GROWING GREAT IDEAS BLOG

Harvesting Creativity through Social Media

2011-12-30T08:38:00.000-06:00

Social media can be a creative and collaborative portal for organizations that makes it easier to gather ideas and generate innovations. Proper implementation is necessary to fully develop these tools so the business can reap the rewards. This article illustrates how to successfully integrate social media into the workforce for a creative idea harvest.

Read the rest of the article in Training Industry Quarterly...

Want to get more creative and innovative in the workplace? Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, THE creativity training book, is now available for Kindle.

The Paradox of Creativity

2011-08-22T08:45:00.003-05:00

Creativity is often born in a paradox. Why? Many creative thinkers are divergent thinkers. This means they are able to generate large quantities of ideas, whether brilliant or mundane, maintain a playful attitude about the process, and have the flexibility to switch perspectives to unusual and new associations. The paradox comes from the need to temper creativity with a dogged determination and perseverance necessary to bring ideas from the conception stage to actual, practical use.

One without the other results in a net gain of nothing: either there are no ideas generated or the ideas languish and die unused.

It’s here and it’s still free! Download the complete training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, with over 80 pages of ideas, exercises, and resources at the E-book website.

Follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative using microsteps at work. Email me for more information.

Creativity@Work: Memorable Biz Cards

2011-04-01T07:41:00.002-05:00

Creativity might be defined as seeing the world through sufficiently new eyes so that new solutions appear. –William M. Boast

It’s a snack, it’s a business card

Anyone with a computer, printer, and some cardstock can create a business card so business cards have become a dime a dozen. How do you make one more memorable? Turn the business card into a novelty, that’s how.

Meatcards.com provides a slab of beef jerky with your contact information laser- etched onto the surface. Talk about making a first impression and standing out from the rest of the business card givers! Now, why didn’t I think of that?

Consider: What can you do with common, everyday objects to turn them into something memorable?

It’s here and it’s free! Extended through April 15, 2011-- download the complete training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, with over 80 pages of ideas, exercises, and resources at the E-book website.

Follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative at work. Email me for more information.

Creativity@Work: Articles

2011-03-11T06:43:00.002-06:00

Gather creativity and innovation information to add to your organizational Idea Library from some of these interesting resources. How can you and your organization apply these ideas and resources to problems and projects or use to seek new opportunities, niches, and combinations?

Duke University: Creative Thinking Value Rubric
How to Overcome Creative Blocks and Distractions on BNET
What is Creativity by Linda Naiman
Do You Recognize These 10 Mental Blocks to Creative Thinking? On Copyblogger
WorkMadeEasier.com: Will Creative Thinking Make You More Successful?

What creative and idea resources will you add to your Idea Library?

It’s here and it’s free! Until March 31, 2011-- download the complete training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, with over 80 pages of ideas, exercises, and resources at the E-book website.

Follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative at work. Email me for more information.

Download free Creativity@Work Training Guide

2011-03-04T10:48:00.000-06:00

THE training guide to creativity@work

Now through March 31, 2011....download the complete E-book on training staff to be more creative at work for FREE.

Open the door to more innovation and ideas in the workplace with exercises and insights from the expanded second, e-book edition of Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work.

Feel free to share this valuable resource with friends and colleagues.

Visit the book website to download the free PDF.

Creativity@Work Idea Master Seth Godin

2011-03-04T07:03:00.004-06:00

What would our world look like if more people started projects, made a ruckus, and took risks? The job isn't to catch up to the status quo; the job is to invent the status quo–Seth Godin, from his book Poke the Box

Seth Godin embodies embracing new technologies to market ideas and products and has always managed to be on the cutting edge as a provocateur/marketer. American Way Magazine dubbed him, "America's Greatest Marketer," and Godin’s blog is one of the most popular in the world written by a single individual. His latest book, Poke the Box
is a call to action to take the initiative both in career and in life. Seth broke from the traditional publishing model by the book releasing it through a partnership with Amazon.com called The Domino Project. Some of his previous books include Unleashing the Idea Virus and the Big Moo.

