Innovation Provocation

Trying to come up with ideas? Stuck with a problem?

What would your old friends suggest?

I was watching one of my favourite films the other day - The Big Chill. It's about a group of University friends who get together for the first time in years, at another friend's funeral. It has a fantastic cast (Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, Glen Close and William Hurt) and a superb soundtrack.

The film deals with how the group comes to terms not only with the suicide of an old friend, but also the way their lives have turned out after the idealism of their student days in the '60s.

Of course, we all move on from the people we were at school, college or university. But sometimes it pays to look back to the people we were, either to gauge where we are now (and where we want to be) - or to find an alternative viewpoint from which to come up with ideas.

If you're struggling with a problem, or trying to find new ideas, try this exercise: what would your friends from years ago suggest that you do?

Chances are that when you hung about with a big group of friends at college or university you (and they) were more free-thinking, more relaxed, less hung up about responsibility and "the rules".

Try going back to those days for a while - at least in your mind.

What would you have come up with in those days?

What would your old friends suggest?

Innovation Provocation

Trying to come up with new ideas? Struggling with a problem at work? Think about it in a new way.

Ask yourself a couple of questions.

What would the competition least expect us to do? What would surprise them? Scare them? Outrage them?

Put some ideas together that answers these challenges - perhaps it will take your thinking in new directions.

Where were you when Mandela walked free?

Today is the twentieth anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela from a South African prison. Radio stations here in the UK (and, I expect) across the world have broadcast interviews with people recalling where they were when they saw those long-lens pictures of our first sight of a man who had been locked up for almost thirty years - a man who was soon to become the most respected man on the planet.

Listening to the stories, I realised I had forgotten that at the time, many in South Africa were terrified that his release would unleash a terrible revenge and payback by black South Africans.

They expected riots, reprisals and even deaths as black South Africa took revenge for years of repression under the apartheid regime. The fact that the country turned to majority rule and then reconciliation was due almost wholly to the integrity and humanity of the man whose release we re-celebrate today

Where were you on that day? We had gathered with friends to watch on TV and have lunch. As the release became more and more delayed, lunchtime went back, and back - and eventually became dinner. But at last the TV cameras picked up the image of a man - much older and weaker than we had expected - and the celebrations, across the world, could begin.

There are still problems in South Africa, and I know my friends there are doing what they can to improve things. But when you think that one of the first aims of the new government was to achieve a water tap within 100 metres of each family, you realise how bad things were beforehand.

What a day. What a man.

Going the extra mile - or standing still?

In his latest blog (see below) Seth Godin talks about a "cyborg tool", recently unveiled at the annual TED conference of scientists, futurists, artists and thinkers.

The cyborg tool will remember names, find connections and bring all sorts of external data to us the moment we need it. This will allow us to make links instantaneously - "Oh, yes, David, he's the guy I met through James at the marketing conference - he'd just taken a new job with P&G".

Seth is underwhelmed. He reckons that "The first time it happens to you you'll be blown away and flabbergasted. The tenth time, it'll be ordinary, and the 20th, boring". He believes it's like hotels remembering your name and preferences - just a database trick.

Well, here in the UK, I wish hotels would use the "database trick" more often when we check in!

I stayed last week in one of my favourite "boutique" hotels, in the north of England. I was delighted when I found that in my room (not the same room as before) they had left the window open just a little - exactly as I like it, and exactly as I had left the window on my previous visit. The Gleneagles Hotel (one of the best in the world) used to use the 'window as you like it' as an example of their fantastic service, and it featured in a series of ads by the late, lamented Hall Advertising in Edinburgh.

All evening, I thought "how cool is that - they noticed, they remembered (or their database did - I'm happy with that) and they made sure to make the room exactly as I like it on my next visit".

Just before retiring for the night, I went to close the window a little. They hadn't remembered. The window catch was broken.

Ah well, business as usual.

But why can't hotels get this simple little aspect of customer service right, even when you've stayed there three times in the last month? Why can't they ask me how my journey was (my home address is right there on their computer, I assume). Why can't they say "On your last visit you dined out, Mr Harris - this time would you like to try the hotel restaurant, or can I recommend a great restaurant nearby?"

The data is easy to capture - all they need is to add the human element by actually using it.

And if you've got a hotel and you do this stuff (or a client hotel who does) let me know and I'll stay there next time.

PS: Seth Godin's blog is here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com

Who would you add to your ideas team if there was a transfer window?

It was transfer deadline day yesterday across European football, with last minute deals bringing in new players for many teams. The principle behind most transfers was to freshen up (and strengthen) the team for the second half of the season.

It got me wondering - who would you add to your team in order to freshen it up and strengthen it in order to create a title-winning performance in 2010?

Perhaps you need a world class striker - someone who can sniff out opportunities, pounce on them and stick them in the back of the net? Or a classy midfielder, elegant, intelligent, linking people, resources and parts of the team together. Or perhaps your challenges are more pressing, and you need strength in defence: someone who isn't scared of hard times, is willing to stand up and be counted when your backs are against the wall.

I'm sorry, using football as a metaphor always brings me out in cliches.

The point is, few teams have the opportunity to go out and recruit all the various people they might need. So when it comes to generating ideas and solving problems we all need to be flexible, taking on different roles as the need arises.

Think about how highly creative people work. Do what they do. Think like they think. Take a look at www.headsurfing.com for some ideas on how to do this.

Next time you are in a brainstorming session, don't just sit there with the same old gang round the table. Imagine you'd just spent a fortune on bringing in the world class team you need - and think like they would!