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ContentsINTRODUCTION 4...................................................................................................THEPOWEROFIDEAS 6..........................................................................................KeyTakeaways 8..................................................................................................
GENERATINGIDEAS 10...........................................................................................Howtogenerateideas 11................................................................................PromoteacreaJveatmosphere 11.................................................................DealingwithCreaJveBlock 14.......................................................................Createtherightatmosphere 15......................................................................Brainstorming 18.............................................................................................MindMapping 20...........................................................................................IdeaCapture 23...............................................................................................
WHATNOW? 25....................................................................................................CONCLUSION 26....................................................................................................
INTRODUCTION
ThegeneraJonofpowerfulideashasmovedusforwardasacivilizaJonfromtheStoneAgetotheDigitalAge.IfprimiJvemanhadn’tstartedcarvinghisideasoncavewalls,there’sliZlechancewewouldhaveaccomplishedanythingweneededtoaccomplishinordertosurviveandthriveasarace.
Ideaslikefire;cavedrawings;thewheel;wriJng;broadcasJng;theInternet.
Witheveryideawedevelopasaspecies,wedrivetheworldforwardintechnology–andinbusiness.EverynewtechnologybringsitsownrequirementfornewsoluJonstomanageit-justaseverynewideadrivesnewtechnologicaladvances.
It’saself-fulfillingprocess.
Ideasmakeoldthingsnew,preventorsolveproblems,andcreateproductsandservicesthatmakeourliveseasierandmorefulfilling.Ifwefailedtothinkofnewideaswe’dhavedifficultybuildinghappyrelaJonships,novelmethodsofentertainmentandwaystocreatefinancialincome.Itbecomesquiteobviousthatideasaren’tjustlimitedtothe“nicetohave”departmentofourlives–they’reanessenJalcomponentattheheartofourlives.
Peoplegetpassionateabouttheirideas.Thereallypassionateonesdedicatethemselvestomakingthoseideasareality.AndthosepassionatepeoplehavebeenfromallwalksoflifeandencompassallaspectsofideageneraJon–spiritual,emoJonal,physicalandfinancial.
IfyoutaketheJmetoexamineGandhi,RichardBranson,SteveJobsorEddieIzzard,you’llseepeoplewithradicallydifferentapproachestolifeexceptforonething–attheircore,theyhadideasthatobsessedthem.Ideasthatdrovetheirbehaviortoachievegreatthingsintheirlivesthathadfar-reachingeffectsoneveryonearoundthem.
Ideasarelikeseedsthatgrowintodifferenttypesoftreesdependingonhowtheyarenourished.Weakideaswillfail.GoodideaswithoutadequatenurturingwillalsowitheranddieoverJme.Butagoodideanurturedproperlycanchangetheworld!
We’regoingtotakealookatideasandhowtheyrelatespecificallytobusiness,butfromJmetoJmewe’lltouchonideasthatreachbeyondbusinessorthatcomefrommuchfartherafieldbecausesomeideassharesimilarconcepts.
Howimportantareideastobusiness?
WithoutinnovaJon,businesswoulddieonitsfeet.Andideasdon’tnecessarilyhavetobegroundbreakingtohaveahugeworldwideeffect.
JustthinkabouthowtheinvenJonofFacebookhasputdistantfriendsandfamilymembersintouch.Whatstartedasasimplewaytonetworkwithothercollegestudentsgrewintoa900millionusersocialinterfacethatrunsastheworld’sbiggestadverJsingagency.
Phoneswentmobileandthendigitalandthenbecame“smart”.SmartphoneshaveappsthatuserscanusetotrackhealthandfitnessacJviJesandevenhowhealthytheireaJnghabitsare.It’slikehavingyourownpersonaltrainerinyourpocket–alongwithyoursocialsecretaryandadministraJveassistant.
Appproducersandthosewhosupporttheappindustrysuchascopywriters,webdevelopersandsales&markeJngpersonnelhavebeenemployedtopromotethoseapps–creaJngemploymentwherenotonlydidnoneexistunJlrecently–butnonewasevenconceivedaspossibleunJlrecently.
Everydayanewadvanceintechnology–basedonanewidea–drivesinvenJon,producJonandsalesofnewproducts.
Let’stakealookatthepowerofideasinbusiness.
THEPOWEROFIDEAS
IdeashaveproventobeapowerfuldrivingforcebehindbusinessinnovaJon.
ProbablyoneofthegreatestknownmenforgeniusideaswasEinstein-whoseideasshapedhowwethinkaboutthenatureofnotjustourownplanetbuttheveryUniverseitself.EinsteinworkedveryhardathisjobinapatentofficeinSwitzerlandforonereasononly–togettheworkdoneasfastashecouldsothathecouldspendtherestofthedayworkingonhisownideas.
InmorerecentJmes,withthedipintheworldeconomycametheriseofentrepreneurialenterpriseandthenecessitytogeneratenewideasforbusiness–bothtocreatenewbusinessesandregeneratethosethatwereindangeroffolding.Einstein’suniqueoutlookoncreaJvitywastobecomeanintegralpartofideageneraJonasweunderstandittoday.
