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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