Innovation

Maslow’s Hierarchy   I am sure you have seen the Maslow’s Hierarchy before.  It’s real, it applies, and I wanted to remind you of this study to help you understand motivations.     “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” – Albert Einstein   Lon […]

What Motivates You?   In order to be creative, you need to be motivated.  There are many things that motivate different people. From my experience, engineers are motivated mostly by success.  Success in the form of “I did it!”  When I owned my software company and 30 employees, it was surprising how different each person’s

Negative Reinforcement   Negative reinforcement can drain the spirit of your Team Think the same way as it drains your creativity.  Avoid hidden pitfalls when looking for ways to offer support and guidance to your team. What results would you expect from a Team Think that is driven by a culture of negative reinforcement? Here

Team Think Is Critical   Team Think is one of the best ways to encourage employees to motivate themselves and one another to develop innovative solutions. Remember, everything we discussed in this book thus far which applied to you personally to get you into condition for creative thinking, also applies to each individual team member. 

Participative & Energetic Meeting     Here are a few tips to get you started with your next innovative team to ensure a more participative and energetic meeting.   Hold the meeting at a time (prior to break or lunch) and in an environment conducive to communication. Keep the meeting Be well prepared in advance

Finding the Essence   Here are some examples of how large corporations help their employees successfully work in teams. At Cambridge Technology Partners, a software development firm, there are four rules for fast teams: Let groups make their own rules. Teams must be in charge of their own destiny. Speak up early and often. If

Lessons From Geese   As each bird flaps it’s wings, it creates an uplift for others behind them. There is 71% more flying range by flying in a V-formation than flying alone. Lesson 1: People who share a common direction and sense of common purpose can get there quicker.  Whenever a goose flies out of

Team Think   Working on innovation and creativity with a team can return multiples of rewards providing the team has good chemistry.  A badly organized Team Think is more than a waste of time.  It is damaging. Any collection of individuals will work.  The trick is to have a good Team Think leader.  A leader

Random Association – Connect The Words   Let’s try putting some random words together to see what kinds of creativity sparks it can generate.  Grab your paper and pen and get writing.   Develop a list of 20 random words.  The first words that come to your mind.  (Also, fun to do as a group).

Random Association – Word Association   This time you get three words.  It will be your job to read the three words and write down a word that has the three previous words in common. The first one is an example. Call Pay Line     Phone      1. End Burning Blue  2. Man Hot