Author Archive

Idea Discovery: Article – Young entrepreneurs pitch ideas in Ventura

Idea Discovery – I read this article today in the Ventura County Star (Ventura, CA) about teens pitching their ideas to investors for cash prizes and possible financing for their idea.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/nov/30/young-entrepreneurs-pitch-ideas-in-ventura/

Getting kids to think creatively will lead to their success and breed an exciting new group of entrepreneurs! Enjoy!

Never Know Until You Ask

My mom underwent physical therapy a few years ago to build strength in her legs. She did so trying to rid herself of the cane with which she had to walk. The doctor recommended that she purchase a recumbent bicycle to use at home so that she could exercise her legs several times a day. Just before we left the doctor's office I went back to ask the doctor about alternatives to the recumbent bicycle she recommended. At 90+ years of age my mother could use equipment either for the next ten years (I come from solid stock!) or only the next month. One could never know.

After I asked about alternatives to the expense and space such equipment requires, one of the Physical Therapists momentarily disappeared. He returned with a small contraption with pedals. He noted that it had been in the storage closet for months waiting to be discarded. He preferred giving it to someone who would use it over simply trashing it, but no one had asked before then. And there I was…asking.

As Mom and I exited through the waiting room, more than one person inquired about the contraption in hand. They exclaimed how useful such a device could be to them. Until they saw me with it they would never have thought to ask for something like it.

When you're stuck trying to figure something out as you implement an idea, how long does it take for you to ask for insight from someone else whom you trust? On what have you missed out by not asking?

You never know until you ask. More often than not, I get an answer that reveals a small shift in perspective or adds just enough insight to get me moving on my own again. It's not luck. Assert yourself. And just ask!

Feel free to share this tip, strategy, or resource with others. If
you reprint it, please include the following byline:
"From Sylvia Henderson, Your Idea Success Coach."

Get more tips, strategies, and resources that help you implement
your ideas – and download chapters of my book:
'Hey, That's MY Idea! How to Speak Up and Get Recognized
for What You Know and Think' – at www.IdeaSuccessNetwork.com

Act on Imperfection

"An imperfect something is better than a perfect nothing."

~ Sylvia Henderson

The above words flowed from my mouth during an Idea Blueprint(c) Program coaching session with a client. We were both astounded at the brilliance of the message. I say this not for my ego; I declare brilliance for what it means in terms of acting on your ideas.

A problem that many of my clients and students claim stops them from taking action is that they feel the need to "tweak" their strategies or plans until they are perfect. Only when they feel they've "got things just right" can they begin to implement their ideas. In getting things just right, their ideas stagnate. Real progress = zero.

When you find yourself stuck on perfect, let perfect go. Yes, you want quality and professionalism. Yes, you want favorable conditions, good resources, and strategies in place as you start taking action on your ideas. Yet, you can take action while you work out remaining issues, and move forward while some uncertainty still remains to be worked out. Initial actions may even yield lessons that serve you well for making strategy corrections that, had you waited to act until everything was perfect, you might have learned too late.

If you're stuck on perfect, take a deep breath in, hold for a few seconds, then slowly release your breath while saying to yourself, "An imperfect something is better than a perfect nothing". Then make something happen!

Idea Discovery: Article – How Can I Turn My Mess of Ideas Into Something Organized and Useful?

Make your IMPACT(c) … one idea at a time!
Here's my Idea Discovery for today to help you do just that.

Lifehacker is a website that touts itself for “Tips, tricks, and downloads for getting things done”

I came across this Idea question from a reader regarding implementing your ideas and wanted to share it with all of you.

How Can I Turn My Mess of Ideas Into Something Organized and Useful?

So many of the processes mentioned I already use when teaching my IMPACT process!

Happy Reading!

My goal is to serve you with resources and strategies that help you clarify, organize, and implement your ideas.
Stay connected with me for more Idea Discoveries.
IdeaSuccessNetwork.com
Sylvia Henderson, Your Idea Coach
Author: "Hey, That's MY Idea! How to Communicate and Get Recognized for What You Know and Think"

Step Into Their Shoes

step-into-their-shoes-blog-header

Approach your idea from other people’s perspectives by stepping in their shoes. Literally. You need other perspectives on your ideas so that you remove the blinders inherent in working only from your own point of view.

Take a pair of your most comfortable shoes. Identify at least two people you will approach at some point with your idea who think differently from you. Example: If you are a very optimistic person, identify a pessimist. If you are entrepreneurial, identify someone bound to a job or career. Tape a piece of paper with each name onto one of each of your shoes. Put your shoes onto your opposite feet so that your left shoe is on your right foot and your right shoe is on your left foot. Now walk around. Note how uncomfortable they feel.