TheworkenvironmenthaschangedovertheyearsasthepowerofBigIdeashasbecomerecognizedandevenencouraged.Nowit’snotunthoughtoftospendthedayinthoughtorparJcipaJnginotherideageneraJngmethods.CompaniessuchasGoogleprovidewholeroomsfortheirstaffthatarededicatedtothepursuitofcreaJvity.
Takeforexample,theirofficesinZurichwherestaffcanusefireman’spolesorslidestogetfromplacetoplace,andanaquariumtorelaxinfrontof.InLondontheyhavearoomthat’smadetoresembleanactualforest,withastreamonwhichisaboatthatemployeescansitintowork.
Soundjustabitbizarre?Itmaydoifyouhaven’ttakenideageneraJoninbusinessseriouslybefore–butlet’sthinkaboutthatforamoment.IdeascometousatunexpectedJmes–intheshower,outrunning,halfasleepinbed.Soitprobablymakessensethatbyremovingasmuchofthe“work”atmosphereaspossiblethecompanyareallowingtheiremployeestofreeassociateideasoutsideofatypicalworkatmosphere.
JamesPaZersonrunsamulJ-millionpublishingempireonideas.Theauthoradmitsthatheworkswithghostwriters.Ininterviewshehasstatedthathecreatesanoutlineofupto90pagesthathehandsofftohischosenauthor,whofleshesoutthestory.
YoumightsaythatPaZersonhastheideasandgivesthemtosomeoneelsetodothework.TheresultisaficJonbusinessthathassoldover300millionbooks,andhasanetworthofover$430million.
TimFerriss,authorofNewYorkTimes’#1bestsellerthe4HourWorkWeekisanotherideasman.Infact,TimFerris’sideashavegeneratedhimanetworthof$15-20million.
How?Byanalyzingideaswetakeforgranted,figuringoutwhatmightbeconstruedtobewrongaboutthoseideas,andformulaJngnewoneswithprovenposiJveeffects.Hisideasspreadlikewildfire–garneringhimareputaJonforinnovaJonandviralmarkeJngforhisbooks.
Thepublishingindustryitselfisanexampleofhowideasalonecanbepowerfulenoughtocreateabusiness.Atonepointtherewere6bigbookpublishinghouses-thenAmazon,anothercompanythatstartedasasimpleidea,threwitshatintheringwithitsownimprintsandprovidedtheopportunitytomostoftheworldtoself-publishthroughtheirsite.
ThisidearevoluJonizedpublishingasitwasknownandhascreatedabusinessformillionsofpeoplearoundtheworldwhonotonlywrite,butcreatebusinessestosupportself-publishing:proofreaders&editors,textformaZers,coverdesigners,bookpromoters&publicists.Amazon’sdecisiontotakeacJonontheirideajustblewupandconsumedthepublic’simaginaJon.
RichardBransonisanotherindividualwhochosepublishingashisfirstentrepreneurialventure.Attheageof16hecreatedamagazinecalledStudent.HelatercreatedtheVirginbrandtodevelopaseriesofsuccessfulventureswhichincludedrecordstores,arecordlabel,Virginairlineandnowhe’sventuringintospacewithVirginGalacJc.
Idea,uponidea,uponidea:BransonhasputtakenacJononallhisideasandaccumulatedanetworthof$5.1billiondollars.
Whatwecanlearnfromtheseentrepreneurialtypeswhoseideasmaketheirfortunes,isthattheyorenrecognizeaneedoftheirownandtakeappropriateacJontosolvethatproblem.Rarelydoesasuccessfulbusinessman’sideascomefromaplaceoffinancialdesire–butratherfromaburningdesiretosolveproblems.Whentheyhaveideasthatsolveproblems,theyrecognizethatthesoluJonmightbevaluableootherswhosufferthesameissues.
Ofcoursewhilewecanlookatindividualswhoseideashaveturnedthemintotopbusinesspeopleandrecognizetheirbusinessacumen,butwhathappenswhenwebringtogethertwoormorepartners’ideasinenterprise?
Buildingonothers’ideascanbuildnewventures.AndthespeedinwhichtheycanbebuiltincreasesexponenJallywhentheyshareandbuildoneachother’sideas.
PartnershipsbetweeninnovaJvethinkershaveproducedbusinessesworthmillions.
Airbnb,InnocenJsmoothies,HewleZPackard,Apple,TwiZerandeBaywereallfoundedbyagroupoftwoormorepeoplewhohadproducJverelaJonshipsinwhichtheywereabletobounceideasoffeachotherwithinasafeandcreaJveenvironment.
