Innovation Is EASY Blog

The one word that summarizes the key to innovation

Rich Trombetta — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:52:00 GMT

Listen.

Think about it.

rich

140 characters or less - innovation at its best

Rich Trombetta — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:16:00 GMT

If you have not heard about Twitter you probably live in a very, very, remote part of the world. Even then, chances are you have heard about it.

Rather than give a tutorial on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/ for more information. In a nut shell Twitter is a micro-blogging service. All communication is limited to 140 characters. Not 140 words - 140 CHARACTERS. Let's think about this for a second. The founders of this service have basically invented an entire new way TO COMMUNICATE. And it all started with a simple question - what are you doing?

This blog is not about Twitter. It is about re-thinking everything you are doing, smashing conventional wisdom, and turning things upside down and inside out. Twitter has practical applications. Twitter has been on the cover of Time magazine. Twitter is worth millions and millions of dollars. Most of all, Twitter is SIMPLE and EASY.

The Innovation Company's approach http://www.innovationiseasy.com to innovation is similar. Innovation is EASY. Unfortunately, we have yet to be on the cover of Time magazine, and no, we are not worth millions and millions of dollars.

Think easy. Think simple. Share ideas - just keep them to 140 characters or less!

March Madness....let the games begin

Rich Trombetta — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:05:00 GMT

Check out this video:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/ncaa_expands_march_madness_to

Thoughts?

NASA video says it all

Rich Trombetta — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:27:00 GMT

Check out this video and this article about NASA.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100346538

Is this your company? Or, is this you!

Thoughts?

Why 'slackers' are key to innovation

Rich Trombetta — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:56:00 GMT

Imagine there are two workers, Jack and Tony, that have been asked to complete a task. They sit next to each other and on their desks are 200 folders that need to be processed in one weeks time. The exact task or what is in the folders is not important.

Jack gets right to work. He shows up on time, works late hours, follows the instruction manual to a tee, and completes the task right on time. He stands before his accomplishment like Sir Edmund Hillary planting his flag atop Mount Everest, conquering a once thought to be impossible feat. The boss is impressed. Jack is already planning his acceptance speech for employee of the year.

Tony, on the other hand, has been showing up late, surfing the web, cutting out early, has been talking walks, and has been talking to other employees. He is known as a 'slacker.' At the end of the week he has processed only two files. The boss is confused. "Tony, you have done nothing," he says.

"Actually," Tony replies, "I processed one file and thought to myself, 'this seems like a waste of time.' I did some thinking, spoke to some folks, and put together a plan that everyone agrees makes sense that enables us to reduce a week's worth of work to 1 hour. I tested my approach with another file and it works. By my calculation I think I saved us about 4,000 hours a year in productivity. Here you go." Tony hands his boss a piece of paper with the plan.

If your first response to this scenario is "yeah but" or "the problem with this example is" you may want to see if the name plate on your office or cube has been replaced with the name Jack. Get the point?

Innovation gone wild and the impact on your 401k

Rich Trombetta — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Have you seen your 401k lately? What started out as a good idea - helping expand home ownership - has turned out to be a nightmare. The creation of innovative loan products coupled with Wall Streets own innovations on how to invest in these financial vehicles has had an impact across the world. The lesson? Not every idea is a good idea. Contrary to what is often said at the beginning of many brainstorming meetings - 'every idea is a good idea' - there are in fact bad ideas.

In this case the initial thought was a good one. Get more people into homes. The resulting out of control innovation that followed has resulted in more damage than good. This is sort of 'innovation gone wild.' How innovative have things become? It is almost impossible to find someone who can explain this mess in terms everyone can understand. It has become that complicated.

The purpose of this entry is not to point blame. There is enough of that to go around. The goal here is underline the importance of having processes in place that can ensure that the ideas that are being generated don't cause harm when implemented. While no one has a crystal ball and can predict the future, maybe it would have been good if someone asked, 'what if people start defaulting on these loans in mass numbers?'