Imagine each person you identified with each step forward that you take. Make note of how that person will view and react to your idea. Prepare your responses and gather the details you need to address the different perspectives.

Walk in other people’s shoes to step out of your comfort zone. When you make decisions and act staying only in your comfort zone, familiarity and enthusiasm about your own idea can blind you to essential details.

Idea Discovery: Blog – What If They Steal My Idea?

Make your IMPACT(c) … one idea at a time!
Here's my Idea Discovery for today to help you do just that.

Blog: What If They Steal My Idea?

Here’s a blog by Charles Lee of Ideation that I read recently that I wanted to share with you. Aligning with my IMPACT process, Charles writes about how it’s the IMPLEMENTATION that really matters. If you like this article please share.

http://charlestlee.com/ideation/what-if-they-steal-my-idea/

Idea Discovery: Article – How Proposing Great Ideas Can Help You Advance Your Career

Make your IMPACT(c) … one idea at a time!
Here's my Idea Discovery for today to help you do just that.

Read this great article on Business Insider and wanted to share it with you. It’s about how just ONE idea can change your career and your life. ENJOY!

Read it here: How Proposing Great Ideas Can Help You Advance Your Career

Down the Up Staircase: Go Against Groupthink

spiral_staircase_open_door_to_sky Down the Up Staircase: Go Against Groupthink
(With acknowledgement to Bel Kaufman, author of “Up the Down Staircase”)

“Up the Down Staircase” is a 1965 novel and 1967 film about the bureaucracy encountered in a school system when a student is punished for expressing his individualism by committing an infraction—walking up the staircase the school designated as the down stairway. Following this premise, I use going down the up staircase to represent going against what everyone else thinks or does. This includes encouraging individuals on your team to share their ideas when they seemingly contradict the thinking of the rest of your group.

When you work as a team to develop and implement ideas, a challenge arises as group members vocalize their thoughts. The challenge is that as group members either give their approval or express displeasure, individuals in the group rethink their points of view. They tend to move their thinking in line with the rest of the group, or silence themselves from expressing their views when they contradict those of the group. When individuals in a group adapt the thinking that reflects that of the rest of the team, or suppress their ideas because of a strong, persuasive leader or intense pressure from others, a phenomenon called groupthink sets in. Individuality is lost to the group.

The danger in groupthink is that creative ideas get lost. Hidden weaknesses and threats are overlooked when groupthink leans toward only positive viewpoints. Strengths and opportunities are overlooked when groupthink leans toward the negative. Groupthink leads to team dysfunction, indicated by stereotyping, complacency, rationalization, censorship, and silence. Groupthink creates an illusion of team unity when individuals experience conflict within themselves.

How do you get past groupthink, especially as a leader of a team or Board of Directors, so that you hear everyone’s ideas without their being influenced by how the group as a whole thinks? Try this exercise with your team the next time you solicit ideas from them.

1. Present the issue, problem, or situation for which you seek ideas from your team.

2. Allow a specific time frame for discussion and questions to clarify your objective. Do not allow solutions at this point! The discussion is to clarify, not solve.

3. Next, allow a specific time frame for all individuals in the group to come up with ideas that meet the objective, however wild the ideas might seem. Encourage no prejudgment at this point.

4. Have everyone write their ideas down and turn them in…everyone!

5. Ask one person to scribe by compiling all ideas onto a master list on flip chart paper or projecting on a screen.

6. Have the group work through the ideas to eliminate duplicates.

7. Ask each individual to silently identify the top 3 (or top 5) ideas they believe to be the ones the group should address. Yes, this is somewhat subjective because the responses are based on each individual’s viewpoint.

8. Have each individual rank their choices in their priority order—most important / viable to least.

9. Collect everyone’s results—the ideas they choose and their rankings.

10. Have a scribe create a collective compilation of ideas and rankings. The highest-scored idea(s) are the ones the group as a whole chooses to pursue.

This technique for pulling ideas from individuals in a group without incurring groupthink also considers individuals who are shy, insecure about their contributions, or who are unable to express themselves verbally. You as the team leader get ideas you may not get otherwise, and some of the ideas may very well be the ones that have the most impact on your results, your bottom line, and your success.

Going against groupthink allows individuals who have ideas that go down the up staircase to express their ideas, unencumbered by how the rest of the group thinks.

Down the Up Staircase: Go Against Groupthink

Down the Up Staircase: Go Against Groupthink
(With acknowledgement to Bel Kaufman, author of “Up the Down Staircase”)