Start Me Up!

© Idea Champions, 2007

“There is only one thing stronger than all the armies in the world and that is an idea

whose time has come.”

– Victor Hugo

The quest for the BIG IDEA!

Ten Reasons Why Big Ideas Don’t Lead to Big Business

1. No unified, compelling vision

“I want to put a ding in the universe.”

– Steve Jobs

2. No champion

“Whenever anything is being accomplished, I have learned,

it is done by a monomaniac with a mission.”

– Peter Drucker

3. No risk taking

“There is always an element of chance and you must be willing to live with that element. If you

insist on certainty, you will paralyze yourself”

– J. Paul Getty

4. No balance of right & left brain

“Not everything that counts can be counted; not

everything that can be counted counts.”

– Albert Einstein

LEFT BRAIN

• Analytical

• Linear

• Sequential

• Practical

• Convergent

• Serious

• Detail-oriented

RIGHT BRAIN

• Intuitive

• Associative

• Flexible

• Imaginative

• Divergent

• Playful

• Wholistic

5. No listening – no feedback

“You can expect no influence if you are not

susceptible to influence.” – Carl Jung

6. No teamwork

“Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.”

– Michael Jordan

7. No adaptability

"In the struggle for survival, the fittest win at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in

adapting themselves best to their environment."

– Charles Darwin

8. No simplicity

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace;

making the complicated simple, that’s creativity.”

– Charles Mingus

9. No perseverance

“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

– Thomas Edison

10. No acknowledgment

“Celebrate what you want more of.”

– Tom Peters

Getting Grounded

1. Pair up

2. Partner “A” pitches their team’s BIG IDEA

3. Partner “B” gives feedback (using LCS)

4. Switch roles

Likes

Concerns

Suggestions

Growing a business is like growing a garden.

(Can you dig it?)

“Companies are actually living organisms. We keep bringing in mechanics, when what we

need are gardeners.” – Peter Senge

1. Whet the Appetite

2. Stake & prep the ground

3. Find the seeds

4. Fence the garden

5. Plant the seeds

6. Tend new growth

7. Thin & transplant

8. Celebrate the harvest

The Garden of Innovation

The MetaphorThe Metaphor

1. Whet the appetite

2. Stake & prep ground

3. Find the seeds

4. Fence the garden

5. Plant the seeds

6. Tend new growth

7. Thin and transplant

8. Celebrate the harvest

The TranslationThe Translation

Get hungry/passionate

Clarify scope, X obstacles

Identify vital ideas

Protect the innovators

Pitch ideas effectively

Coach, support, & pilot

Evaluate,select, & defer

Acknowledge successes

Do YOU Have the Missing Piece?

1. Reflect on what you heard tonight

2. Jot down ideas for what your team needs to do differently going forward

Speak Up!

If you have a new insight, idea, or inspiration you want to share, join me on stage…

You’re all in this together!

Beware the NIH syndrome!

• Only two ideas will be selected.

• Many cool ideas will not make the cut.

• Go beyond your ego & the tendency to sabotage the ideas that win.

• Bring all your brainpower & passion.

Best Innovation PracticesBest Innovation Practices

“Sit, walk, or run, but don’t wobble.” – Zen Proverb

http://www.ideachampions.com/babson.shtml

For a copy of this presentation and other resources to help

your start-up business succeed:

Mitch DitkoffIdea Champions

845.679.1066www.ideachampions.com

www.ingenuitybank.com