Pranav Mistry showing off his amazing SixthSense technology. We need more leaders in the world like Pranav who are focused on bringing technology to the masses in open source, innovative forms. Enjoy!
Based on my experiences, the following are my top ways to innovate!
Combining different ideas, perspectives, cultures, and basically anything and everything else is one of the best ways to innovate. If you don’t think so, read Medici Effect.
We can ask people all day what they want, what their opinions are, but the fact is, they don’t even know! As they say actions speak louder than words, so next time pay attention to what they’re doing not what they’re saying.
Working on your own can really help you solidify your own thoughts and ideas, but having that other person can really add a new element that takes you where you really wanted to go.
We have ideas all the time, in the least likely of situations, and there’s no way to remember them! Having the ability to takes notes whenever an “Aha!” moment strikes should not be underestimated.
Look at things from a different angle. We usually get stuck viewing things from one perspective, but think about the customer, the user, the client, different industries, etc… try and role play and the value that was not seen before, suddenly comes to the top.
Those are my favorite methods, what are yours?
Being at a startup I feel that it kind of just happens where you find yourself involved in every department of your business, from sales to marketing, business relations to research and development, you’re there and adding value and learning as you go. Doing this, I began to think of the value of such practice for all employees… now is there benefit to this practice, being involved in more that one area of your business?
YES, from my perspective it is a useful practice, but needs to have some boundaries to optimize the benefit. When I say boundaries I mean it should probably be limited to only 2 areas of focus initially. Now the question is why. First of all, when we’re doing the same things over and over again, every single day of the week, we get tired of it, and very quickly. Now one way to circumvent such repetitive and mindless situations is to have somewhere to turn when you’re getting to this limit. This allows you to diversify your work load and when one aspect of your work isn’t holding your focus, switching gears to something that feels fresh can recharge your batteries and keep your productivity high.
Furthermore, your employees also get to expand their horizons, as you’re building their capacity in something that’s most likely not their specialty, but holds some interest to them. From this perspective their benefiting not only from the exposure, but also learning more about the internal workings of the business, which hopefully leads to a more efficient work place.
Finally, its a great way to inspire innovation in the company for two reasons. First you get a fresh perspective from someone who is not continuously focused on the task at hand, and we all know that a fresh perspective is all thats needed at times for progress and great ideas. Second you’re creating an environment for the intersection of thought processes between the two areas. This in itself is one of the best ways to innovate, and if you’re interested in this method you should definitely check out The Medici Effect by Fran Johannson.
In terms of how it would work, you would assign an employee a primary job to focus on, and then a secondary one that they can lend time to during the week, with a point of contact in that department. Just two areas, as I feel thats more then enough to reap the benefits and not be overwhelming at the same time. Also, the point of contact is important to keep you up to date and not require you to play catch up continuously. I know I’m already doing it here, with not only more than two areas, but two jobs! Now there are definitely flaws with such a practice that could lead to insufficiencies and such, but if implemented clearly there is a real benefit to the employer and the company. What do you think??
Towards the end of 2009, Seth Godin released a free E-book entitled “What Matters Now.” I’ve been reading it and must say it’s a good, easy read and its FREE, so why not check it out.
Essentially its a book of some of the premiere thinkers in the world today, all sharing a singular idea with you to think about going into 2010. Download it here.
And let’s all give a big thanks to Seth Godin for this wonderful gift going into the new year!
Google’s made some amazing applications over the years, Google Docs, Picasa, Google Voice, and most recently Google Wave (jury is still out on this one), but my favorite by far is Google Reader.
Google Reader is an RSS aggregator that can be used to compile articles from all over the internet to one place. This has been a fantastic tool, allowing me to keep up with all my interests without having to visit hundreds of sites. It quickly became part of my daily morning routine, functioning as a virtual newspaper for me over the past two years.
Following just a few easy steps allows you to unlock the full power of Google Reader..
You can add feeds by searching subscriptions from your favorite blogs and frequently visited sites. A great resource to use in setting up your Google Reader is Alltop.com, which allows you to browse the most popular sites on the web by topic.
Now you’re all setup to enjoy articles from your favorite websites, all in one place!
There are several useful features packed into Google Reader, in particular are folders, which allow you to better organize your feeds into areas of interest. For example, my folders consist of: blogs, business, culture, design, humor, innovation, marketing, social news, tech, and think.
I hope that helps you get started with and make the most of this often overlooked application!
I’m always on the look out for ways to spruce up the office and creating an environment more attune to creativity, and this fits that role exactly. Introducing… Idea Paint!
Idea Paint is essentially paint that can be applied to any surface, which turns that surface into a makeshift white board! This could easily allow you to turn the most unassuming part of your home or office into a place of creativity…
I love this idea for two reasons: 1). You could get very creative in decorating your home, just think of the possibilities and 2). I believe that one of the essential practices towards innovation is taking notes, and I can’t think of a better way to make sure you have somewhere to write when those light bulbs turn on in our minds! For more information about Idea Paint visit their website.