As an entrepreneur, he has founded dozens of companies, most of which failed. Yoyodyne, his first internet company, was funded by Flatiron and Softbank and acquired by Yahoo! in 1998. It pioneered the use of ethical direct mail online, something Seth called Permission Marketing. Not one to let failure derail his career, his latest company, Squidoo.com, is ranked among the top 125 websites.

Consider how your organization could think more like Godin, push aside fear and tradition to embrace new strategies and projects. Think: What would Seth do?

It’s almost here! The complete, expanded second edition e-book is coming! Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative at work. Email me for more information.

Creativity@Work Exercise Soup Bowl

2011-02-28T05:38:00.003-06:00

Soup Bowl

Making out-of-the-box associations and connections gives staff practice that can be applied to internal projects, products, or services.The exercise encourages thinking outside the box when facing problems needing solutions that are out of the ordinary.

Objective: To come up with creative ways to use common, everyday items.

Instructions: As a team, spend five minutes finding an interesting use for five items randomly pulled from a large soup bowl such as small toys, sticky notes, paper clips, etc. Anything that fits in the bowl is fair game. Teams will then be invited to share and illustrate alternate uses for the item with the group. The group can then vote for the funniest or most interesting uses by a team and a prize could be given.

It’s almost here! The complete, expanded second edition e-book comes out on March 1st! Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Creativity@Work: Idea Master Richard Branson

2011-02-25T06:58:00.004-06:00

My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them...from the perspective of wanting to live life to the full, I felt that I had to attempt it. –Sir Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson is a British entrepreneur and risk-taker extraordinaire, best known for his Virgin Group of over 400 companies. Branson’s first successful business venture was a magazine called Student at age 16. He is the 212th richest person in the world according to Forbes' 2010 list of billionaires.

What makes him an Idea Master is his philosophy to embrace life, take risks, learn from failure, think creatively, and continually adapt.

Consider how your organization could “think” more like Richard Branson to become more creative and innovative by borrowing some of his traits:

• Step out of the comfort zone- Branson is constantly stepping outside his comfort zone into new industries and challenges.

• Face toward problems-When problems arise, Branson tackles them immediately and aggressively, making sure that small problems don’t become big issues.

• Be open to change- Branson is constantly open to changing his perspectives, viewpoints and approach to any situation if he feels that it will help him attain his goals and objectives in a much more effective and efficient manner.

• Seek new opportunities- Branson is always on the lookout for new opportunities and ideas that will enable him to gain an advantage over his competitors.

• Ask questions- Branson is constantly asking questions to clarify his thinking and help him overcome the challenges that confront him on a daily basis.

• Be playful- Branson turns everything into a game where having fun is on top of his agenda.

• Take notes- Branson carries a notepad in his pocket to capture ideas for new projects, gather feedback from customers and employees, and to write his goals, thoughts and experiences on paper.

• Learn from failures- Branson fully understands that lessons are usually learned through mistakes and experience.

To learn more about Richard Branson, visit Virgin’s website.

Creativity@Work: Idea Library Resources

2011-02-23T11:04:00.002-06:00

Here are some places on the web to gather creativity and innovation information to add to the Idea Library. Consider how your organization can apply these ideas and resources to problems and projects or use them to seek new opportunities and combinations.

• 2011 may go down in history as "The Year of Opportunity." Venture capitalist Saku Tuominen, founder of the Idealist Group, says in the Monocle Small Business Guide2010/11. Read the complete article on Amex’s Open Forum website.

• 5 Ways to Spot a $100 Million Idea. Read the blog post on BNET.

• 6 Steps to Achieving Creativity in Business, Personal Life: It turns out that the creative process involves both art and science. Read the article in US NEWS

• Become a More Creative Leader — Think Small by Stew Friedman in HBR.

What creative resources can you add to your Idea Library?

