Innovative Concepts

Ideas that are stuck

IMG_5837I was running in Rome along the Fiume Tevere (the river dividing the city) and spied a rapid in the river’s channel.  Looking closer the wave was recirculating logs, enough plastic balls to start an amusement park, and a few assorted urban items.  The trapped pieces would be driven down underwater by the force of the rapid and then pop back-up downstream only to be drawn upstream by the hydrological force.  The cycle repeated relentlessly.

How many ideas containing little value within our enterprises circulate too often?  Discussions that find their way onto each agenda or become repeated off-topic discussion at meetings?  As long as the forces remains constant the recirculation continues.  Only if the river reaches flood stage, reduces it flow, or the channel is altered will the hydrological forces change.  Mixing up the pace and location of our deliberations leads to  new ideas.  Otherwise a static tempo ensures a continuation of the same.

The Power of Demonstration

ImageOn a recent trip to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, my son and I stumbled across an app entitled, “Touch Van Gogh.”  It was an easy to use tablet application that demonstrates the impact time and light on Van Gogh’s most famous paintings.  Iconic images we see in our mind’s eye are many shades from their parental color DNA at the time of inception.  Blues were purples, yellows were heavier, stars shown differently, and even the brown of the floor had richer hues.  Sliding the bar across the images, the before and after transformation of aging on each painting was remarkable.  The experience was such a vivid and palpable reminder of the power of demonstration.  The app oriented us to the images that were directly in front of us and provided a paradigm shift.  No words or explanations were needed.  The results were evident and I was hooked on the story and the impact of the museum’s curating and restoration consideration.  The power of a hands-on experience manifested itself by letting me join the narrative..

Power of Previews

Cyclosportives are organized group bicycle rides over a set course.  Although not a true race, many of these events are timed and certificates are awarded for those who reach specific time goals.  Some are small and reasonable in distance while others are grand in number of participants, distance, and varied terrain.  I rode the Nove Colli in Italy last summer which included 14,000 riders who rode up to 205 kilometers.  Getting across the start line took over one-hour and  I never rode alone during nearly seven-hours.  In response to the large interest for these events, companies send out a rider and a video crew to pre-ride the route months in advance and then sell DVD’s to participants who wish to see every detail of the route.  Potential participants can ride their stationary bikes in the winter months while watching the preview of the course play out on a screen in front of them.  I am struck by how dominant our visual senses are when we encounter new terrain.  Riders have free access to course maps, elevation profiles, testimonials, reviews from other riders who participated in previous versions of the event, but the videos are the second most valuable pre-race information piece short of a personal reconnaissance of the course.  This niche market speaks to the value of visual platforms supported by YouTube, Instagram or Pinterest.

How do we manage the visual clues first-timers to our enterprise encounter?  Do we help them feel confident and competent?  Is there a visual to orient them and provide a favorable launch pad for interactions?  Well developed and intentional visual clues can immediately establish trust and a connection.

Visible

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Vision statements have multiplied in front of me this week.  Authentic vision statements are challenging to craft.  We want to tell people exactly where we are going and dispense with aspirations since details feel actionable.  A vision should tell us which remarkable journey is worthy of loading on supplies and raising the sails.  A vision is does not need a confirmed itinerary and we can point with a finger to a general direction on the map for which we intend to set course.  A vision gives us an emotional assessment if boarding your ship to join the adventure is significantly compelling.  We can sort out the details later.

A Better Bag

Screen Shot 2014-03-24 at 6.12.35 PMI have never had the opportunity to shop at an Ikea store but I am aware that they make a great bag.  Wandering the streets of European cities the bags are clearly treasured for their functionality.  I have spotted them strapped to bicycles in Amsterdam, placed in the rear window of Smart Cars in Paris, over shoulders in the Gothic district of Barcelona, and at a construction site in Florence.  I cannot speak to the quality of Ikea’s furniture or famous meatballs but I am confident they make a remarkable bag.  Sometimes we create something simple that transforms everyday life.