KeyTakeaways
Here’swhatyoushouldlearnfromthis:
• Ideascancreatebusinessespurelybysolvingproblemsthatothershaven’ttakentheJmetosolve
• CreaJvepeoplecanfindanddevelopsupporJngproductsandservicesforneworestablishedbusinessesbylookingatnewtechnologyandaskinghowtheycanuseittosolvethoseproblems
• Establishingaprofitablebusinessasan“ideas”personispossibleifyoucandelegatetheworktootherexperts
• TherehasbeenachangeinastudetowardsthevaluecreaJvepeoplebringtobusiness
• BusinesspeoplenowrecognizethatcreaJvityisanimportantpartofbusiness,notjusta“nicetohave”
• Ideascanbesopowerfultheycanchangethewaywethinkonaglobalscale
• Powerfulideasliveonarerusinbooks,influencinggeneraJonstocome
GENERATINGIDEAS
IdeageneraJonorencausesasJrringofemoJonsinpeople.TheybecomeiratethatanideaisnothingnewandthatthepersonresponsibleforthisnewiteraJonisathiefwhohasstolenthehardworkofothersbeforethem.
Whiledirectlyplagiarizingothers’workishighlydisreputableandshouldplaynopartinyourideageneraJonprocess,wehavetorecognizethatmostideasarearrivedatfrom,asNewtonputit,“standingontheshouldersofgiants.”
Orasyourparentsprobablyputit,“there’snothingnewundertheSun.”
IdeageneraJoncanbetricky.That’swhylegislaJonnowsurroundstheideaofpublicdomain.SomeJmeago,governmentsrecognizedthefactthatcreatorsofbooksandartshouldhavesomecontroloverhowtheirworkwasdistributed,andsotheideaandpracJceofcopyrightandcopyrightenforcementwascreatedtoensurethatarJstswerepaidifothersdistributedtheircreaJons.
Luckily,thoselegaliJesdidn’timpacttheideasbehindthosecreaJons.AnotheraspectofcreaJonfromideaswastherecogniJonthatideasthemselvesareuniversal.Severaldifferentpeoplecan–anddo–havethesameideaatmoreorlessthesameJme.It’stheinterpretaJonoftheideaandhowitismanifestedthatcopyrightlawappliesto.
That’salsowhycopyrightlawdoesn’tprotectaworkforever–becauseitrecognizesthatgoodideasdrawfromotherideasthathavegonebefore.
Thisidea–thatgoodideascomefromthosethatwentbefore–isacoretenetofideageneraJon.
Ifyou’reuncertainaboutthisandsJllfeelthatit’sjust“stealing”otherpeople’sideas,considerthefollowing:
Mostlengthynon-ficJonbooks–hardbacksandpaperbacksinparJcular–haveabibliographywheretheyquoteotherbooksfromwhichtheyhavequotedideasorfacts.Thisaloneshowsthatideascanbediscussedanddrawnuponeveniftheyarenotyourown.
Consideralso;WaltDisney.DisneymoviesarenottheoriginalversionsofCinderella,LiZleRedRidingHood,SnowWhiteorGoldilocks.Norofmanyotheroftheirmoviereleases.
ThosestorieswerewriZenmanyyearsbeforeDisneywasevenborn–yethewasabletoadaptthemandmakethemmorerelevanttohiscontemporaries.Hegavethemadifferentlook,andalteredthemtoreflectmoremodernthinking.Intheprocess,WaltDisneycreatedmoviesthatwerehugesuccesses-thankstotheideasthatothershadbeforehim.
DisneycreatedanenJrebusinessbasedontheworksofothersbeforehim–andbyusingthoseworkstogeneratenewideas.
Howtogenerateideas
IdeageneraJoncanseemdifficult–parJcularlywhenunderpressure.ButtherearemanydifferentmethodsofideageneraJonandatleastone–oracombinaJonofdifferentmethods–willworkforyou.Here’showyoutoocangeneratepowerfulideasforyourbusiness,nomaZerwhatthebusinessyouarein.
PromoteacreaFveatmosphere
EncourageanatmospherewherecreaJvityisnotjusttolerated,butencouraged.Youmayfeelthatthisopensthedoortopossibleabuse,butanynegaJvereacJontoyournewhouseruleswilldieawaywhentheresultsstartspeakingforthemselves.
Getpeopleofvariedexperiencetoworktogether.Alargerpoolofexperiencesmeansamuchgreateroutputofideas.Intermsthatinternetmarketersmight
understand,thisistheequivalentofakeywordmulJplier-wherebrainstormedkeywordsaremulJpliedwitheachothertocreatealargerdatabaseofqueries.
NeverholdontoanideatooJghtly.Allideasshouldbefitforpurpose.Whileyoushouldnevercompletelygetridofanidea,beMachiavellianinhowyoutreatyourideas-theendsmustjusJfythemeans.Iftheideaceasestohelpmoveyoutowardsthedesiredoutcome,it'sJmetostartgeneraJngnewideas.
Ideasdon'thappeninavacuum-theymulJplylikebacteriawhentheycomeincontactwitheachother-soengagegroupsofpeopleinyourideageneraJonstrategy.Thatsamevacuumissymbolicofthedeskyousitateveryday,thesameboardroomyoumeetinwithyourcolleagues,thesamecanteentableyoutakelunchateveryday.
RouJneisahugeenemyofideas.
