A Secret to Creative Problem Solving: Entrepreneur

Ever find yourself going over and over a problem in your business, only to hit a dead end or draw a blank?

Find an innovative solution with one simple technique: re-describe the problem.

"The whole idea behind creative problem solving is the assumption that you know something that will help solve this problem, but you're not thinking of it right now," explains Art Markman, cognitive psychologist and author of "Smart Thinking." Put another way, your memory hasn't found the right cue to retrieve the information you need.

Changing the description tells your mind that you're in a different situation, which unlocks a new set of memories. "The more different ways you describe the problem you're trying to solve, the more different things you know about that you will call to mind," says Markman.

Ask yourself two questions:

1. What type of problem is this?
Most of the time, we get stuck on a problem because our focus is too narrow. When you think specifically, you limit your memory and stifle creativity.

Instead, think more abstractly. Find the essence of the problem.

Take vacuum cleaner filters, for example. Vacuums used to have bags that were constantly getting clogged, so innovators focused on how to make a better filter.

James Dyson realized that the problem was actually about separation, or separating the dirt from the air, which doesn't always require a filter. "That freed him to try lots of different methods of separation," says Markman. Hence: the Dual Cyclone vacuum that led Dyson to fame and fortune.

2. Who else has faced this type of problem?

When you think about your problem abstractly, you realize that other people have solved the same type of problem in radically different ways. One of their solutions may hold the key to yours.

For example, Dyson realized sawmills use an industrial cyclone to separate sawdust from air and modified that technology to create the first filter-free vacuum.

"When you begin to realize that the problem you're trying to solve has been solved over and over again by people in other areas, you can look at the solutions they came up with to help you solve your own," Markman says.

You may not use one of their solutions exactly, but you free your memory to retrieve more information, making that elusive "aha" moment easier to reach.

By re-describing the problem, you're much more likely to find inspiration for a truly creative innovation.

What creative ways have you come up with in problem solving? via entrepreneur.com

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Hire Jim Woods to Speak to or Advise Your Organization

Innovation, Growth, & Hypercompetition Consultant/Speaker/Business Coach

 Website: InnoThink Group

Request a consultation: Office: +1 719.649.4118 or complete our form.  

 

Innothink Group is a strategic management, innovation and business coaching consultancy. 

Our Guarantee. Where many consulting firms are reluctant to bear risks or tie their rewards to project outcomes, we decided to build a better model. We align our success with yours. We’re outcome obsessed, outcome paid, putting nearly two thirds of our fees at risk subject to hitting predetermined milestones. More than a guarantee we wanted from the outset to create true partnerships with shared responsibility. See a few of our clients.   

We provide broad ranging advice covering innovation, commoditization, competitive advantage, business policy and strategy, as well as global strategy and implementation. 

 

Yep! This Clown Will Make You Pregnant

Tel Aviv native Nimrod Eisenberg had no intention of following in his parents’ footsteps and becoming a doctor. Although his childhood was spent mostly in hospitals—his mother is a midwife and his father a physician—he had career ambitions outside the medical field. So when he was just seventeen years old, he says, “I ran away and joined the circus.”

Not literally, but he did spend several years performing as a clown and juggler at circuses around Israel, much to his family’s consternation. And he eventually moved to Paris to study the clowning arts at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, a renown theater school. (He never wanted to be a clown in the traditional Western tradition. “In America, your clowns are either happy hobos or sad hobos.” His clowning personality, he says, is more like Charlie Chaplin.) Eisenberg soon found his way back to Israel, where he enrolled in the University of Haifa and graduated with a bachelor’s degree… in medical clowning.

“Yes, that’s a real thing,” Eisenberg laughs. “A lot of people think I’m kidding, but I’m a university accredited medical clown.”

In 2003, he joined Dream Doctors, an Israel-based organization that brings medical clowns to clinics and hospitals. It isn’t an unorthodox option that patients have to specifically request. In Israel, medical clowns are available to anybody who wants them. “We’re just another service provided by the hospital,” Eisenberg says. “We’re as integral to the medical staff as anybody.” He works alongside the doctors and nurses as a collaborative part of a patient’s treatment. “We try to be there for every procedure,” he says. “We’re there when they draw blood or change a bandage or do an x-ray.”

He has arguably the toughest job in medicine. Making somebody laugh while they’re stuck in the unhappiest place on earth is, unsurprisingly, often an uphill battle. “A hospital can be pretty grim and depressing, even for positive people,” Eisenberg says. “But if I can change their perspective, get them to reconnect with their joy, it can do wonders.” Clowns can be so effective in stress reduction that, in some minor surgeries, Eisenberg says, “a clown replaces general anesthesia.”