It’s almost here! The complete e-book comes out on March 1st! Need more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Creativity@Work:Grow Ideas Like Mold

2011-02-21T05:31:00.007-06:00

The end of sandwich stalkers

If you take your lunch to work and store it in a communal refrigerator, you may have had it stolen. Or maybe you had roommates who helped themselves to your food. The Anti-Theft lunch bags are the brainchild of Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee, a pair of eclectic designers and founders of the company they simply call “the”.

The plastic bag has green, mold-like splotches printed on both sides, disguising your food as putrid, inedible fodder.

When searching for new ideas, consider a look at niches that would solve a common, everyday problem. If you find yourself saying, Now why didn't I think of that?, you are onto something!

Need more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Creativity@Work Idea Master: Leonardo da Vinci

2011-02-18T07:19:00.005-06:00

Most of us are familiar with the genius of Leonardo da Vinci (1452 –1519). Not only did he paint several famous works including the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, da Vinci was an observer, scientist, and inventor. His studies in science and engineering are as impressive and innovative as his artistic work, much of which is recorded in notebooks comprising over 13,000 pages of notes and drawings. Da Vinci is also credited with inventing a tank and helicopter centuries before they were produced in their now familiar form. He was a man of ideas well before their time.

Michael Gelb’s book, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, has a roadmap to use what Gelb calls the da Vinci principles, with one in particular, sfumato, managing ambiguity and change, is extremely relevant to facing the prospect of change and innovative processes in the workplace. While many of us have fears of the unknown, using da Vinci’s sfumato, which refers to a style of painting where the edges are hazy but implied, we need to become at ease with the unknown. Only by embracing the inherent uncertainty of creativity and innovation, can we move to da Vinci’s level of thinking and creativity.

For more information on Gelb’s book and the other da Vinci principles, visit his website.

In an earlier post, I included an exercise called Write it Down, which uses some of da Vinci’s technique of observation to gather ideas and information for unleashing the creativity process.

Need more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Culture vs. Creativity: Is Your Organizational Culture Killing Ideas?

2011-02-16T12:26:00.001-06:00

In July 2010, IBM released the results of an interesting survey, after asking a worldwide group of 1,500 CEOs what they thought were essential skills for success in today’s world. About 60% identified creativity as the most important leadership quality over the next five years. While the IBM survey marks a step toward acknowledgment of the significance of creativity in the workplace, does the corporate culture really support a more creative and innovative workplace environment or is it just wishful thinking?

Read the rest of the article on TrainingIndustry.com

Creativity@Work: Books

2011-02-16T06:54:00.006-06:00

What better way to build a foundation and reference point for creative pursuits in the workplace than to read about innovation from a variety of viewpoints? Build an Idea Library with some books that may help your organization think more creatively:

• 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: The Handbook of New Ideas for Business by James M. Higgins

• A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative by Roger von Oech

• Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out by Douglas Rushkoff

• The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Defeating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization by Thomas Kelley and Jonathan Littman

• How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day

Need more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Creativity@Work Exercise: Three Wishes

2011-02-14T06:54:00.002-06:00

When we face a difficult project or situation, we often wonder what would happen if we could just make a wish? Wouldn't everything work out just fine? Try this exercise under the assumption we could make a wish (or three) to make this project work or to go with a totally different possibility. To work within shorter time frame, you may want to limit the exercise to one wish.

Objective: To find a unique perspective to problem solving given unlimited possibilities and no restrictions.

Instructions: Each team has discovered a magic genie lamp. When you rub it , the genie pops out and grants your team three wishes on things you would like to see happen or change at work. The team must decide what the three things are. It can be to a person, the boss, the job, the people you work with or project specific. Remember each wish can have consequences if not thought out.

Spend 15-30 discussing the possibilities and the ramifications of each and choose the three best alternatives. Each team will then explain to the group why they chose their particular wishes and why some were not chosen.

Need more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Creativity@Work: Idea Master Buckminster Fuller

2011-02-11T08:04:00.004-06:00

I just invent, then wait until man comes around to needing what I've invented.

--R. Buckminster Fuller

Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller (1895 –1983) was an American philosopher, thinker, visionary, inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician, poet, cosmologist, and is credited with being one of the first futurists and global thinkers.