Getoutsideforlunchiftheweatherallows.Meetinadifferentoffice.Changesomethingabouthowyounormallydobusinessasorenasyoucan.Don'texpecttocreateideasatthesameJmeorinthesamecontexteverydayorweek.Understandthatit'sjustaslikelythoseideasarelikelytohitwhileyouwalkthroughtheparkasitiswhenyouareinacreaJvemeeJng.What'simportantisthattheydon'tdieonthevine.Writethemdown.Recordthemonyourphone.Tellsomeoneelseaboutthem.
Don'tdismissficFon
ManyentrepreneuriallyspiritedpeopleconsumebooksinlargequanJJes-theyreadliketheirlivesdependonit.Butwhilethathelpsinapurelybusinessway,ficJonshouldn'tbeignored.FicJonhelpspeoplethinkdifferentlyastheyreaddifferentcharacters’viewpoints,itchangeshowtheirbrainsreacttosituaJonsandsimulatesbroaderexperiencethantheyalreadypossess.
Write
No-youdon'tneedtowriteficJon!JusttheprocessofwriJngdownyourideaswillsJmulatethemfurther.HavingthechancetoanalyzeyourthoughtsonpaperwillalsoallowyoudrawassociaJonsbetweenideasyoumayotherwisehavemissed.
Embraceyouhippyside
Meditate.Justafewminutesofpurposefulsilenceeachdaywillgiveyourmindthebreakitneeds.Onasimilarvein-getthesleepyouneed.It'sbeenshownthatthechannelsmakingupthesurfaceofthebrainfillwithtoxinsduringthedayandareclearedwhenwesleep.Howmuchsleepyouneedvariesbutit’sagoodideatoexperimentandfindtherightamountthatleavesyoufeelingrefreshedandrecepJvetonewideas.
MixandmatchexisFngideas
Bycombiningideasandaskinghowtheymightaffecteachotheryoucangeneratesignificantnewideas.ThisworksparJcularlywellforbrainstorminggroups.
ListyourassumpFons
OrenwhenwehaveassumpJonsaboutsomethingwedon'trealizehowmuchtheyareholdingusbackandprevenJnggenuineinnovaJon.BywriJngdownalistofwhatyourassumpJonsareonatopic-youcanaZackeachoneinturnandask"whatif..."TurntheassumpJononitshead.ChallengeeveryassumpJononyourlistandyouwillbelerwithalistofnewideasthatleadinadifferentdirecJonthaneventhoseclosesttothesituaJon.
Inasimilarmethodtothis-rewordanyproblemsthatthecurrentsituaJoninyourbusinesspresent.ByrewordingissuesyoucanseethemaspossiblesoluJonsjustbychangingtheirframeofreference.
DrawPictures
WriZenwordsandimagessJmulatethebrainindifferentways-orenweconceptualizeideasinmuchdifferentwayswhenweinterpretthemfromvisual
representaJons.HaveyoueverplayedoneofthosefamilyboardgamesduringtheholidayswhenyouarerequiredtoactoutamovieorTVprogram-orwhereyouneedtodrawimagesthatrepresentaword.Somepeoplegrasptheseideasreallyquickly,whileothersstruggle.WeallseeandinterpretideasbeZerthroughdifferentmedia.
DealingwithCreaFveBlockSomeJmesideageneraJonseemslikeanimpossiblechore.It'swhatwriterscallthedreaded"writer'sblock"-butitcanapplytoanyoneinanytypeofcreaJvework.
InmoretradiJonalbrickandmortarbusinesses,youmayhaveabosswhoexpectsnewideasonaregularbasis.ManymulJnaJonalsincludethegeneraJonofideassuchasthoseforareaimprovementaspartoftheirperformancereviewprograms.TheybelievethatemployeesshouldtakepartintheoverallinnovaJonthatdrivesthecompanyforward,andberewardedappropriately.
Butifyouthinkthat'salotofpressure-considerthefreelancerwhoneedstothinkupnewandinteresJngwaystocreatearJcles,blogpostsandvarioussocialmediatodemonstratetheirabiliJestopotenJalclients.That’sthekindofpressurethatmakescreaJvebocksnotjustuncomfortable,butdownrightscary!
TheterriblethingaboutablockincreaJvityisthatitcanbesoeasytoovercomethatit'sfrustraJngforthesuffererwhentheyrealizehowmuchithasaffectedthem.Thisiswhatorenleadstofeelingsofself-loathingincreaJvepeople.
Don'tletthathappentoyou.FollowthesestraighvorwardJpstotakecontrolofyourmuse,ratherthanwaitunJlitappears.
Comeupwithalotofcrappyideas.Seriously-don'tevenworryiftheyhavenothingtodowithyourmainobjecJve,justgetthemflowing.Remember-
ideasdon'thappeninavacuum,theyspringboardoffotherideas.Thereisnoapplethatfallsonyourheadtogiveyoutheideathatgravityexists.Eurekamomentsdon'treallyhappen(notoutoftheblue,anyway).