It’s a healing philosophy that’s also at the core of a new experimental treatment being pioneered by Eisenberg and Dream Doctors: Clown-assisted in vitro fertilization. “I only visit the patient after the in vitro procedure,” Eisenberg clarifies. The theory is, much like laughter contributes to the healing of sick people by reducing their stress, a little levity could have the same effect on fertility patients. There’s even research to back it up. In a study conducted by Dr. Shevach Friedler of the Assaf Harofeh Medical Centre in Israel, 219 women undergoing IVF were visited by clowns for 15 minutes after embryo implantation. 36 percent of them became pregnant.

“There’s a lot of unspoken tension and stress in a fertility ward,” Eisenberg says. “Once you start playing with that tension and acknowledging it and joking over it, it’s able to burst out and offer some relief.” One of his more successful bits with fertility patients involves a tea kettle with a red nose covering the spout. “I hold it like it’s a baby that’s crying,” he explains. “It’s my clown baby. I apologize for it, and I try rocking it to sleep and singing it songs, anything to make it stop crying.” Perhaps not a comedy routine that would amuse most audiences, but for a patient just coming out of IVF surgery, it addresses the elephant in the room. A tea kettle baby is the manifestation of all their hopes and anxieties.

“It’s a delicate balance,” he says. “You have to play on their fears without mocking them. You take those things that sit in the stomach and bring them to the surface so we can look at them and laugh about them.”

Fertility clowns have become more commonplace in Israel, but the rest of the world is still reluctant. Earlier this month, Eisenberg and fellow Dream Doctors clown Jérôme Arous toured hospitals in Canada, giving conferences and hosting workshops for fertility patients and curious doctors in Quebec City, Montreal, Chicoutimi and Halifax. They were met, Eisenberg remembers, with cautious enthusiasm. “I am not convinced,” Dr. Hananel Holzer of Montreal’s McGill Reproductive Centre told a local radio station about fertility clowns. “Not yet.”

Eisenberg is confident that the global medical community will catch on eventually. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that even his own family didn’t take him seriously. He was the black sheep who went into clowning instead of medicine. But he ended up in the family business anyway. He even spent a few years in residence at Hadassah Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, where he worked alongside his brother, an orthopedist.

“It was pretty easy to tell us apart,” Eisenberg says. “One of us dressed strange and talked funny, and the other was a medical clown.”

via businessweek.com

Entrepreneurship is an Art not a Job « Steve Blank

Some men see things as they are and ask why.
Others dream things that never were and ask why not.
George Bernard Shaw

Over the last decade we assumed that once we found repeatable methodologies (Agile and Customer Development, Business Model Design) to build early stage ventures, entrepreneurship would become a “science,” and anyone could do it.

I’m beginning to suspect this assumption may be wrong.

Where Did We Go Wrong?
It’s not that the tools are wrong, I think the entrepreneurship management stack is correct and has made a major contribution to reducing startup failures. Where I think we have gone wrong is the belief that anyone can use these tools equally well.

Entrepreneurship is an Art not a Job
For the sake of this analogy, think of two types of artists: composers and performers (think music composer versus members of the orchestra, playwright versus actor etc.)

Founders fit the definition of a composer: they see something no one else does. And to help them create it from nothing, they surround themselves with world-class performers. This concept of creating something that few others see – and the reality distortion field necessary to recruit the team to build it – is at the heart of what startup founders do. It is a very different skill than science, engineering, or management.

 

Entrepreneurial employees are the talented performers who hear the siren song of a founder’s vision. Joining a startup while it is still searching for a business model, they too see the promise of what can be and join the founder to bring the vision to life.

Founders then put in play every skill which makes them unique – tenacity, passion, agility, rapid pivots, curiosity, learning and discovery, improvisation, ability to bring order out of chaos, resilience, leadership, a reality distortion field, and a relentless focus on execution – to lead the relentless process of refining their vision and making it a reality.

Both founders and entrepreneurial employees prefer to build something from the ground up rather than join an existing company. Like jazz musicians or improv actors, they prefer to operate in a chaotic environment with multiple unknowns. They sense the general direction they’re headed in, OK with uncertainty and surprises, using the tools at hand, along with their instinct to achieve their vision. These types of people are rare, unique and crazy. They’re artists.