So, don't stifle the idea when it is presented, just be sure to go at it with the discipline and rigor needed to make a sound decision as the idea becomes closer to being implemented. Everyone would agree having more people own homes is a great idea. I am not so sure everyone thinks the idea of the US government having to spend trillions of dollars to try and prevent a global financial meltdown is what anyone wanted.

UPS - delivering innovative ideas

Rich Trombetta — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:18:00 GMT

Imagine this scene. A group of people at UPS are in a meeting about how to reduce fuel costs. One person suggests, "how about we eliminate left turns?" What do you think the reaction was? What would it be at your company? How would you have reacted? My guess is that there would probably be a lot of 'yeah but' and 'the problem with that is' going on.

So just what has been the result of working to eliminate and/or dramatically plan routes that have no left turns? UPS reports that it has "shaved nearly 30 million miles off already streamlined delivery routes, saved 3 million gallons of gas and reduced emissions by 32,000 metric tons of CO2 - the equivalent of removing 5,300 passenger cars off the road for an entire year."

So what is the lesson here? This story is less about saving fuel and more about how some of the best ideas may at first sound crazy, difficult to implement, or even impossible.

What can Brown do for you? Hopefully they have delivered a great lesson on the power of listening to and encouraging ALL ideas.

Innovative ways to get into college - a classic and must read

Rich Trombetta — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:03:00 GMT

As a parent of two young children, I often wake up in the middle of the night in complete panic about the future cost of college. When I look at the potential amount of money it may take to enable my kids to get through a four year education at a good school - public or private - I do some quick math and realize I will probably need to work until age 127 to be able to support them. I just read an article about a 101 year old marathon runner (I am still trying to verify if this in fact true or not) so there is hope.

In addition to the cost, there is the challenge of just getting in! The competition is getting more and more fierce every day to the point I am debating whether or not to send my four year old to SAT prep classes this fall.

But wait - maybe there is an innovative way to get into college AND leverage this creative approach to get a scholarship. Below is an actual college essay written by Hugh Gallegher in 1989 for his application to New York University. Hugh was accepted! If you have not seen this before please read on. It is truly a classic piece of writing and a great illustration on how trying something new can lead to great things.

Maybe we can all learn something from Hugh. Is your next proposal unique? Does your sales pitch stand out? What are you doing to take what you are working on and put it at the top of the pile? Hugh had it right - creativity is king.

Enjoy!

Essay: In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you, the applicant, better, we ask that you answer the following question: Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer, I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group ofterrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago, I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

William Shatner - Bad actor, innovative genius, and inventor of the Blog

Rich Trombetta — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:06:00 GMT

Stardate zero seven, zero one, fifteen. Captain's log.

Or is it 'Captain's Blog?' It just hit me - did William Shatner invent the Blog? Could the 'Captain's Log' be the precursor to the 'Captain's Blog.' The man never ceases to amaze me.

I once heard a comedian say that Shatner lives every man's dream - a guy sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner, watching a big screen TV, bossing everyone around. Pure genius.

How else can you explain a guy who can't sing yet has a hit album? How else can you explain a guy who is mocked for his acting skills yet has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame?   How else can you explain a guy who jumps on board as a pitchman for a dot com company in the 1990's and turns bad acting into millions of dollars in stock options? Can a person even think of Priceline.com and not think William Shatner as 'The Negotiator?'

Did you know that, according to Wikipedia.com, "His appearances [on the TV show The $20,000 Pyramid] became far less frequent after a 1977 appearance, in which, after giving an illegal clue at the top of the pyramid ($200) which deprived the contestant of a big money win, he threw his chair out of the Winner's Circle." This guy is nuts! Or is he?

What Shatner has done and continues to do is what any person trying to build an innovative culture needs to do - try things, take risks, have some fun along the way.   He also is able to laugh at himself - one quality that is never on a performance review but should be.

Looking for an innovative way to raise money for a charity? How about selling a kidney stone? Shatner did. He raised almost $100,000 for Habitat for Humanity by doing so.

