People And The Power Of Ideas

“Nothing in the world is more powerful as an idea whose time has come.” —Victor Hugo

In 1889, Charles Duells, Director of the U.S. Patent Office suggested abolishing the office on the grounds that almost everything possible had already been invented. Had this suggestion been carried out, we would not have patent numbers for televisions, DVDs, video games, computers, digital cameras, cell phones, or GPS locators.

The market place is rapidly changing. New products, new services, new technologies and new competitors are entering the market every day.  To succeed today, organizations must constantly search for new and better ways to get the job done. This search must involve the organization’s most valuable asset, its people.

Innovative organizations seek to tap the unused creative potential of their employees and/or members. They create and maintain a climate where employees or members are encouraged, recognized and rewarded for developing new ideas and taking risks. These creative-orientated organizations also provide the necessary leadership to see that innovative behavior becomes usable on a daily basis.

Ideas are elusive. They appear quickly and just as quickly disappear. Ideas often emerge at the most unusual times. Running, biking, showering, shopping and reading are some of the activities conducive to unexpected ideation.

Ideas need to be captured.  You need only a few things to capture and hold ideas that bubble up. A pen or pencil and a piece of paper or an index card are good for starters. If you are into computers you need a file labeled, “Ideas and Thoughts.”

Keep a pad and pen beside your bed on the nightstand so that when the muse befriends you, you capture the revelations for future study and analysis. I have had more than one idea pop into my head during the night and said, “I won’t forget that.” But next morning, try as I may, the idea is nowhere to be found. You must write the thought down, while it is fresh in your mind.

The chance of having a great idea increases when you engage in a creative program generating a lot of possibilities, many of which may not be apparent when you start. Ideas tend to spawn other thoughts, and these additional ideas create new possibilities. It often happens that seemingly unrelated, even outrageous ideas lead to practical, creative ones.

Using creative thinking to solve problems, aids in the search for solutions that are not always obvious. You are looking for possibilities and for what is not apparent, at least on the surface. Often the obvious solution is not the best solution. Therefore, don’t discard your first thoughts, just save them until you have exhausted other possibilities. Then spend time sifting through your list of ideas looking for the one that offers the best potential. As you cull your ideas, keep in mind Charles F. Kettering’s advice, “The typical eye sees the 10 percent bad of an idea and overlooks the 90 percent good.”

William H. Swanson, Chairman and CEO of Raytheon, gave good advice when he wrote, “Look for what is missing. Many know how to improve what’s there; few can see what isn’t there.” He goes on to say, “Always think about what’s missing; it’s amazing what you will find.”

Instead of wasting energy and time on rehashing the “obvious”, spend time looking for what’s not there. Often opportunities don’t look like opportunities, they present themselves as challenges, problems or obstacles.

When asked to describe the most important factors of invention, Thomas Edison said, “One must keep himself sold on the idea that the solution of his problem exists somewhere and that he will find it. “ Edison also said, “Your idea needs to be original only in its adaptation to the problem you are currently working on.” Another great innovator, Albert Einstein, endorsed the thought that a new idea is often an adaption of an old idea when he wrote, “Creativity is simply making something new or rearranging the old in a new way.”

Don’t worry about how absurd or skeletal an idea may be. You can flesh it out later.

                                   Three Point Success Summation

SUCCESS THOUGHT: The creative process is a race to success. It starts with ideas and continues to the game plan and ends with action to reach personal or organizational goals. Creative thinking can spell the difference between an organization leader and an organization follower. Good organizations search for opportunities to be creative. The leaders find them.

SUCCESS QUOTE: “Within the problem is the solution to the problem.” —Chinese Proverb

SUCCESS ACTION: Keep a pad and pen handy for capturing your creative ideas. Ah ha moments have wings and quickly take flight leaving no footprints.

BOOK REMINDER: My book, Mentor In The Mirror is available on Amazon, iBooks and Barnes & Noble. Go to my website: www.waynenalls.com for additional information and a review of the book.