I had the great pleasure last week of hearing Dr David Hamilton talking about the remarkable properties of mirror neurons in the brain. They are the mechanism behind how we empathise, emulate, copy and learn.
This resulted in many light bulb moments firing in this particular head of mine.
I’ve been doing talks and workshops on creativity and innovation for some years now and I’d noticed that when I get into the state where I can receive light bulb moments, people in the room would follow shortly after.
To find out how this all works, I recommend you buy David’s book called The Contagious Power of Thinking or, better still, attend one of his talks and then buy the book – as he explains it all much better than I ever could.
So at my talks naturally people will pick up on my body language, the words I say and the images should I use any slides or handouts. The mirror neurons are the mechanism whereby such empathy is achieved. There is something which is more subtle in operation too however.
Before I even get to the venue to do the talk, I set my intention that the attendees of the talk will get into the state of having light bulb moments. Furthermore, that this state will linger either for a few days after the talk or even permanently.
People report having not known why they came to a particular talk but that they felt strangely drawn to attend. They also can’t remember where they first heard about it.
Now I am not claiming any extrasensory powers. What everyone is experiencing is a natural state of affairs and happens all the time but, mostly, outside our conscious awareness.
What is interesting is how this concept can be applied in business – especially if the business is involved in new product development or any creative field such as publishing, marketing, design or any artistic endeavour.
Any mindset we adopt will spread unconsciously – including anger, fear and guilt – and any behaviour and culture set will also ripple throughout an organisation like gossiping and lunchtime drinking.
So if you want innovation to spread in your organisation, it needs to be seeded and then it will spread organically. For example, apocryphally a US president visiting NASA in the Apollo era asked a janitor what he did and the reply was, “I fly rockets to the Moon”. This type of team spirit amplifies, reflects and ripples from mirror neurons to mirror neurons in each team member working to a common goal.
Sowing the seeds for innovation
The first step is to initiate the culture change with a thought and attitude and it can start anywhere in the organisation but ideally with senior management. The end goal is for it to be adopted from the bottom up whilst also aiming to remove the whole idea of the top and bottom hierarchy, as one could not exist without the other and it is in essence more like a symbiosis.
Then practical steps should be taken to foster innovation throughout the business, such as:
1. A simple suggestion box [perhaps anonymous]
2. A suggestions wall or whiteboard [best seeded with an associative Mind Map]
3. A more formal and facilitated intervention like a Walt Disney Three Rooms session or de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. Even better again would be to use Appreciative Inquiry which additionally generates a positive thinking mind set. The idea of positive thinking also spreads like wildfire and is based on taking what works and making it even better rather than focusing on woes and trials and tribulations.
The latest podcast in the Moments of Light series is with the sublimely wise and intelligent soul who is Nicola Phoenix.
Nicola is a Spiritual Psychologist and yoga teacher with such a simple approach to share by which we can all get to a place of happiness. Where many make the journey over-complex and arduous, Nicola makes it accessible and do-able. What’s more, we can all start doing it today – right now.
Have a listen to the interview to find out more … and then get yourself a copy of the book !!
Details on how to get your copy of Reclaiming Happiness and how to contact Nicola here … www.nicolaphoenix.com
A wonderful and eclectic chat with Joel Friedlander on how authors can use light bulb moments in their work …
Topics covered :
Where do light bulb moments come from?
What blocks light bulb moments?
How to use your whole brain and whole mind
The beauty and power of Mapping Your Mind
The importance of meditation and the breath in ideas generation
Find out more about Joel and subscribe to his brilliant blog which is full of help for authors and publishers – and get a copy of his book too – www.thebookdesigner.com
August has been quite a month for the Moments of Light Radio show on The Barefoot Broadcast.
You can’t plan this sort of thing, it just happened but my three guests are all wonderful artists with three different takes on art and spirituality that touches the soul at a fundamental level.
In case you missed them, you can listen to the shows again here … your comments, thoughts and social media shares much appreciated.
Note that the show will be off air now until the end of September as I have a much needed break and it will be returning in a new guise when I’m back … more on that soon. In the meantime, enjoy.
They need no introduction as the recordings speak for themselves 😉
Something rather magical happened over the last few months as this amazing force of nature called The English Sisters came into my world …
These amazing ladies are somewhat difficult to describe and encapsulate in words so, to get a handle on their insight, wisdom and erudition, have a watch and a listen to one of what I hope is the first of many chats below.
And to hear and watch more, subscribe to their hypnotic ramblings either on YouTube or on their Hypnotic Rambling site – www.hypnoramblings.com
Sometimes you can have a great idea and do nothing with it – only to see it successfully copied by someone else who you unwittingly inspired.
Sometimes your initial idea doesn’t quite live up to your hopes for it.
The solution to both these woes, lies in the Spin Off and here’s 12 ways to generate them!!
Think about your idea in these context …
1. Industry – could it be applied in new sectors?
2. International – could you change it so it works in new markets?
3. Inter-operable – could it be made to work with more ‘things’?
4. Demographic – can it be sold to a new target market?
5. Duplicity – can you replicate its essence, say with a minor change, but in such a way that it becomes something entirely new?
