the
innovative LEDGER
An e-Newsletter from The Innovative Edge™ Inc.
Vol.
6, No. 1 - January 2006
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10 New
Year's Resolutions for an Innovative 2006
By Jeff Govendo
So
many people have approached me with the question, “What can I
resolve to do in the New Year that will help my colleagues and me
be more innovative every day?”
Actually,
nobody has asked me any such thing. But if they did, here are the
10 resolutions I’d suggest:
1.
Listen, listen, listen! As Ernest Hemingway once remarked, “You
can learn a lot from listening. Most people never listen.” A
simple rule of thumb: listen at least twice as much as you talk.
2. Be tactful, but not bland. When brainstorming to solve a
tough problem, use vivid, colorful language to describe your ideas.
It helps spark new thinking – both your colleagues’ and
your own.
3. Be excited by the unfamiliar. People tend to shut down on
what they don’t understand, and lots of potentially great ideas
are lost.
4. Call upon your imagination. Your imagination is the most
unique thing you own. Why not use it when you need unique ideas?
5. Suspend judgment on odd-sounding, seemingly impractical ideas.
Just say “maybe” and allow new ideas to live awhile. They
may reward you in the end.
6. When generating ideas, be a builder. When each person listens
to build on ideas rather than to identify what’s wrong, there’s
no end to what the group can come up with.
7. Be willing to take risks. Prudent ones, to be sure –
but understand there’s always an element of risk-taking when
you’re in uncharted territory.
8. Be willing to live (for awhile, at least) with uncertainty.
In the journey from creative beginning idea to practical, useful
innovation, there’s a lot of “I don’t know” in
between. It’s OK not to know – within that space lives a
great deal of possibility.
9. Find someone new to work with. No, I’m not suggesting
you look for a new job. But try bringing new people into the idea-generating
mix for fresh perspectives. Creativity thrives on diversity.
10. For every potential solution, create an action plan. Even
if the next step is “do more research…” get it down
in writing and hold someone accountable. Who needs another meeting
with no follow-through? The more tangible the action, the better.
So,
even though you didn’t ask, you’re free to adopt any or
all of these resolutions as your own.
And
have a happy, prosperous and innovative New Year!
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