Figureoutwhatisitinyourownjoborbusinessthatbothersyou.WhatneedstochangetomakeyoumoreeffecJve,yourproductmoreuseful,oryourservicemorevaluable.Orenwhenwethinkaboutwhatweneedversuswhatsomeoneelseneeds,wecanseeissuesmoreclearly.Thisworksamazinglywellifyouarepartofyourowntargetmarket.Thisishownewideaslikecouchsurfingserviceswereborn.
Realizethatideasare"born"!Theydon'tappearfullyformed.Theyappearastheresultofalonglabourwhichisfollowedupwithnurturingandfeedingtogrow.Soforgetabouttheideasyouaretryingtogeneratetodayandgobacktoyourlistof"someday"ideastofindsomethingtojumpstartsomecreaJveideasthatmaynothaveoccurredtoyouattheJmeyoumadetheoriginallist.
SpendsomeJmeatregularintervalssiringthroughyourideas-weeklyormonthly.ChooseacJonableideasthatyoucandothisweek.GotalktosomeoneinthenextofficeorfindsomeoneinasocialmediasupportgroupforcreaJvesinyourindustry-talkaboutthosepreviousideasifyouarestrugglingtogivethemlegs-orensomeoneelsecanseesomethingfromadifferentanglethatyoumayhavemissed.
Createtherightatmosphere
CreaJvepeoplecanbeincrediblysensiJvetoatmosphere.Maybeyoudon’tfeelasifyouare,butyoumaysimplybeunawareofthefact.Herearesomeideasthatwillhelpyoucreatetherightkindofmoodtohelpyoucomeupwithgeniusideas.
ThinkofyourselfasacreaJveperson-simplyrecognizingthefactthatyouarecreaJvecanbuildenoughconfidencethatyoustopworryingaboutgeneraJngnewideaslongenoughforthemtostartflowing.Inmetaphysics,thereisatheorythatsomethingonlyexistswhenweobserveitdirectly.Byfocusingon
creaJveblockwetendtomakeitmanifestitself.Simplylookingawayfromitcanbeenoughtomakeitdisappear.
DecluSer
ThatoldadagethatamessydeskisasignofaproducJvepersoniscompletelyuntrue.IfyourdeskishiddenbeneathapileofcluZer,decluZeritnow.YourmindwillmirroryourworkspaceandcluZerequalsoverwhelm.Createablanksheetnow.Thatmeansturningofftheinternetonyourphone,closingyourdoor,lesngsomemorelightin,pusngscrapsofpaperintothewastepaperbasket.IfyoufindyourselfdistractedbyunproducJveJmeonsocialmedia,blockitoutusinganappsuchasGoogleChrome'sStrictWorkflowextension.
Ditchworkifyouneedto.
Notalwayspossibleinaworkenvironment,butifyouworkfromhomeorforyourself,it'ssomeJmesagoodideatonottrytocomeupwithideas,buttogoseeamovie,takeanap,readabookortakeabath.Anything,infact,thathasabsolutelynothingtodowiththeideasyouaretryingtogenerate.ComingbacktoyourbrainstormingwithacleansheetwillaZractsomethingtomessuptheemptypage.
JerrySeinfeld,starofthelongrunningTVshow,Seinfeld,isoneoftheworld'shardestworkingcomedians.Seinfeldranfor9yearsandwasbasically"ashowaboutnothing".SeinfeldhimselfhascreatedareputaJonforbeinganideageneratoronamassivescale-yetheinsiststheprocessisasimpleone.
Hewriteseveryday.
Ideasneverstopflowingwhenthere'snothingtoblockthem.Sowriteeveryday.There'snoneedtowriteanovelorevenworkasawriter-justmakeafewnotesofideasthatrelatetoyourbusiness.Eveniftheyarenotyourownideas,thesimpleactofwriJngdownideasthatothershaveinspiredyouwithisenough.
Meditate
SeinfeldisalsooneofthemanycelebrityadvocatesformeditaJon.Andyes,OprahWinfreyisamongthoseadvocates.MeditaJonisthesimpleactofbeingmindfulofwhereyouareandfocusingyourenJreaZenJonondoingnothingbutfollowingyourbreathing.
OverJme,suchmeditaJonhasbeenshowntoalterpeople'sbrainwavesinhowtheyfuncJon,tohelpmakethemmoreaZenJvetotheirsurroundings.
Pairunlikelyideas
Picktwoideasyouhavepreviouslyhadandbringthemtogether.Whatcomesfromthatunion?Acoffeemugmadeofpineapple?Whatthoughtdoesthatinspire?Acocktailglassmadeofpineapple.Closer.Acocktailumbrellamadeofpineapple.Bingo!
ReassesstheobjecFve
Ifyou'rehavinganunusuallytoughJmegeneraJngideas,takeanotherlookattheobjecJvefortheideas.Whatpurposearetheideasintendedtofulfil?Maybethatpurposedoesn'tmakesense.IsthereawaytoalterthepurposesothatthegoalcansJllbemet,andallowforadifferentwaytoreachthatgoal?
