Action & Innovation

After years of reading, writing, researching, teaching and working with businesses at enhancing creative thinking in workplaces I have come to one happy conclusion. The conclusion is that at the core of all efforts at coming up with creative ideas, and innovating products and processes lies the fact that “action speaks louder than words!”

People in research, design, planning, marketing and strategizing constantly bleed and sweat over what wonderful thing to do next and how to come up with an idea that will rock the world and save money at the same time. Consultants like myself, catalyze the bleeding and the sweating further by dishing out multiple, hair-brained techniques and methods to “enhance creativity in individuals and organizations.” The whole circus is a vicious circle of futility rather than creativity and creative thinking. The power truly lies in A C T I O N and execution. Though, I am tempted to, I will not quote Nike over here. Nope!

What businesses need to learn and master is the ability to go out on a limb again and again. Individual and organizations need to learn to live with ambiguity and risk. The world outside; the economy, the ecology and the mind of the masses is and always will be in a constant flux. Market conditions will change, trends will change and the world will turn. Speed and action to market is important. Pro-acting to feedback and corrections is important. Getting into the thinking, designing and delivering into the pit is important.

It is vital that organizations not just follow a three-step, a five step or a seven-step method into higher creativity and breakthrough innovations but also give priority to conclusions and ends. Start backwards if we have to but constantly put something out there into the midst of the market and let the world decide if your ideas are worth the paper they have been brainstormed upon. Yes!