radically increase your odds of breaking the bank.

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)

Out of work? Looking for a job? Enjoy a few chuckles before you pound the pavement today.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:59 AM | Comments (0)

Here's a very lucid and well-written article by Rowan Gibson on the importance of getting your company's back end of innovation together.

Rowan's rant is consistent with my own experience. It also provokes you to consider one of the ultimate paradoxes of organizational innovation. On one hand, forward thinking companies need to take care of the unglorious back end of innovation -- all that behind-the-scene stuff that increases the odds of good ideas actually manifesting. On the other hand, most organizations' attempts to establish a robust back end usually devolves to stultifying, over-engineered, inhumane "processes."

What's needed is balance -- the artful blend of ideation, integration, and implementation.

Anyway, read Rowan's article. It's worth the five minutes it will take.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)

One reason why "innovation initiatives" don't work all that well is because their well-meaning architects usually take them too seriously. If people aren't having any fun in the workplace, chances are slim they will ever innovate. There is a huge relationship between AHA! and HAHA!

www.eightprinciples.com

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)