Anexamplemightbethatyourgoalistoencourage50newsubscriberstobuyaproductwhentheysubscribetoyourwebsite.Youmightbefindingitdifficulttocomeupwithideas.Theendgoalisthattheybuytheproduct,butit’sthesubscripJonprocessthathasyoustumped.Maybeyoucouldreassessthepurposeofgesngsitevisitorsandinsteadofferthemadiscountvoucher–gesngtothesamegoalwithoutthepreviouscomplicaJon.
Inotherwords-makesureyouareaskingtherightquesJonsifyouexpecttoarriveattherightanswer.
Brainstorming
Brainstormingdeservesamorein-depthexaminaJonbecauseitcanworksobrilliantly-yetitcangosodisastrouslywrong!
BrainstormingisnottheonlywaytoinvolveagroupofpeopleintheideageneraJonprocess,butitistheonethatmostpeopleknowandhate.
ThelogisJcsofabrainstormingsessionarethatagroupofpeopleappointanotetakerwhoisresponsibleforcapturingideasandwriJngthemdownonawhiteboardortypingthemontoadocumentthateveryonecanseeviaoverheadprojector.AnothermeeJngleaderthatischosenisa"ratholer"whosejobitistorecognizewhenpeoplearegoingofftopicorarewasJngJmeanalyzinganidearatherthancomingupwithnewideas.
Ideasshouldnotbeanalysedastheyarethoughtofinabrainstormingprocess.Theyshouldbeusedtoformalist–allowingpeoplelettheirmindsrunloosewithouthavingtojusJfyorrealitycheckanything.Stoppingtoconsiderwhetheranideaisvalidonlyslowsdowntheprocessandinvolvesthewrongpartsofthebrain–theanalyJcalpartsratherthanthecreaJveparts.TherewillbeplentyofJmeforanalysisarerthecreaJveparthasbeencompleted.
TeamDynamic
Theteamdynamicinabrainstormingsessionwilldictateitssuccessorfailure.
Unfortunately,ifthereisanimbalanceofpersonalitytypes-wherethereisamixofextrovertsandintroverts,theextrovertstendtofallintoanaturalleadershiprole.ShouldtheydisagreewithanideaorhaveaparJcularideatheychampionaboveothers,theycantakeoverthemeeJngandignoretheratholer’saZemptstobringthembackontrack.Theintrovertsdon'tspeakuptopreventthemeeJnggoingdownarathole.
Anotherunfortunateconsequenceisthatintrovertsmayhaveexcellentideasbutarewaryofpusngthemselvesinwhattheyperceivetobethelimelightby
suggesJngthem.TheyarealsoreJcenttochallengeideasthatshouldn'tmakeitintothefinalbucketlist.
Thinkofintrovertsasbeingsimilartothosecustomerswhoarefavourabletowardsyoubutneverspeakupandsayso,andcourtthemaccordingly.
OnemethodofmakingsureabrainstormingsessionworksistoaskallaZendeestogeneratetheirownlistofideasaheadofJmeandsendthemtotheorganizerviaemail.ThemeeJngleadercanthenmakeamasterlisttodisplayonthewhiteboardoroverheadandthesearetheideasthatstartoffthesession.Inthisway,introvertswhohaveemailedtheirlistofideasgetthemseenandtheextrovertscanusethemasaspringboardfornewideasthatmaynothaveotherwisebeenthoughtof.
Nevershootdownsomeoneelse’sideasinabrainstormingsessionandbeverywaryofcolludingwithsomeoneelsewhodoes.Thisisasurewaytosignaltosometeammembersthatit’snotworththeirwhilecontribuJngideasiftheyarelikelytogarnerunwantedaZenJon.
WhenassimilaJngthebucketlistfromyourbrainstormingsession-whichisthelistofacJonsrequired(orARsincorporatespeak)belikeArthurQuiller-Couchand"murderyourdarlings".Beruthlesswiththeideasthatyoufavor.Iftheydon'tfit,ditchthem(savetheminadustyfilesomewherebutdon’tpermanentlydeletethem).
ThisprocessmayrequirerepeJJontofinalizethemostworthyideas.
ASendconvenFons
ConvenJonsaren'tjustforsci-figeekswholiketodressupasCaptainKirk-they'realegiJmatewayofmeeJngothersinyourindustrywhonetworkandsharetheirnewsandideas.Networkingwithdifferentpeoplewhohavedifferentastudestosimilarissuescanopenupasmorgasbordofnewideas.
Embraceyourendorphins
InareportbyfronJersinNeuroscienceresearchershavefoundthatexercisewhichreleasesendorphinsisassociatedwithimprovedcreaJvity.
Copyyourheroes
Whodoyouadmirefortheirachievements?Dotheyhaveapodcast,book,documentaryaboutthem?SurroundyourselfwithposiJveandinspiraJonalmaterial,suchasthesetodrawontheirideasandcreateyourown.
