Take A Creativity Time...In?

The experience is all too familiar: As most people when they get creative ideas, and they will often say "in the shower" or "when I'm dozing off to sleep".  I often hear people complain "I had the best idea as I was drifting off to sleep but I can't remember it"! Have you ever wondered why so many people share this phenomenon? 

Think about the similar circumstances that each of these situations share: You aren't distracted by other "mentally demanding" activities.  You're "forced" to limit your attention to more "inside time".  Your body is (generally speaking) on "auto-pilot" and your brain continues to hum away - coming up with those fantastic ideas hidden away inside your mind.

So, what can you do to consistently leverage this insight to make the most of those creative and innovative ideas?  Schedule - by design - opportunities to recreate those situations each and every day!

Here is a popular approach that Disney Imagineer colleagues of mine do:

1. Block out a time of day that allowed for flexibility afterwards (assuming you were going to have inspiring ideas you will want to implement immediately)
2. Purposefully make recording options available (written materials, recording equipment, etc.)
3. Minimize distractions for 15-30 minutes and limit your senses (shut eyes, put on headphones with no music/exterior sounds, sit in a comfortable chair without moving, etc.)
4. Record any thoughts you have, then immediately return to your "Time In" session (as in "spending time IN your thoughts") until you feel like you're finished
5. Stay in your "Creativity Cocoon" for another 10 minutes (for some reason, you always get the juiciest ideas after you think you're done)

You can also set the stage to capture those common situations - like putting a notepad/pen by your bedside, or outside your shower...or anyplace else you find that you have creative thoughts arise.  (As my grandmother used to say: "The best memory is at the end of a short pencil".)

Once you've successfully bubbled up some fresh new creative ideas, your job is to begin putting those ideas to good use, so it evolves form creativity to innovation.  One way to accomplish this is to share the ideas with trusted colleagues who can partner with you to grow/build your amazing new ideas.

Regardless, you can't implement unless you capture the idea.  And that spark of an idea won't capture itself - you have to prepare in advance.  What creative ways can you come up with to capture your best creative thought?  It only takes one amazing idea to lead to the breakthrough that you've been hoping for all your life.

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Anticipating Customer Needs

How do companies like Apple create products and services that we want - even before we knew we wanted them? The answer to this is what will set you apart as different/better to your customers!

The truth is that customers don't always know what they want next. They rarely are able to say anything more than "better, faster, cheaper - now". Next is a mystery to them. But it doesn't have to be for you.

Let's break it down: Your customer knows what they like (not always what they want). You know your industry - especially the behind-the-scenes technical aspects. We can't expect our customers to be able to articulate anything other than some incremental improvement to what they already have. Bringing your customers' future desires to life is your job. Only you can build what they will want...if you can bridge the gap.

How do world-class companies do it? They work hard at being intimately knowledgeable and understanding of their customers - and combine that with their own technical expertise to project what future products/services can satisfy their deepest desires.

Uncover the why beneath your customers wants, and you'll have clues as to where to strategically leap. Once you've accomplished creating the next big thing, you merely have to engage them by compellingly communicating how the new product/service connects with that deeper want.

Anticipating customer needs isn't about focus groups or surveys or "expert opinions". You have a perspective that your customers will never have. It is all about truly understanding them and using your technical expertise to build their future - for their benefit. Because exceeding their expectations is a genuine priority for you. (When it is, you will always be rewarded.)

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

80% and GO!

Think about it: The first time you do something is all about learning. You tend to get the biggest insights about what NOT to do.

This can be either disturbing or encouraging.

Most often, when something is important to them, people tend to plan and wait and plan (and plan some more) until they think everything is perfect.

It never is.

Naturally, we get better every time we experience something. So, what's the better solution to getting really good at something that is really important? Jump in and experience it as QUICKLY as possible as OFTEN as possible until you hone & fine tune it to your ultimate goal of excellence. We have to get past the "I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing" phase and to the much more profitable (and enjoyable) "I know what I'm doing" phase - quickly - to gain a competitive edge.

At Disney, we used to call this "80% and Go". It meant that when we were about 80% sure it was the right thing to do, we initiated action - even if we weren't quite sure of the details. The plan was to be hyper-aware of the feedback/learning you get at every step and adjust as best you can in the moment. Some Fortune 500 companies call this "rapid iteration". It simply means "the way to develop mastery is to do it as fast and as often as possible and learn your way to success".

What things are YOU planning/waiting on today?

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

THE Performance Dimensions

This blog is for any of us who work for a company or who own a company. (Those set-for-life/not interested in ever working again folks can go back to sleep...)

The key part of improving you/your business is knowing what to look for to determine what direction you're moving. Here's the good news: Your checklist has arrived!

