I love brilliant minds. I find them fascinating (maybe even a little sexy). The way people think, process information, create works of art and reinvent has always intrigued me.
I love being surrounded by thought leaders. I’m fortunate to have some of the coolest (and smartest) friends and several focus on innovation. Last week while reading the Fast Company list of Most Innovative Companies in 2014 I realized we use so many of these services on a daily basis Google, Netflix, Apple, Dropbox, Nike, Twitter, Yelp and some we’d love to use more like Tesla (who wouldn’t want to drive that sexy car).
Elon Musk built the incredible Tesla brand; a true genius and visionary. A friend has a Tesla and it is one of the most exciting (and fast) cars I’ve ever enjoyed. The exquisite internal design is like a giant iPad, the environmental impact is astounding, the sales and distribution model is brilliant and the unique network of charging stations across the US is testament to Musk’s innovative way of thinking and love of the planet – he inspires me. If you want to see a project that will blow your mind, check out the work he is doing with SpaceX.
‘Innovation is a mindset’ says Alexander Blass, winner of Innovator of the Year Award. While watching a video of his keynote he asked the audience ‘who is on Twitter? Do you want to be on Twitter, or do you want to invent Twitter?’ It got me thinking. How many great ideas do we have daily that we ignore, forget and yet some could be brilliant?
Three ways to be more innovative daily:
Clear the clutter – make time to allow yourself to think clearly away from the daily distractions and obligations. Allocate 15 minutes every morning to clear, strategic thinking.
Trap your thoughts – focus your attention and make note of the great ideas you have, the ways you could approach clients differently, projects more creatively or publish your brilliance with an alternative view.
Ask more questions – create more energy in the types of questions you ask. Be constantly curious about people and processes. When you hear something ask yourself ‘what do I think about that? What would I do differently? What would I add to that?’ Avish Parashar, often shares how to improvise and innovate with clients and to tap into creativity and he uses a great improv process of asking the question ‘Yes and.. Yes but.’ How could you start thinking more like a thought leader?
While watching one of my fabulous speaker friends Toni Newman share her Customer Touchpoint Innovation process recently, I was impressed with how she shares with organizations strategies to attract, keep and engage customers. She has a productive process for innovation. Imagine if you had a process to capture your innovative thoughts?
When working with thought leaders to help capture their intellectual property and making it more commercially successful, we invest time to think differently. Time is the new currency. You need to invest time to think more innovatively.
How can you incorporate a more innovative thought process daily? Where could you invest time to create greater returns for your clients, your team or those you care about? We’d love to hear your thoughts what do you think, share your ideas with us here on our blog.
PS. Do you want to learn more about how to leverage your thought leadership? I would be delighted to chat to you more about this, contact us today.