MindMapping
MindmapsaretoolsthatcreateavisualizaJonofideas.UsingamindmapinvolvescreaJngacombinaJonofwords,statements,images,andarrangingtheminrelaJontoeachother.Theycanbecreatedbyhand-drawnwithpenandpaper-orusingapieceofsorware.
Beginbyplacingthecentralideaorgoalinthecenterofthepageorsorware(we'lljustcallitapagefromnowon,becauseessenJallyeventhesorwareisusingapageinthesamewayasMSWordissorwarethatusespages).
ThecentraltopicshouldtriggerrelatedideasintheparJcipantsofthemindmappingsession.It'snotnecessarytohavemorethanonepersondoingtheideageneraJonwhenusingmindmaps-sodon'tgetcaughtupindetails,juststartwriJngdownwhatcomestomind.
Next,addnodes(branches)toyourmap.Large,thickerbranchesrepresentthemoreprominentideas,whilenumeroussmallerbranchescanbeusedtodisplaysmallerideasorsubtasks.FeelfreetoaddasmanyorasfewbranchesasmakesenseunJlyoucan'tthinkofanythingnewtoadd.Youmayalsomoveideasfromonebranchtoanotherifyoufeelitmakessensetodoso-therearenorules.
Asyouaddandmoveideasandbranches,youwillbegintofreeassociateandthat'swhenrealideageneraJonstartstohappen.Labeleachbranchanddon't
usemorethanonewordifpossible.Addingmorewordsonlynarrowsthetopicandcutsoffideaflow.
Forexample,ifyouweretowritethewords"cocktailparty",yourideaswouldbelimitedtoaparty,whilejusttheword"cocktail"onitsowncouldhaveanynumberoffreeassociaJonssuchasadress,ashaker,icecubecontainers,orarecipe.Whileitmayseemirrelevantwithoutcontext,whenseenasthemindmappingofadverJsingexecuJvesforaparJcularalcoholicdrinkorcocktaildressitshowsclearlyhowitmakessensetomapoutdifferentideas.
MindmapsarealsogreatforchunkinginformaJontogethersothatyoucanavoidoverwhelmwhentryingtoconcentrateonanumberofideassimultaneously.
Whetherweareawareofitornot,wetendtoassociateimagesandcolorswithideas.Itmakessensethatyoushouldexperimentwithyourmindmaptofigureouthowthismightworkforyou.Theyarealsoprocessedatamuchfasterratebythebrainthanwordsare,soyoucantrainyourbraintostartseeingideasratherthanwords.
ThereareanumberofmindmappingapplicaFonsavailable.
• Pen&paper
• iMindMapbyTonyBuzan’scorporaJon.Buzaniscreditedasthepersontopopularizemindmappinginthe‘70salthoughtheoriginalideagoesbacktothe3rdcenturywhenanotedthinkeroftheJmebegangraphicallyrepresenJngAristotle’sconceptcategories.
• MindMaple
• Freeplane
• XMind
• Mindjet
• MindNode
Mindmapsworkbecausetheyarenotlinear–theyallowuserstojumparoundfromplacetoplaceintheirthoughts.ThisisidealforthosewhoincreasinglyfeelthattheysufferfromADHD,whichismostofusthesedays.
IfyouimagineabestsellingauthorwriJngtheirbook–theydon’tsitdownandwriteitbystarJngatpageoneandwriJngeverypageinorderunJltheyreachtheend.Newideasoccurastheywrite,whichdemandchangesandtheaddiJonofnewideasatdifferentpartsofthebooktokeepthestoryintact.MindmappingallowscreaJvepeoplejumpfromoneideatoanotherintheirideacapture,withouthavingtoworryaboutmaintainingalinearapproach.
InvolveYourCustomers
Here'sanideaforideageneraJonthatnoteverybusinessconsiders:involveyourcustomersintheprocess.RememberthedaysofsuggesJonboxes(pre-Internet,ifyoudarerememberthosedays)?
OneofthesilentkillersofbusinessideasisthatthosewhoareinthebestposiJontoofferideas(customers)mostlydon't.They'rethequietpersoninameeJngwhodoesn'topentheirmouthswhentheyhaveagroundbreakingidea.
WiththeadventofdigitalmarkeJngandsocialmedia,businessesareinafarbeZerposiJontogetfeedbackfromtheircustomers.TechnologyhasmadeitsimpletoruncompeJJonsandusesurveystofindoutwhatideasthecustomermighthave.WalkerspotatochipsintheUKdothisfrequentlywhentheyasktheircustomerstocomeupwithanideaforacrispflavorthatcombinestwoflavorstheymightnototherwisehavethoughtofcombining.
IftheylikeaparJcularsuggesJon,theyrunaproducJonoftheflavortotryitoutonthepublic.
Theresultsareorenbizarre,buttherehavebeensomeintriguingresultssuchasCrispyDuck&HoisinandChili&Chocolate.
WhoaretheemployeesinyourorganizatonwhospendthemostJmewithcustomers?Thesalespeople,adminswhofieldphonecalls,servicedeskstaff...theyallspendmuchmoreoftheirJmetalkingtocustomersthananyoneelseintheorganizaJon-makesuretominethemfortheirinsightsintoyourcustomer'squesJonsandsuggesJons.