Can't sing? No problem. Just talk the words. If you have never heard Shatner's version of 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds' you must do so now. Your life is not complete without listening to this.   Make it a mission to do so or you will regret it.

So, take some risks, laugh at yourself, and as James T. Kirk would say, "live long and prosper."

Gilligan's Island - how a 3 hour tour changed innovation

Rich Trombetta — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 15:32:00 GMT

When I ask people why they don’t share ideas a re-occurring response is that they have a concern they ‘will say the wrong thing’ or look foolish. This further cements my belief that innovation can actually be quite easy if companies and organizations create the needed environment and culture to enable every person to, in effect, feel safe to present new and different perspectives.

For those of you out there that may have the concerns mentioned above, here are some examples of ideas that have been presented and actually acted upon. If people can pitch this idea, you have nothing to worry about.

Gilligan’s Island. Do I even need to go into any detail here? The fact that many people can actually sing the theme song tells you something. A few folks go out on a 3 hour tour and end up building their own little society on a deserted island. As if this idea wasn’t ridiculous enough how about making a made for TV movie called The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island? I couldn’t make this stuff up. Here is description of the movie from Wikipedia:

“Villains played by Martin Landau and then-wife Barbara Bain try to take over the island to gain access to a valuable, but unknown substance. They are thwarted by the timely intervention of the Harlem Globetrotters.”

The “timely intervention of the Harlem Globetrotters?”

I wonder if the production meeting went something like this:

Person 1: “Hey, how about there are these really nasty and mean folks trying to take over the island.”
Person 2: “Yeah, maybe to get some type of unknown substance or something.”
Person 3: “But who will we get to stop them?”
Person 1: “Got it! Who else but the Harlem Globetrotters!”
Person 2: “Brilliant! The Globetrotters are known for their ability so foil sinister plots with their basketball skills. This is genius!”
TV executive: “How much money do you need? Here, take a blank check.”

So the next time you are concerned about being laughed at, just think that Gilligan’s Island and three - yes three - movies based on the TV show, were actually funded and produced.

Create the right culture for innovation and anything is possible. No wonder the TV show Lost is so popular – it was done as a comedy 40 years ago!

Tiger Woods and innovation

Rich Trombetta — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 14:11:00 GMT

Did you know that the address for the Tiger Woods Foundation is 121 Innovation, Suite 150 Irvine, CA? It’s true.

Did you know that Tiger Woods was signed by Apple Computer, a leader in innovative product design and implementation, to be the spokesperson for Apple’s most recent operating system, Tiger OS X? "I am thrilled with my new relationship and involvement with Apple Computer, the personal computer industry's innovation leader.” – MacDailyNews, April 2005.

Did you know that Tiger Woods, currently the greatest golfer in the world, actually re-invented his golf swing only seven years into his professional career – while still considered the best in the world.

Do you see a pattern here?

Tiger Woods lives and breathes innovation. Do you? Do your co-workers? Does your company?

The truly amazing thing about Tiger Woods and innovation is that when he re-invented his swing, he didn’t take years off from the game of golf. He worked on his swing AND continued to play at the same time.

So let’s think about this. Tiger Woods, one of the world’s most famous and talented individuals, recognized the need to come up with new ideas and innovative approaches to his overall game. He didn’t wait years. He focused on how to make things happen rather than why things can’t happen. And, voila, he made it happen.

When he became a professional golfer in 1997 he announced a goal – to win more major tournaments than any other golfer in history. Quite an ambitious goal for someone who had yet to play on the professional stage. By setting this goal, he now has to constantly come up with new ideas to make this goal happen. He has created a mindset and a vision that focuses on the positive which in turn effects everything he does.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Do people in my company focus on how to make things happen or do people focus on why things can’t happen?
Are we constantly trying to push ourselves to find innovative ideas?
Do we have an aggressive vision that is clear and motivates employees to constantly share and implement new ideas?
Have we created a CULTURE that has eliminated phrases like ‘yeah but,’ ‘the problem with that is,’ or ‘that won’t work because….’ These simple, every day phrases destroy innovation.

