Killer Innovations

Steve Allen, the performer, comedian, author and composer was an idea man. I came across an interview with him in which he said that when he got an idea, he wrote it down, refined it and then transferred it to a collection of more than 700 black leather notebooks that lined his library!

When asked where he found his ideas, Allen said, “Good lord, I just open my eyes and ears, and they rush in. Ideas knock you down if you don’t brace yourself. All you need is to be aware, actually aware, of everything around you – sights, sounds, even smells, such as that of perfume stolen from a passing women.”

Being truly aware is more of a struggle than many will admit. Our busy schedules seem to dominate our thoughts to the point where we go through the day and can’t remember what we accomplished. For those who can become aware, the ideas can be fleeting and easily lost. Many individuals who I would consider as “idea people” have developed their own method of capturing ideas into their own idea bank.

Allen shared, “Some people are apparently afraid to use new ideas, and I don’t think it’s just because they are new. It seems to me they feel there is a possibility they may run out of ideas if they keep cranking them out and putting them to work. Balderdash. Ideas aren’t a non-renewable natural resources, like coal and copper. Each person has a magical ability to create ideas simply by willing to do so. And the more ideas he creates, the more he will continue to create.”

Like any new activity, it takes time to get all of the components working together and efficiently. However, once you begin to exercise your creative muscle, the ability to generate ideas become endless. One important component to generating ideas is the need for a catalyst, something that our conscious and sub-conscious mind can grab on to and work on.

Challenges are a proven catalyst to ideas. Whether they are personal, business, national or global – challenges are equal opportunity. Everyone gets them but not everyone accepts them as an opportunity. The ability to take these challenges and use them as an idea catalyst is what defines innovation. We should not shy away from challenges but should pursue them. Steve Allen shared, “We should be grateful for the challenges we face, for without challenges, man does not grow. If you are never threatened, you’ll never discover the limit of your courage. If you’re never puzzled, you’ll never determine the extent of your intelligence.”

During his lifetime, Steve Allen authored 54 books and composed more than 7,900 songs. His output earned him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most prolific composer. Many of us have that next great idea but haven’t found the time to work on it.

Without execution, the value of an idea will never be realized.

Question To Ponder

1) How aware are you to possible sources (sights, sounds, smells, etc.) for ideas?
2) How good is your method of capturing ideas?
3) How large is your “idea bank”?
4) What challenges are you facing that could be a catalyst for generating ideas?
5) What are you doing to generate economic value from your ideas?