Forums&SocialMedia
Wherepeoplegathertochat,thereareamulJtudeofquesJonsandsuggesJons.Thisishowyoucanfindoutwhatyourcustomerswon'taskortellyou.Theymayignoreyourrequesttocompleteasurveyform,butiftheyareunhappy,theyorenwon'thesitatetodiscusswhatbotherstheminanonlineforum.
Bytrawlingthroughforumsforyourbrandnameyoucanfindoutwhatyourcustomerslikeanddislike-givingyouplentyofideasforchange.There'snoneedtofeeloverwhelmedbytheideaofsearchingoutideasthisway;useFAQFOXandSocialMenJonandyoucanstartgeneraJngideaswithinminutes.
Don'tgettoofixedinyourvisionofwhoyourcustomersare.Byconsideringwhoelsemightbecomeyourcustomer,youautomaJcallyexpandtheideageneraJonpossibiliJes.Thinkoutsideofwhereyourproductorserviceisnormallyassociatedwith.Ifit'sanindoorproduct,isthereanapplicaJonforitoutdoors?Isthereacustomerwhowouldwanttouseitoutdoors?
IdeaCapture
Whatdoyoudowithallyourideas?StartacJngonthemimmediately?WhileitmightseemthemostproducJveidea,it’sfarfromit.
AneffecJveideageneraJonprocessrequiresaneffecJveideacapturetool.There’sahostofthemouttherethatwillsuiteverytaste.
TheideabehindacapturetoolisthatallyourideasarecapturedandkeptinoneplacesothattheycanbeassessedarertheideageneraJonhasbeen
completed.UsuallysomecooldownJmeisallowedsothatideascanbelookedatobjecJvelybeforedecisionsaremadetoeitheractontheideaorshelveit.
Shouldtheideabeonethathasimmediatebenefits,itgetsacteduponbycreaJngtasksandthensubtasksthatsupportthegoaloftheidea.
Notallideasfallsoeasilyintoablack-and-whitegoodorbadcategoryandsoit’sworthhavingafoldertokeep“someday”ideas.
IdeacapturetoolsThesetoolsrangefromtheverysimpleWordorExceldocumenttoallsortsofsorwareappslikeEvernote,Wunderlist,BasecampandBuckets.
Here’sanoverviewofwhatyourkeytakeawaysshouldbefromthissecJon:
• Ideascanbegeneratedusingalotofdifferentmethods–mixandmatchtogetthebestresults
• IdeageneraJondependsverymuchonallowingparJcipantsfeelcomfortableabouttheprocessandtheirroleinit
• ThinkoutsideofjustyouandyourorganizaJon–lookforideasfromotherssuchasforumsandcustomers
• UnderstandtheroleofideacapturesorwareandwhereitshouldbeusedintheideageneraJonprocess
• UnderstandtherolesofbrainstormingandmindmappinginideageneraJonandhowtoperformboth
WHATNOW?
Whatwillyoudofromnowonwhenyouneedtogenerateanidea?
Here’sabriefsummary:
Inyourworkplace:brainstormideas
MindmapandbuildonexisJngideas
Leavetheproblemaloneandgodosomethingelse
Keepanideacapturetoolnearby–yourphoneislikelytohaveaNotesappthatwillsuffice
Discussideaswithyourcolleaguesandothersinthesameindustryasorenasyoucaninaninformalsesngoutsideoftheusualbusinessoffices,suchasatconvenJonsorevenduringawalkinthepark
Getsomeexerciseanddon’tfocusonideageneraJonifyouarestrugglingwithit
Havefunwiththeprocess!
CONCLUSION
There’snoperfectsoluJontoideageneraJon.ForeveryposiJveaspectofanideageneraJontoolorprocess,there’sanegaJveone.SomeprocessesseemtoovagueformorepracJcallymindedpeopletofinduseful,andaswehaveseeninthecaseofbrainstorming,someJmesothers’personaliJescanaffecthowusefulaprocessis.
Onethingisclear–weneedtoculJvatenewideasinhowwedobusinessifwearetosurvive.NosingleprocessortoolshouldformtheenJrebasisofyourideageneraJon.Instead,yourideageneraJonshouldcomeaboutasaresultofseveralprocessesthatgenerateandcollectideastobeprocessedaccordingly.
Whatyoushouldunderstandfromhavingreadthisreportisthat
• Businessreliesonnewideastothrive• Ashumanbeings,weneedtocreateorwestagnate• Therearemanydifferentwaystocreateideasandtheyshouldallbe
used–thereisnouniversalsoluJon• HowyougenerateideaswillusuallydependonyourposiJoninthe
organizaJon• Thoughtleadersinoursocietyhavealwaysbeentheoneswhohave
actedontheirideas,notjustcreatedalistthatendeduplyingdormantonalaptopsomewhere
• CreaJveblockcanmakeyoufeelsJfled,buttherearesimplemethodsto
overcomeit–andtheyareeasytouse