Tiger Woods is truly a unique and especially talented individual. He will most likely be remembered as the greatest golfer ever to play the game. Would we be making that statement if he had not embraced innovation?

Hit ‘em straight,

Rich Trombetta
President
The Innovation Company, LLC
978-266-0012
rich@innovationiseasy.com
http://www.innovationiseasy.com

Innovation can't be scheduled in Outlook

Rich Trombetta — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:22:00 GMT

Companies need to stop trying to schedule idea generation and brainstorming and instead create an environment where creativity happens spontaneously. Too often the process of coming up with an answer to an issue is, ‘get people in a room and let’s brainstorm some ideas.’ Why limit idea generation or brainstorming to a scheduled time or meeting?

Yes, there is often little danger or risk in getting a group of people together to let some ideas fly. The power of collaboration and building off the energy of others can be unmatched. What companies need to recognize is that while group work can be good, the best ideas can come at lunch, on a walk down the hallway, or even in the elevator. The key is the culture, not necessarily the structure or ground rules usually seen at brainstorming sessions. If a truly innovative culture is in place, i.e. one in which respect and openness are the cornerstones of the work environment, innovation and creativity will happen everywhere – not just in brainstorming meetings.

Imagine having the ground rules at brainstorming meetings being the ground rules for your culture....listen, don't judge ideas, let people speak, write down all ideas, etc.

Here’s what you can do.
1. Create a culture based on respect for ideas and being open to EVERY suggestion.
2. Get EVERYONE on the same page – to achieve an innovative culture ALL employees need to be involved.
3. Place tools such as flipcharts all over the building so when people have ideas, they can immediately work on them – not wait for a conference room to open up. Also, leverage online and web based technology to encourage idea sharing, capturing, and collaboration. I am not talking about the ‘suggestion box’ approach. I am describing having resources in place which allow people to instantly begin working on an idea, either alone or with others.

Every company and organization is always looking for the next great idea. There is no need to wait for a meeting to brainstorm or generate ideas – get them flowing NOW.

Rich Trombetta is the President and Founder of The Innovation Company located in Acton, MA (http://www.innovationisEASY.com). The Innovation Company specializes in working with organizations to get every employee constantly sharing and implementing new ideas. Rich can be contacted via email at rich@innovationisEASY.com

"Didn't learn anything, just had fun."

Rich Trombetta — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 15:31:00 GMT

If there is a phrase that is just down right awful it is, "if it was fun they wouldn't call it work." How ridiculous is that!

I recently went with my three year old daughter to a local library's story hour. After the story hour I asked her, "what did you learn today?" She responded with, "we didn't really learn anything, we just has fun." It was such a reminder to me that things we often perceive as not having a place for fun are tremendously more effective when fun is added and emphasized. If I had told my daughter we were going to learn something, she may have been less interested. However, since there is emphasis on having fun, the learning component of the story hour simply blends into the overall structure.

How does this relate to the work place? Companies put work first and incorporate fun 'when it makes sense.' Why do we seem to toss all of the valuable lessons we were taught as children. It is time for companies to been work WITH fun, not simply schedule or 'force' fun.

Yes, there are occupations that lend themselves to more fun situations than others and there are times when fun would not be appropriate...or would it? If you are going to spend 50 hours a week doing something, shouldn't it be fun?

Here's what you can do:
1. Ask your team and/or your employees "on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, how much fun do you have at work?"
2. If the average from your survey is below 7.5, ask your team/employees, "Why do you think we do not have much fun at work?"
3. Ask your employees, "What can we do to add more fun to the workplace?"

Fun equals happy equals more productive equals more profits equals better performance equals more ideas equals innovation, etc. etc. etc....you get the point.

So get going and take on this initiative...and have some fun with it!

rich trombetta
President
The Innovation Company
www.innovationisEASY.com

Do schools kill innovation?