Fuller is best known for his lattice shell structures or geodesic domes, which have been used as parts of military radar stations, civic buildings, environmental protest camps and exhibition attractions. Although Fuller popularized use of the dome, the original design came from Dr. Walther Bauersfeld. For the next half-century, he developed many ideas, designs and inventions, particularly regarding practical, inexpensive shelter and transportation because of his overriding concern for sustainability and human survival under the existing socio-economic system. Fuller, however, remained optimistic about humanity's future. He documented his life, philosophy and ideas scrupulously by a diary called the Dymaxion Chronofile.

Fuller also developed the Dymaxion Map of the world as the first world projection to show the continents on a flat surface without visible distortion. This view shows the earth as being essentially one island in one ocean.

His ideals are still carried on through the work of the Buckminster Fuller Institute. Visit the website for more information.

Need more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Creativity@Work Tool: Skype

2011-02-09T07:31:00.005-06:00

Technology has brought so many great tools right to our desktop including the ability to make phone calls using Skype. Since 2003, Skype has been giving millions of internet users the opportunity to make voice and video calls for free. It is estimated that just in 2010, Skype users made 95 billion minutes of calls.

All you need is a computer that has a webcam available (for microphone and sound, which is pretty much every computer on the market today) and is connected to the internet. You download the Skype program, install it, register a Skype user, and you are up and running. Even the free version of Skype is quite useful and allows for free Skype to Skype calls, instant messaging, file transfers, and the ability to share your computer screen with the caller. Subscription and pay-as-you-go plans allow even more features including voicemail, call forwarding, and group video conferencing, all at rates the traditional phone company and even some cellular providers can’t beat.

I often use the free version of Skype frequently to augment my pay-as-you-go cell phone. I am able to make calls to 800 and 888 numbers at no charge right from my computer. The person or persons on the other end of the “line” have no idea I am talking through my computer since Skype uses standard telephone sounds and the audio quality is so high. I was also amazed when a colleague sent me a file download through Skype in the middle of our conference call. Although you can make calls to other Skype users for free, if you call a regular number, you will need to buy airtime (extremely cheap if used within US) to speak with the other party.

I purchased $10 worth of Skype credit and still haven’t used it up since it only charged me two cents per minute. (US call). Even with rates slightly higher for international calls, it is still cheap.

In the near future, I am going to use the screen sharing option for training activities. If you have tried and used this feature for training purposes, please share your experience by posting in the comments section.

One minor caveat: Skype can't be used for emergency calling but neither can a cell phone.

Want to give Skype a try? Check out the Skype website for more information and rates.

Need more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Creativity@Work: Why didn't I think of that?

2011-02-07T08:24:00.003-06:00

Bring Tim

This meeting is costing what? Think about all the time, not to mention money, wasted in business meetings. After sitting through a four hour meeting, Brad Johnson thought wouldn't it be great to have a gadget to quickly calculate the exact amount it costs for an employee to be at the meeting? His frustration become the idea for the Bring TIM® (Time is Money) device that inexpensively and easily shows just how much money is being wasted by plugging in the amount of time spent in the meeting and the average hourly wage of those attending.

Need more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? Download a free, 25 page preview of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, at the E-book website.

Creativity@Work Idea Master: Johannes Gutenberg

2011-02-04T07:56:00.003-06:00

From wine press to printing press...

Who doesn't enjoy a good book? Even with alternative ways to obtain reading materials, printed books still remain popular. Did you know the technology for earliest books was inspired by a machine designed for a totally different use?

The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1398 –1468), in 1440, developed from the technology of the screw-type wine presses of the Rhine Valley. Gutenberg created a hand press, in which ink was rolled over the raised surfaces of movable hand-set block letters held within a wooden form and the form was then pressed against a sheet of paper. Although the Chinese are credited with creating block printing well before the 15th century, the printing press built by Gutenberg, with its wooden and later metal movable type, made printed materials available for the masses and remained the standard until the 20th century. Gutenberg is credited with printing the world's first book, the Gutenberg Bible.