6. Down-size – can it be made smaller, cheaper or with a sub-set of features?
7. Education – how can it be made so that it can used to teach or be taught?
8. Entertainment – how can you make it more fun?
9. Extension – how can you add more features so it does something entirely new?
10. Augment – how can you add more features so it’s better value for money?
11. Amortise – how can you spread the cost of production to improve cash flow or spread the cost for the client
12. Agreements – who could you partner with to get to new markets or so that 1+1 > 2
Now if all this sounds wonderful but you have no idea how to introduce these practices into your business, get in touch. I am passionate about bringing these simple and freely available techniques into business – see Light Bulb Moments on Demand for more info
Before we explore how to generate light bulb moments and make them happen in your business, it is worth finding out what stops them from occurring in the first place.
In my experience, it is the culture of a business that is the key enabler here. Get it right and then creativity flows in all aspects of the business. Get it wrong and you end up with disaffected employees, staff churn, unhappy customers and a problem with the bottom line.
These are seven ways to run a business such light bulb moments are stopped in their tracks. I am sure you will have experienced one or more of these mechanisms somewhere you have worked. They are often the tactics used by inexperienced or naive managers with the aim of controlling a work force.
1. Instil a lack of security
Nobody whose job is under threat feels like being creative. This is a bit of shame as when a company’s back is against the financial wall, innovative thinking is often just what is needed.
2. Breed a climate of fear
Fear of failure and fear of ridicule are an anathema to creativity.If you come into work and are afraid of suggesting new ideas or, god forbid, that something is less than perfect, any light bulb moments you receive will never materialise.
3. Take love out of the equation
People love to love and love to be loved. We like it when someone likes us and likes what we do. Love is a word that somehow doesn’t get mentioned in business. When you love the work you though, you will never ‘work’ again.
4. Fail to communicate
Communication works two ways in successful businesses. There is a flow from the top down and the bottom up. It is the responsibility of management to get the conversations going. People like to talk and if you don’t give them something positive to talk about, the conversations will turn to gossip and back-biting.
5. Lack of vision
You would never think of driving a car blindfolded, or blindfold your passengers, yet many businesses don’t see where they are going. We need visibility to function and this vision gives perspective. We can watch for pot holes ahead and also learn from looking at where we’ve been. With this clarity, we can be inventive of about planning the route ahead.
6. Quash free thinking
As human beings, we are only able to hold one thought at any one instant. If that thought is spent rehearsing a conversation yet to be had or replaying one that didn’t go so well, our brains are tied up with internal dialogue. A still and quiet mind is a creative one and thrives when given a challenge and an opportunity in a supportive and appreciative environment.
7. Be a killjoy
This is not about dress down Fridays or Paint Ball days. It is obvious that a happy worker is a productive worker. Apparently it takes less muscular effort to smile than it does to frown. Fun places to work become sought after and hard to leave. So simply start the day with a smile …
In summary, if you build a business based on these principles, you will always struggle. Do the opposite and you will create the climate for ideas to flow freely which, in turn, lays down the foundations for success
It’s often traditional practice in business that innovation is restricted to either the product development team or the marketing department.
While this is natural and to be encouraged, businesses who want to survive and thrive in these times should take a more holistic approach to ideas generation.
Back in 1984, I was the proud owner of an early Macintosh computer. In the nineties, I ended up being begrudgingly dragged into the world of PC’s. Two years ago, I returned from the wilderness and have become a proud owner of an iMac and am writing this blog on an iPad. If you call me, I will answer you on an iPhone. I use MobileMe, shortly to be iCloud, and all in all I am a happy bunny.
Why? What Apple do is bring innovation into all customer touch points – starting with new product announcements and rich product functionality through to simplicity of purchase, ease of set up and use. This is all capped with superb ongoing support. A good example of the benefits of such a philosophy is that most iPad owners pay the same price again as the device in apps over a product’s life span.
But if you haven’t got Apple’s billions, how do you even begin to emulate their success? Where do you start?
The answer lies in looking at all the areas where you connect with clients and tackling the ones that are giving you the most headaches. By looking at these first, everything else will be a breeze. The way you look at them is important though.
If you wallow in negative thinking, this engages the parts of your neurology that block light bulb moments from occurring. The key lies in positive thinking. Even if the area you are looking at is not so great, it will inevitably have some good points at least.
What you do is simply identify the good points only and see how you can improve them as opposed to focussing on any negatives. The results are surprising – especially when you engage an independent and objective facilitator 😉
This is the basis and start of a process known as Appreciative Enquiry (or Inquiry). It is an example of parallel and sequential thinking which I will expand upon later in this new blog series on Light Bulb Moments in Business. Using this type of thinking is the key to making sure ideas don’t get away.
I had the great pleasure of being interviewed about my new book by Mike Quinsey on BBS Radio last week.
Listen to it back here … and if you have a show and would like to chat with me about the book, get in touch.
Likewise, if you’ve had a light bub moment and done something about it, I am looking for inspirational people to appear on my Moments of Light show on Carl Munson’s Barefoot Broadcast.
I had the great pleasure last week of hearing Dr David Hamilton talking about the remarkable properties of mirror neurons in the brain. They are the mechanism behind how we empathise, emulate, copy and learn.
A wonderful and eclectic chat with Joel Friedlander on how authors can use light bulb moments in their work …
August has been quite a month for the Moments of Light Radio show on The Barefoot Broadcast.
I had the great pleasure of being interviewed about my new book by Mike Quinsey on BBS Radio last week.