Rich Trombetta — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:24:00 GMT

Here is a section from my book, Mustard DOesn't Go on Corn! At the end of the passage there is a link to a talk by Sir Ken Robinson that echos these thoughts.

Question: What can we do as a society to promote innovation at an early age?

From Mustard Doesn't Go On Corn!: "Why is this so hard? It goes back to why innovation is so easy. Create a culture in which all employees are open to ideas and respect others for their input, and innovation will flourish. Unfortunately, our culture, and by ‘our’ I mean American culture, is not the most open and respectful of new ideas. And where does this come from? It comes from school! That’s right, school. College? High School? Middle School? Let’s try First Grade! That’s right. All of this fear starts when you go to school. Stand up. Be quiet. Don’t do that. Do this. That doesn’t go there. And the list goes on. We all can remember that kid who was a little bit different. You know, the one that was always suggesting those ‘wacky’ ideas that resulted in the class laughing at him. Wait. Did I just describe first grade or my last staff meeting? Gordon MacKenzie, in the book Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace, talks about visiting elementary schools. “How many artists are there in the room? Would you please raise your hands. FIRST GRADE: En mass the children leapt from their seats, arms waving. Every child was an artist. SECOND GRADE: About half the kids raised their hands, shoulder high, no higher. The hands were still. THIRD GRADE: At best, 10 kids out of 30 would raise a hand, tentatively, self-consciously. By the time I reached SIXTH GRADE, no more than one or two kids raised their hands, and then ever so slightly, betraying a fear of being identified by the group as a ‘closet artist.’ The point is: Every school I visited was participating in the suppression of creative genius.” "

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66

Thoughts?

Rich Trombetta
President, The Innovation Company, LLC

Do the right thing - and innovation is easy

Rich Trombetta — Sun, 06 May 2007 12:31:00 GMT

This week's Blog is devoted to a very simple subject - do the right thing. The basic lesson is if a person does the right thing, more people will want to work and collaborate with that person, more ideas will surface, and innovation will continue to be easy.

The opposite is also true. If a person is selfish, focused primarily on his or her own personal gain, and does not value the input and ideas of other, people will start to walk away. In this scenario a person finds him or herself 'lonely at the top' and ideas and collaboration begin to dissipate.

Without going into details, I have learned ths lesson from my daughter continuously. While she is only three, her ability to grasp this concept is absolutley amazing. There are times when other children take things from her, don't want to share, or are down right mean. When I see these behaviors my first thought is one of anger or frustration. Who wants to see his or her own kid sad or upset? What she does when these situations occur simply astonishes me and is a lesson for all of us. Rather than 'retaliate' or mirror the behavior, she keeps on sharing, keeps on trying to be nice...keeps on trying to do the right thing. Sure, she has her moments of selfishness, tantrums, and bad behavior. More often than not, however, she focuses on re-building the relationship with the other child and continuing to play and be happy. Trust me, my kid is not an angel. It is just amazing to me to see this lesson so visable in such a young child.

In corporations and organizations, people so often get focused on their careers, advancement, and own gain, that they forget one simple idea - do the right thing. If you do the right thing, people will want to work with you and ideas and innovation will be easy. Behave in the opposite manner, and be prepared to have very lonely brainstorming sessions.

What you can learn about innovation from Jerry Springer, Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera

Rich Trombetta — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 00:36:00 GMT

Imagine a person suggests an idea that you may not necessarily agree with. What is your natural reaction? It most likely will be ‘the problem with that is,’ or ‘that won’t work because,’ or some other similar phrase. And then what happens? An argument starts to take place and a ‘battle’ begins. And what is the typical outcome of a battle? There is a winner and there is a loser. Or maybe there are two losers. Instead of fostering an environment of respect with active listening and constructive dialogue, we enter a situation where emotions, judgment, and destructive behavior may become the norm. Why? Because each person has been conditioned to ‘win.’ But will there really be a winner?