Over the centuries, many newer printing technologies were developed based on Gutenberg's printing machine including offset printing.

Gutenberg’s press is a great example of taking the technology from one industry and adapting it to another.. Now consider how can we “borrow” ideas from different places to solve a problem or create a new product?

The Project Gutenberg website has downloads of over 33,000 free e-books to read on PC, i Pad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android or other portable devices.

Want more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? For more information on how to get your copy of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, visit the E-book website. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative at work. Email me for more information.

Creativity@Work Tool: Bubbl.us

2011-02-02T07:28:00.003-06:00

Bubbl.us is a free, online mind mapping tool that allows you to create mind mapping and brainstorming diagrams without even a log-in required to get started. Have a great idea for a product or service. What now? How do you get it done? What steps do you need to bring this idea into reality? What’s related to this central idea? Get those ideas out of your head and into mind map.

It only took me a few moments to draw my sample mind map without ever using this tool previously as Bubbl.us is pretty intuitive to use and has familiar controls. I did create a free account so I could save this map to use again and also to be able to share with other, who can also add new bubbles of thought to the map.

Want to try it out and see what great ideas you can brainstorm? Check out the Bubbl.us website and click the start brainstorming button. On the getting help tab, there are easy to understand instructions for using this neat, interactive tool. If you try this out, send me an email and let me know how you like it and what ideas came from it.

For more, simple tutorials on using the tools within Bubbl.us click here and here.

Creativity@Work Exercise: Conversations with Fame

2011-01-31T08:25:00.003-06:00

Many of us are fascinated with famous people. Sometimes we wonder what it would be like to live their lives and interact the way they do (or did). Why not use this interest to spark some new lines of thinking when facing a work challenge or anticipating a new opportunity?

Objective: To find a new perspective to view issues, opportunities, and challenges at work.

Instructions: in teams of 4-5, have each group pick a famous person, living, dead or well-known fictitious character. A person can also be supplied to each team. You can even bring in a magazine like People or US to randomly choose a person. For example, you can start out asking how would Tiger Woods, Abe Lincoln, Paris Hilton, Hugh Jackman, Joe Jonas, etc….handle this challenge (insert your opportunity or challenge here)?

Discuss within the teams how this person would:
 Solve a work-related problem?
 Market a new product or service?
 Discipline an employee?
 Make new contacts or network?
 Make a presentation or run a meeting?
 Handle a crisis?
 What would make this person handle the situation in this way? Explain?

Each team should spend 10-15 minutes discussing this and then prepare to share a short summary to share with the group.

Coming Wednesday: Creative Tool Bubbl.us mind mapping tool

Want more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? For more information on how to get your copy of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, visit the E-book website. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative at work. Email me for more information.

Creativity@Work: Idea Master Edward de Bono

2011-01-28T06:51:00.004-06:00

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” --Edward de Bono

Edward de Bono is one of the leading authorities in the field of lateral and creative thinking, treating thinking as a teachable skill to be enhanced and improved. de Bono has written over 70 books on the subject including Six Thinking Hats where he writes about the need to compartmentalize the various aspects of personality in order to analyze business problems and decisions. In the book, he separates these feelings into six thinking hats, allowing us to use each of the six areas to get a different perspective and to build more understanding of others’ perceptions.

Six hats are:

White - considering purely what information is available, what are the facts?
Red - instinctive gut reaction or statements of emotional feeling
Black - logic applied to identifying problems or barriers, seeking mismatch
Yellow - logic applied to identifying benefits, seeking harmony
Green - statements of provocation and investigation, seeing where a thought goes
Blue –the hat worn by those facilitating and directing the process

Six Thinking Hats provides a technique for looking at decision making from a number of different points of view, by allowing emotion and skepticism to be brought into purely rational decisions. This affords the opportunity for people to be more positive and creative.

Consider: how could putting on a different hat change your thinking?

For a good overview and examples of Six Thinking Hats in action, check out this post on MindTools.

