The laws of cerebral physics tell us that great ideas are often born from disparate, less important ideas.
We can create something from almost nothing. But we seldom have great ideas in isolation or find them delivered in neat packages.
Ideas need time to germinate and cross-pollinate. We might have a flash of brilliance, often described as serendipity, or the Eureka! moment, or even the Einstein moment. But the natural creative process of inception, incubation and implementation are the key elements of success for any great idea.
And, fortunately, this creative process leading up to a great idea can’t be commoditized.
The ideas that spread, win
Great ideas don’t always have to appear as new products or services, either. They can lead to more efficient internal processes within a company, or better working relationships.
In the book, “A Whole New Mind,” author Daniel Pink proclaimed the dawn of the 21st Century as the Conceptual Age. That’s because we have moved past the slow-moving industrial mindset to a society that demands rapid innovation and creativity.
Pink contends that the future belongs to a different kind of human mind—one that can make sense out of changes in society and the marketplace, and recognize patterns that lead to new opportunities.
Chance favors the connected mind
We will have that epiphany moment occasionally. But most great ideas need time to incubate or run in the background of our minds. This is better known as our subconscious, which acts like our own built-in parallel processing computer. Put another way, creating time and space to think helps great ideas geminate.
Generating new ideas more quickly requires an environment where conceptual ideas can flourish, mingle, be challenged, and even be repurposed into something new. Reaching out to people to exchange ideas and feedback creates this momentum.
Even little things like colors, scents or new scenery will spark new ideas. If that doesn’t work, then change your environment.
Think about this simple fact: throughout much of human history, people have been trading goods and services. In fact, trade is 10 times older than farming. Societies that have looked for chances to trade have advanced far more rapidly than those that were isolated.
Seeing around corners
Process is king. It’s the first step, and it starts with an idea.
This is when you’re in the early stage of identifying what the problem actually is. But, for a variety of reasons, it’s more difficult than you might think. We might be too close to a problem to truly “see” it and understand it. It’s critical to ask others for feedback so we can define the problem’s scope and importance, and not be caught up in the smokescreen of symptoms.
Next is incubation, when we spend time understanding the root cause of a problem. This is a whole-brain approach in which we load test hypotheses, analyze risks, look for unintended consequences and connect the dots in search of the best path to the solution.
Learning how to observe and borrow ideas from others will make the solution better. That might seem contradictory, but it’s the height of evidence-based creative genius.
Your curiosity, being open to contrarian opinions and brainstorming with others will help you reach logical solutions to a well-defined problem. And that leads to the third stage of implementation – the portal where great ideas come to life.
Every step in the process of launching a great idea must be well thought out. You must consider timetables, resources, team responsibilities, operational performance, constraints and more. You must measure those against your strategic goals and monitor them to respond to the changing marketplace.
Anything less leads to mediocrity or failure.
George Satula is a leadership development consultant working primarily as a TEC Chairman. He leads two CEO mastermind groups in southeastern Wisconsin. He is also a speaker and business growth advisor. Contact him at (262) 786-7400 or GSatula@TECBuildsLeaders.com.