Here are some potential outcomes…
Disrespect
A lack of listening
A combative culture
Lack of trust and mutual respect
Heated emotions
Possible long term anger and resentment
AN IDEA NOT EVEN BEING CONSIDERED!

This is winning?! Why the need to ‘win’ every time? Why can’t we just let people share their ideas? Why can’t we just let go of control and see what happens? So often what started out as sharing an idea becomes a confrontation.

Think of any show on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC that centers around people with different views talking about a topic. If you think about it, these shows are just like the Jerry Springer Show, except that instead of throwing chairs the people just throw negative reactions and inflammatory statements at each other. I always get a kick out of the fact that most of us scoff at the Jerry Springer Show and then tune in each evening to watch people with opposing views scream, yell, and argue.

Check out this link on YouTube.com to see this behavior in action. Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera go toe to toe on the O'Reilly Factor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLPuGuaZTx8

Here’s what you can do:
1. Catch yourself in the act. When you feel yourself having to be ‘right' and your emotions escalating, stop and LISTEN.
2. Create visual and fun cues in your office place to diffuse these situations so know that they are acting this way. This behavior is so hardwired into each of us in can often be difficult to realize we ‘fighting’ not having a conversation. I use squeaky hammers and animal noises…it works!
3. Stay calm and let the other person talk more. Behaviors often mirror behaviors. If you stay calm and listen, then there is a better chance the other person will stay calm and listen.

The bottom line is NO ONE has all the answers and NO ONE is always right. Listening and respecting ideas may not be good for ratings, but is one of the keys to innovation.

Think simple, simple, simple

Rich Trombetta — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:03:00 GMT

I once had an engineering professor share something with me that I have never forgotten. He told me, “If you are struggling to solve a problem on an exam, immediately think of the most obvious and simple solution.” I was confused. This went against conventional thinking that exams would be difficult and challenging. “Think of it this way,” he said. “I have to correct over 100 exams, each containing page after page of mathematics and engineering principles. I design the answers to be things such as ‘zero’ or ‘two times Pi’, not some complex value that would create headaches for me while grading a student’s work. The problem may appear complex but the answer is usually quite simple.” The same can be said for innovation.

In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s television was bursting into America’s living rooms. In 1952 the television network NBC decided to begin broadcasting a morning news and entertainment program. What would be a catchy name that would get viewers attentions? Bam! The Today is created. Brilliant. Simple and to the point. Two years later, NBC wanted an evening entertainment program. Boom! The Tonight Show begins. In 1973 NBC wanted a show that started at 1:00 am after the Tonight Show. Keeping with the theme, The Tomorrow show is introduced. In 1975 NBC looks to add a show on Saturday evenings. The name Saturday Night Live is taken so the name Saturday Night is chosen. Another flash of brilliance. “Live from New York it’s Saturday Night’ has become one of the greatest lines in the history of entertainment.

So what is the message here? Television networks and more specifically, the people who work for them, are often considered very creative and ingenious due to the nature of the work they do. They produce entertainment. It is interesting to note that of the four shows mentioned above, three are still on the air (the Tomorrow Show did last 9 seasons) and each of those three is a huge money maker for NBC. Three of the most simple names for three of the most groundbreaking shows. The lesson is very clear. Stick with the simple. So how can you incorporate this approach into your business?

Here’s what you can do:
Have your team identify the most complex issues it is facing. Have a brainstorming session with the question, ‘what are the most boring and simple answers we can think of to solve these problems?’
Look at all your potential solutions and ask, ‘would a 10 year old understand this?’ I am convinced that anything in the business world beyond the comprehension of a 10 year old is getting much to intricate.
Put the words Today, Tonight, and Tomorrow on every desk and in every conference room. Embed the lessons of the naming of these shows and the simplicity of their approach into your employees day to day activities.

People like simple. They like things that are easy. Don’t make life more difficult than it needs to be – especially in business. Kudos to NBC for this great lesson. For this bit of wisdom we won’t hold it against them for green lighting the show Manimal.