Tools Do Not Make The Artist
When page-layout programs came out with the Macintosh in 1984, everyone thought it was going to be the end of graphic artists and designers. “Now everyone can do design,” was the mantra. Users quickly learned how hard it was do design well (yes. it is an art) and again hired professionals. The same thing happened with the first bit-mapped word processors. We didn’t get more or better authors. Instead we ended up with poorly written documents that looked like ransom notes. Today’s equivalent is Apple’s “Garageband”. Not everyone who uses composition tools can actually write music that anyone wants to listen to.

“Well If it’s Not the Tools Then it Must Be…”
The argument goes, “Well if it’s not tools then it must be…” But examples from teaching other creative arts are not promising. Music composition has been around since the dawn of civilization yet even today the argument of what “makes” a great composer is still unsettled. Is it the process (the compositional strategies used in the compositional process?) Is it the person (achievement, musical aptitude, informal musical experiences, formal musical experiences, music self-esteem, academic grades, IQ, and gender?)  Is it the environment (parents, teachers, friends, siblings, school, society, or cultural values?) Or is it constant practice (apprenticeship, 10,000 hours of practice?)

It may be we can increase the number of founders and entrepreneurial employees, with better tools, more money, and greater education. But it’s more likely that until we truly understand how to teach creativity, their numbers are limited.

Lessons Learned

• Founders fit the definition of an artist: they see – and create– something that no one else does
• To help them move their vision to reality, they surround themselves with world-class performers
• Founders and entrepreneurial employees prefer operating in a chaotic environment with multiple unknowns
• These type of people are rare, unique and crazy
• Not everyone is an artist

via steveblank.com

Hire Jim Woods to Speak to Your Organization

Innovation, Growth, & Hypercompetition Consultant/Speaker/Business Coach

 Website: InnoThink Group

Request a consultation: Office: +1 719.649.4118 or complete our form.  

 

Innothink Group is a strategic management, innovation and business coaching consultancy. 

Our Guarantee. Where many consulting firms are reluctant to bear risks or tie their rewards to project outcomes, we decided to build a better model. We align our success with yours. We’re outcome obsessed, outcome paid, putting nearly two thirds of our fees at risk subject to hitting predetermined milestones. More than a guarantee we wanted from the outset to create true partnerships with shared responsibility. See a few of our clients.   

We provide broad ranging advice covering innovation, commoditization, competitive advantage, business policy and strategy, as well as global strategy and implementation. 

Concept To Company in 54 Hours: What Will You Do Next Weekend?

Imagine that you have 54 hours and full access to a host of new potential co-founders, designers, developers, marketers and product managers to do one thing – and one thing only – launch your next big idea. 

Now envision bringing your minimum viable product (MVP) to market by crowdsourcing innovation and executing non-stop.

Startup Weekend is making this coveted scenario a reality by bringing a “No Talk. Allenables founders to focus on building out the framework of an innovative business over the course of one weekend. Each event brings like-minded entrepreneurs together to build and develop a commercial case around their products.

Concept to Company

This past weekend a bustling and eager crowd of veteran and aspiring entrepreneurs attended one of the 468 events held to-date, Triangle Startup Weekend, hosted at NC State University in Raleigh, NC. The local organization, led by Arik Abel the VP of Digital Services at French West Vaughan, raised over $20,000 and sold over 300 tickets to the ‘standing-room only’ event.

Beginning with open mic pitches on Friday, attendees shared their best ideas to inspire others to join their team. Over Saturday and Sunday, select teams focused on customer validation, business models and execution of their products. On Sunday afternoon teams demoed their prototypes and received feedback from a panel of experts.

Ideas were the currency of the weekend. Several startups instantly became crowd favorites. From PhotoSlam, a photo-sharing app that lets you challenge your friends to interactive photo challenges to Soul Exchange — an online “soul marketplace” for friends, investors (and enemies) to invest in your soul and track its value based on your (good and bad) deeds.

Startup Weekend Ideas to Watch

Every Startup Weekend attendee walked away from the event with an invaluable experience, while a select few walked away with honorable mentions and grand prizes to help fuel their new companies.

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Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group; a leading Strategic Management and Innovation Consulting Firm in Denver, Colorado. He is an author, speaker, and a strategic innovation and hypercompetition expert to profit, non-profit organizations and municipalities. He advises clients with an objective view of their competitive capabilities and defines a clear course of action to maximize their innovation return on investment to achieve profitable growth. Build a capability for ongoing competitive innovation across your company. Call 719-649-4118 or complete our form: contact us for more information on hiring Jim to advise or speak for your next event.

