1-23-2015

This week I learned about Innovation and creativity.  I have never thought of this concept before but it rang so true.  The idea is that you create an intellectually diverse team and with this team you will have diverse thinking, thinking from different angles, which will create creative sparks (called creative abrasion).  Here is what I want to remember about the lesson.

Creativity – process of developing and expressing novel ideas that is useful

Innovation is the embodiment of those ideas – the new products or services

Divergent is the beginning part of the creative process where you break away from the norm and start creating new ideas

Convergent is the later stages where you narrow down those ideas

Innovation is the end result.

When you are to put together a team you evaluate what you have and then hire to fill in the holes

There are many different thinking styles and you want to embody as many as you can

·        Extrovert – look to others as primary means of processing info

·        Introvert = those who tend to process info internally

·        Sensing – prefer hard data and concrete facts

·        Intuitive – more comfortable with ideas and concepts, with the big picture

·        Thinking – logical and orderly

·        Feeling – emotional cues and decisions based on values of relationships involved

A creative group sharpens ideas and increases energy.

A reward system whether internal or external is always a good idea to get the creativity out of people.

You should make the work place an area where people can be creative you can:

·        Encourage spontaneous casual conversations

·        Have white boards in lounges for employees to write ideas on

·        Have a quiet room for reflection

·        Use the media such as email for tools

·        Promote play at work such as creative picture books about what your company is about

Brainstorming principles

·        Fluency – many ideas

·        Flexibility – different kinds of ideas

To succeed in brainstorming:

·        Focus on actual problem

·        No judgment of ideas

·        Limit discussion to one conversation at a time

·        Build on ideas

4 brainstorming techniques

·        Vision – no constraints

·        Exploring – guided imagery

·        Modifying – adapting what you already have

·        Experimenting – combining different ways together then testing

I think these ideas can also work great in the gospel when you are putting together a committee for an activity or a presidency etc.

I also learned about writing emails to get results and delegating.

QUOTE:  Most people don't know why they're doing what they're doing. They imitate others, go with the flow, and follow paths without making their own.  Derek Sivers

What is an entrepreneur?  ES=(I+M^3)P   Entrepreneurial success = [Idea + (market x money x management)] x passion.   Am I an entrepreneur?  Which of my kids have it in them to be an entrepreneur?

****** $100 idea**********

I have narrowed my ideas down to two.  I have asked several close friends their opinion, what would sell quickly, what is feasible with my time constraints, and what would they buy?  I have asked my husband which he would support me in but no answer yet.  I have decided to get active on Facebook and use it as one of the mediums to sell which ever idea I go with.  I have checked out the local senior store and know that I can sell one of the ideas there. One idea can be mailed and sold anywhere, but it has a limited audience.  The other idea can only be sold locally as it has to be delivered.  Oh decisions decisions decisions, what do I do?  This next week I have to pick one or the other and go forward.

Questions to ask myself

1.      Does the product serve a clear and important need?

2.      Is it a good investment opportunity?

3.      Is there a market need?

4.      Is there financial reward?

5.      What are the fatal flaws?