What do you get when you cross-reference the most admired organizations with the most successful companies (Fortune 500), then survey executives, board members and analysts from the 24 industries represented? You get an amazing insider's view of what dimensions to focus on when planning or measuring your improvement process.

Here are the 9 dimensions:

• Innovation (How creative are you in breaking new ground - both internally and externally?)
• Quality of management (leadership throughout your operation)
• Quality of products & services (what impacts your ultimate customer experience)
• Long-term investment values (Are you connected/committed to the long haul?)
• Social responsibility to community and environment (Making a difference beyond your bottom line creates meaningful purpose)
• Ability to attract, develop, and retain top talent (The best talent exists - the goal is to create an environment that they passionately want to join)
• Financial soundness (Are you healthy/balanced in access to liquid funds?)
• Use of corporate assets (Are you responsible with how you use your resources?)
• Effective in doing business globally (How connected are you to people beyond your borders?)

Use this list to stimulate discussion with YOUR work team. Think about -and take ACTION on -your business differently: adopting a better strategic approach will lead to the kind of proven success the best world-class businesses enjoy.

YOU deserve the best results for your best efforts. Time to step up, step out, and break through.

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Not Just Hardware

I just returned from serving as a judge for the Singapore Experience Awards - an event that honors the best business practices (and results) of organizations across industries throughout Singapore. While the visit to Singapore was excellent as always, this particular trip provided an interesting new insight.

An executive of a large international technology corporation mentioned that their renowned success throughout the world was not the result of their amazing hardware, but of what he called "heartware" - the passion of his engaged employees. He recognized that without their passion for innovation and executing their plans to the highest standard, their products would simply be more in a market of mediocre "things".

Interesting that, in a land that is so well known for how they embrace technology, they have the strategic wisdom to place a premium on what actually creates that technology.

A rare insight we could all benefit from, I think.

Consider all the competitors in your industry. For the most part, you all have access to the same resources - offices, office supplies, computers, raw materials, time, etc. What typically determines the outcomes of an organization is how they utilize those common resources. The best do so in decidedly UNcommon ways.

When was the last time you focused on upgrading YOUR "heartware" at work? By shifting how you select, train, communicate, and reward your team you can transform what you achieve with your resources. Or, as Walt Disney once said "taking ordinary resources and creating extraordinary results"...to optimize your competitive edge.

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

The Top 50 Most Innovative Companies!

My friends at Fast Company magazine just released their list of 50 most innovative companies, which included some interesting insights we can all benefit from.

The first is that 33 of last year's winners did NOT make it onto this year's list. The insight? Innovation (and the relating benefits) dies if it is not consistently nurtured/supported. Innovation can command price premiums and leverage market share, but only if you "prime the pump" first with a culture that supports it. Use it or lose it. Ouch.

Secondly, the consistent success stories (like our benchmarks Disney, Google, Apple, Ideo, etc.) focus on the same proven strategies and tactics that translate to consistent external brand and business results - even in this hyper-challenging economic time.

Taking the right action when the competition is cowering and waiting for some magic dust to save them, achieves more than a head start. It generates employee engagement, inspired heroism, and efficiencies inside the organization, and differentiation, customer loyalty, and brand buzz outside the organization...all of which captures the ever-elusive competitive edge professionals everywhere want but miss because they refuse to focus on what really works.

It's sad to watch companies stagnate and wither because they are more committed to their policies and procedures than to their employee or customer experiences. By resolving to be innovative and connecting with their customers - both the external customers and the internal (employees) customers - any business remains relevant, dynamic, and growing. According to world-class benchmark companies, this is an exciting and rewarding position to be in.

We all make choices every day. The question is: will it result in "rewards" or in "pain"?

In other words: Are you going to use it, or lose it?

Think about it...but more importantly, act on it...today!

Stopping The Pain

What does it take to finally take action and really stop the pain - for the long term? In the face of this economic downturn, companies are resorting to issuing layoffs in a desperate attempt to stay solvent.

The shame of it all? It won't help them.

Layoffs are short-term reactions that create long-term problems.

World-class companies know that in times of crisis, real character is not built - it is revealed. The true colors of a leader is evident in times such as these. If they say "people are our most important resource" and then opt to lay them off, their lack of integrity is there for all to see.

And employees (current or future) will remember.

Even employees who are left working after the layoff will remember...and the natural consequence is "survivor's guilt", lack of trust in the company, a focus on self (preservation) rather than the team...the list goes on.

The more effective option is to engage the employees in creating (and, therefore, owning) the solution. Focus on "your most valuable resource" guiding themselves out of this mess. With the right processes/tools, innovation leading to success in the face of these situations build teamwork/success.

And, yes, they will remember this too. You will enjoy the natural consequences of that. Nice.

Think about it...but more importantly, act on it...today!