Kids have bullet train thinking

Rich Trombetta — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:34:00 GMT

In many countries such as France and Japan bullet trains – trains than use sophisticated design and can travel at speeds of almost 150 miles per hour – are very common and a critical part of these countries’ infrastructure. What also makes these trains intriguing is the fact that the premise behind the design is to apply the principle that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Therefore, when designing the routes and systems that these trains will travel, engineers and architects apply what has been described a ‘bullet train thinking’ – drawing a straight line between the starting and end points and figuring out how to keep the route as close to that line as possible. For example, don’t go around a mountain, go through a mountain. This way of thinking has revolutionized the rail industry and enabled breakthrough speeds to be achieved. What is interesting about this mindset is that children, especially young kids, already apply this way of thinking. Adults in organizations need to do the same.

I bought a maze book for my three year old daughter. To show her how to use the book I carefully explained that she needed to find a path from the starting point to the ending point without crossing any lines. To help her, I completed a few of the mazes to show her how to get started. She said she wanted to try so I gave her the crayon and told her to give it a shot. What happened next absolutely floored me. She took the crayon and drew a straight line from the starting point to the end point, ignoring the maze altogether! I was not quite sure what to say. I began to tell her no, that the idea was to draw a line through the maze. We tried the next page and she drew a straight line again! Again I tried to explain the concept to her and she asked me, “Why do that (go through the maze) when I can just do this (draw the straight line)?” She has bullet train thinking.

Of course, life does not always allow us to ‘draw a straight line,’ and the message of the maze book is to teach kids how to overcome obstacles and solve problems. It is interesting, however, that since she has no preconceived ideas or biases on how to solve the maze. Since she ‘doesn’t know any better,’ the solution to her is obvious – draw a straight line and plow right through the obstacles in the way. Adults in organizations need to incorporate this way of thinking into their daily lives if a company truly wants to become innovative. This is when radical breakthroughs will be realized.

Here’s what you can do to instill bullet train thinking into your organization:
1. First, share this story and illustrate the importance that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Challenge every employee to start by asking, “how can we apply bullet train thinking” when presented with a challenge.
2. Second, use graphics and pictures posted throughout your organization to keep the message top of mind with your employees.
3. When starting a project, have people brainstorm potential obstacles, line them up in a single row, connect them with a straight line, and come up with creative ways to plow through the obstacles and maximize speed and efficiency without compromising the output.

Bullet train thinking can be a very powerful way to enable your organization to become truly innovative. The good news is we all have this capability – since we were all three years old!

Taking our ideas...and our money with us

Rich Trombetta — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 23:58:00 GMT

It always amazes me how some people ‘get it,’ and some people just simply watch fantastic opportunities pass right by. ‘Getting it’ could be used to describe how a person works in customer service, strategy, operations – any area of that makes a business go. When it comes to innovation, companies need to make sure every employee ‘gets it’ or the next big idea or suggestion could take place and no one may capitalize on it.

So what is ‘getting it’ when it comes to innovation. Here’s an example. I had taken my daughter along with a couple of other parents and children to a local independent bookstore. The store was basically empty with the exception of a staff that had the appearance of CIA spies on a covert operation watching our every move. About 25% of the store was devoted to children’s books, games, and toys but there was something very odd – there were only two chairs for kids to sit in. In addition, every time a child touched a stuffed animal or toy, a staff member seemed to mysteriously appear to ‘see if they could help us.’ I realized that we had brought kids to a ‘playground’ for lack of a better description but were sending the message ‘don’t touch the swings.’ Realizing the kids were getting bored, I started to play a couple of games with them using some of the stuffed animals. In a few minutes the kids were having fun and yes, they were getting a little loud. The good news was there was only one other customer in the store, very far away.

Out came the manager! In a very stern voice with a very upsetting look he told us to “keep things down to a library volume for the respect of the other customers.” He just didn’t get it. Nor did the staff. Rather than view what was happening as an opportunity, he and the staff were so set in their ways that they did not realize an innovative breakthrough was about to happen sail right pass them. How about if they encouraged parents to bring their kids during slow hours and let the kids have fun? How about if they realized the kids were getting attached to the toys and stuffed animals and the odds were very high that one of us was going to buy something? Instead, we walked out and took our money and our experience with us. I live in a town filled with Volvos and minivans and the next closet bookstore is over 20 minutes away – we make the drive.

