Inside the Box Thinking!
05/19/03
John Ellis is seeing the death of innovation at a time when it is needed most: "At company after company, the return to what you might call 'inside the box' thinking was remarkable. It was as if they had meetings and said to one another, 'Okay, let's think inside the box.' ... When companies cease being creative and original, they become their own satire."
Innovation is the secret to opportunity management, but, unfortunately, in far too many companies, creativity is giving way to over-control. People are doing what has to be done in order to cope; not what might be done to enliven their dreams. Like teachers who don't want to waste paper on bad drawings; leaders are too often forcing their people to keep those crayons focused on coloring inside the lines. Don't wait for a turnaround to free up your people. Let your people break out of the box. OK, let them even break a few boxes. Some of the drawings created will be discarded; others will open new vistas of opportunity. Creativity is all about making strategic mistakes; innovation is about knowing which ones to capitalize on. Unfortunately, you will miss out on 100% of the innovations you never allow to surface. Encourage a little unusual, wild, outside-the-lines drawing this week!
MONDAY'S MIRTHFUL MOMENT
This week's mirthful moment comes from Marilyn Hall as forwarded by George Morrisey. If you enjoy music (or even if you don't), I think you will find these definitions refreshing! Enjoy:
Angus Dei: A divine, beefy tone.
A patella: Unaccompanied knee-slapping.
Concerto grosso: A really bad performance.
D.C. al capone: You betta go back to the beginning, capiche?
Diminuendo: The process of quieting a rumor in the orchestra pit.
Fiddler crabs: Grumpy string players.
Flute flies: Gnat-like bugs that bother musicians playing out-of-doors.
Poochini: When singing, to be accompanied by your dog.
When you keep your eyes open for mirth, you just may find it! Hope this kicks off your morning and helps get your mood adjusted for the week. Now, get busy MAKING CHANGE WORK and have some fun along the way!...