Creativity@Work: Books

2011-01-26T07:39:00.008-06:00

What better way to build a foundation and reference point for creative pursuits in the workplace than to read about innovation and creative thinking from a variety of viewpoints? Here are some books that may help your organization think more creatively:

• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson
• How to be a Brilliant Thinker: Exercise Your Mind and Find Creative Solutions by Paul Sloane
• Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques by Michael Michalko
• Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo

Coming Friday: Idea Master Edward de Bono

Want more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? For more information on how to get your copy of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, visit the E-book website. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative at work. Email me for more information.

Creativity@Work Exercise: What Went Wrong?

2011-01-24T08:01:00.008-06:00

What can we learn from the failures, foibles, and follies of other organizations? How can we use a study of mistakes to work toward success?

Fear of failure is one of the barriers to having a more creative and innovative workplace environment. Nobody likes failure—it feels bad, often it’s embarrassing, in its worst form, it can be destructive. People, as well as organizations often have a hard time admitting it when they have failed or made a mistake. So how do we take failures and turn them into successes? Rather than trying to forget them, why don’t we analyze them, debrief, and try to learn to do better next time?

Even the most successful companies including Apple, the Gap, and Coca-Cola, have made larger than life gaffes and managed to thrive and survive. Try this exercise using some examples from competitors or well-known companies. Then try it with your organization’s own mistakes and missteps.

For a look at some very public failures and mistakes, here’s some inspiration:
• The Gap’s new logo comes and goes in a week
• Apple’s IPhone 4 “Antenna gate”
• Nestle insults its customers on Facebook
• Who is Microsoft Bob?
• These potato chips come with unpleasant side effects

Come together in small groups, discuss what happened, and then consider:

• What went wrong?
• What could have been done better? Why?
• What worked? What didn’t?
• How could this be avoided in the future?
• How could this be fixed? What channels could be used?
• Is there a moral to the story? What is it?

Need more inspiration? Try these websites:
Forbes.com Marketing Blog
PR Mistakes and Blunders
Time Magazine's Top 50 Worst Inventions

Coming Wednesday: Creative Books and Authors

Creativity@Work: Idea Master William H. Danforth

2011-01-21T07:21:00.004-06:00

William H. Danforth (1870 – 1956) founded the Ralston Purina Company, co-founded the American Youth Foundation (AYF) and authored the book, I Dare You! Ralston-Purina's famous checkerboard logo evolved from Danforth’s belief in four key components to a balanced life: physical, mental, social, and religious. To be healthy, he believed, you needed the four squares to stay in balance and one area was not to develop at expense of the other. The concept became intertwined with the company in 1921 when it began selling feed that was pressed in cubes called "checkers”. Danforth was also one of the first to realize the potential of branding with a recognizable logo. His idea was successful because even today, we all are familiar with the famous “checkerboard” design.

In one chapter of his book, Danforth puts out a dare to think creatively. He writes, “Opportunities to create are popping out at you every minute of the day. Some of the greatest creations have come from minds able to interpret the usual in an unusual way.”

Danforth’s book is still in print today, more than 70 years after its original release. Although it is a diminutive book, the ideas contained within are simple, yet larger than life and still remain relevant. Preview the book here.

Coming Monday: Creativity@Work Exercise: What Went Wrong?

Creativity@Work: Links, News, Resources & Articles

2011-01-19T08:08:00.008-06:00

As part of the blog rotation, I will be posting links to resources, news, and articles on Creativity@Work as well as websites that are creativity and innovation related. Have links you would care to share? Email them.

Today’s links:

BNET: 5 Ways to Spot a $100 Million Idea

Fast Company: Why Good Ideas Go Bad

Marelisa’s Abundance Blog, Creativity+ Productivity+ Simplicity =Abundance
The Power of Small Steps and Tiny Changes

US News: 6 Steps to Achieving Creativity in Business, Personal Life

Blogging Innovation: How Many iPads and Kindles will be Garbage?

Coming Friday: Idea Master William Danforth

Want more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? For more information on how to get your copy of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, visit the E-book website. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative at work. Email me for more information.