Yes, a bookstore may be a place that needs to have some type of quite area. If that is the case, then why devote 25% of the space to children and discourage them to enjoy themselves? It would be like a sports team building a 20,000-seat arena and not allowing 25% of the seats - 5,000 - to be sold for each game. Plus, the culture of the company did not encourage the staff to be innovative and look for new opportunities. It was clear their job was to just ‘sell books.’

So how do you enable every employee to ‘get it?’

Here’s what you can do:
1. Get everyone on the same page with respect to innovation. Innovative behaviors need to be practiced and promoted by everyone. Imagine if instead of ‘selling books’ a staff person had instead focused on our experience and bringing us back. We didn’t come there to buy a book. We came there to have fun. The culture did not encourage her to think about this situation in this manner.
2. Involve the customer. This store had a free focus group right in front of them – and didn’t ask one question. An opportunity gone.
3. Try something new at least once per week. If you are not encouraging people to try new things, then guess what – they won’t! There is a local grocery store that has a policy that if a person buys something, tries it, and doesn’t like it, they can bring it back for a refund. This is one of the best ideas I have seen in a long time.

The bottom line is that if your employees don’t ‘get it’ when it comes to innovation, people will go to a place where people do. Trust me, we and our neighbors all make the drive.

Is training any different from a movie?

Rich Trombetta — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:28:00 GMT

Here is a question for you. Imagine I asked you, “How would you like to go to the movies?” Most likely I would get your interest. Now how about if I added, “The movie is three hours long.” Now what is your reaction? Maybe you cringed. Maybe you are having second thoughts. So let’s think about this for a moment. A movie is created to entertain you. You can go when you want, sit where you want, and eat what you want. And the seats are designed for nothing but comfort. Millions of dollars have been spent to entertain you. Why the concern when told the movie is three hours long? Now let’s think about what companies do with respect to training. “Let’s have a day long training session!” Or maybe, “Let’s have a 5 day training session!” All day? Five days? Companies need to think of training as a show and entertainment if they want to realize the maximum benefits of their efforts.

Let’s go back to the comparison of going to a movie and going to a training session. Movie: Sit where you want. Training: Assigned seats. Movie: About 2 hours. Training: Usually measured in days. Movie: Eat candy and popcorn while the movie is playing. Training: Eat at assigned times. Movie: Pick when you want to go. Training: Show up on time and only take breaks when the instructor allows. Get the point? This is why training is so often met with negative reactions.

Yes, there are times that multiple days will be needed for training efforts. Also, based on the topic, it may not be appropriate to go heavy on the entertainment angle. With that said, these situations should be the exception, not the norm.

Think about all of the ways we are taught as children and even in high school and college. We use songs, games, and everything is in 30 to 60 minute increments. Even the TV shows we watch, the news we listen to, and the books we read – almost all are designed to be entertaining and compressed into short time periods. So why should training be any different?

Here’s what you can do:
1. Cut every training session you have in half. Challenge yourself to say, “How can I get this done in half the time.” Ideally shoot for two hours. Think of the movie comparison.
2. View yourself as a movie producer and movie director when planning a training session. You need to entertain people, not just educate them. I had a conversation with someone who told me that a recent training session she went to was great because the instructor was, “funny, upbeat, and entertaining.”
3. Sit through a few training sessions yourself with the lens of, “How can we make this more fun and entertaining?” If you are bored, imaging what the average person is going through.

Sing, play games, dance – do ANYTHING to entertain the participants AND help them learn. Training is important and a key and essential aspect to a company’s success. It shows employees they are valued and an important element to the overall strategy of the organization. Don’t have participants give you two thumbs down because your ‘show’ was boring.