The Leader: What to Do When Opportunity Knocks

Follow @innovate2win Tweet

I recently came across an interesting, comical and thought-provoking statement:

“Dear Optimist, Pessimist and Realist: While you guys were arguing about the glass of water, I drank it.” – Signed, The Opportunist

I’ve always regarded the glass as half full – and for all intensive purposes, I’m an optimist. But when it comes to the intersection of positive outlooks, the gloomiest point of views or those who view things as they are – the Opportunist is a step ahead.

Why? Because, those who take action unequivocally reap the benefit (if one exists) while others spend time debating the state (of a thing). The same is true of business. Once opportunity knocks, the opportunist (in all of us) should brazenly show up – front row and center.

Sure! The entrepreneur, who takes advantage of an opportunity to achieve an end, is sometimes regarded as selfish and single-minded. But really, who’s culpable? Entrepreneurship isn’t a spectator sport. Failure to execute (take action) when an opportunity presents itself, is likely the worst outcome for any of us.

Yet, what would a wise opportunist do?

When Opportunity Knocks, Follow These Steps

Is every opportunity right for your business? No.

Opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming. Don’t become so preoccupied with the proposition that you lose sight of the big picture.

Ask yourself, “Is this bus (opportunity) taking me down the right road (to an expected end)?” Or does it provide a transfer – a connection that will get me to my next destination? As a successful entrepreneur you can’t afford to haphazardly jump on every bandwagon that offers up an empty seat.

Therefore, the next time opportunity knocks, before you say “Yes” or emphatically exclaim “No,” measure up the prospect to this 3 point test: 

1. Does the opportunity align with my personal values?

This is the first question you should ask yourself before you strike a lucrative deal or form a strategic partnership. Most likely your personal values will reflect heavily on your business values. And if you haven’t decided what those are yet, take a step back and gain clarity on who you are and what you want. Be definitively clear – because if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

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Searching For New Solutions to Attract and Retain More Customers? Looking for a Strategic and Innovation Advisor to work on retainer? A riveting speaker business coach? Contact us about pur plans. 

Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group; a leading Strategic Management and Innovation Consulting Firm in Denver, Colorado. He is an author, speaker, and a strategic innovation and hypercompetition expert to profit, non-profit organizations and municipalities. He advises clients with an objective view of their competitive capabilities and defines a clear course of action to maximize their innovation return on investment to achieve profitable growth. Build a capability for ongoing competitive innovation across your company. Call 719-649-4118 or complete our form: contact us for more information on hiring Jim to advise or speak for your next event. 

 

Five Tips To Brand Your Business Online

Here are some ideas for branding your business online:

1. Protect Your Name. As an entrepreneur, your name is vital to your brand and the identity of your business. Be sure to secure a domain name in your name. It’s usually a good idea to register multiple domains in case someone types the wrong extension, so that you can be found despite the mistake. Network Solutions and GoDaddy are two places you can use to register a domain name.

2. Create a Founder Profile Page. Brand yourself on your Web site. Create a profile to build trust with potential clients. Make it easy for visitors to find info about you. Clients and prospects want to know who you are in terms of industry, experience, and personality. Personalize your Web site and share info to build a relationship with visitors to your site.

3. Prepare for the Future. Millions of people use mobile devices to connect to their business when they are out of the office. Make sure your Web site is accessible via these devices and will load quickly and easily. Even if your site is not yet formatted for .mobi, get the name. By registering a domain with a .mobi extension, you secure the name for your company.

4. Protect Yourself from Spam. Search bots troll the Web looking for e-mail addresses. This can lead to spam e-mails to your in-box. Protect your business e-mail box. Use e-mail addresses on your Web site like: contactus@domainname.com, media@mybusiness.com, or moreinfo@mybusiness.com.

5. Consider Joining LinkedIn or ZoomInfo. These popular social networking sites give you a free way to post a biographical profile. Be aware: Everything you post is public information. You give up some privacy when you post info. The sites can provide connections between people with similar interests and they add to search engine results for your name and your company name. via businessweek.com

Want to increase the sustainability of your nnovation initiatives or need a speaker? Contact us.

Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group. A leading consulting firm specialized solely in enabling organizations of all sizes in all industries develop top line growth through strategic innovation and hypercompetition. Jim has over 25 years consulting experience in working with small, mid size and Fortune 1000 companies.