"courting The Big Innovation" (it's All About The Thinking)
[Part 1 of a 3-part article]
Wanting to hear the Sirens' songs but not succumb, Odysseus fought off the music by asking his crew to tie him securely to a mast. To save themselves, the crew filled their ears with beeswax. Odysseus sought counsel with Circe. The seductive, magical Circe offers instructions. She comes in the night with visions to terrify the weak. She makes the woods move and the ground rumble. She tempts you with possibilities. The Innovation Sirens call to you. Their magical songs play in your head. Circe sends you visions of future realities. Her visions awaken even the deepest sleeper.
If what you desire is the BIG innovation, you must understand what this desire really means to you. You must know what songs are in your head. You must know where the temptations reside. This space is not for quitters. Only the persevering should venture forth. This space is not for the fearful. Only the truly courageous can confront the challenges. This space is not for the tentative. Only the willing pathfinders can risk getting lost. This space is not for the dispassionate. Only the intellectual fire-brands can generate the passion to pursue. BIG innovation is not a trip to the supermarket for a loaf of bread. Are you ready for your Odyssey into BIG innovations?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?
BOUNDARY #1 Ask yourself, "What change do I want to establish?" To begin, I offer you any 250 words that you want to use in explaining your desired change. Worry not about grammar, spelling, sentence construction. This is not a five-paragraph essay that will be graded with a red pen. The first challenge is to "get it down." So that you know how long 250 words is, accept that the average reader reads aloud-silently at a rate of 200-250 words per minute. The length of half of a local weather cast on television! Three 20-second radio commercials! Not very long.
You are free to re-work anything you write. Focus on the BIG change, not on you. Picture it. Describe your picture of the future once the change is in place. What will humans be able to do when the change is established that they are not able to do today? How will humans recognize the change? Tantalizing whirlpools of distractions hypnotize you as you work. Your brain spins round and round and you feel the water pulling you into the vortex. You want to scream, "I need more than 250 words." No, you need to simplify and clarify what you see.
As you struggle, winds of confusion take you in false directions. Lean into the wind and challenge the confusion. Play with your idea for change. Build your own sandbox. If you cannot play with your ideas for change, you do not really want to innovate. At this point quitting is not failure. You may only be too early in the incubation process. Allow the idea for change to rest in your brain. The only time limits you have are ones you impose. After all, the journey is YOUR Odyssey. Only you define it.
BOUNDARY #2 With your BIG change defined, I now give you 20 words. You are to reduce your 250 words to a sentence of only 20 words. Choose your words so that anyone hearing your sentence knows and understands the BIG change you envision. Test the sentence. Hint: When I test important idea sentences, I generally select strangers who cross my path simply by an act of circumstances or chosen locations where I happen to be. Waiters and waitresses are wonderful helpers. Students on college campuses play willingly. People waiting for trains or airplanes welcome the diversion. Find your strangers where you will.
Pay attention to their comments because these strangers want nothing from you. Allow yourself to careen back to the beginning with your 250 words if necessary. I told you your Odyssey was not for quitters. Keep re-working your 20 words until you feel ready to test your change statement again. Continue working back and forth between testing and re-working until you feel a warmth in your tummy. When that warmth happens, your work is done. You have your tested 20-word sentence of your BIG change.
BOUNDARY #3 I now give you no more than 8 words, but I prefer 5 words or fewer. You will create an easy-to-grasp-and-remember "tagline" for your BIG change. You do not need to use any words from your 250-word explanation. Your do not need to use any words from your 20-word sentence. Think now of the future reality brought about by your BIG change. To help you understand how to do write taglines, remind yourself that are writing a slogan of sorts that will shape the future in the minds of the world. If you are stuck, turn to commercials and advertisements. "You're in good hands." "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." "Wired for every whim."" Where's the beef?" "Ahhh, that's real beer."
Think about who will be involved in using your BIG change. Appeal to them. Think about who will benefit from your BIG change. Make the tagline lodge in a hole in their minds. Think about how the world will be changed. Give people something to say or think every time they encounter your BIG change. Model your tagline after any product or service that comes easily to your mind. Keep working until the tummy test is positive. [Look for Part 2 to follow soon. Your Odyssey is just part-way completed.]
Virginia L. McBride, The Haven Maven
Founder, EPROW Images
Creator, "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE THINKING"
Virginia builds personalized "thinking environments" to strengthen innovative thought. Working with EPROW Images, clients shape their "I Want To Achieve" visions. This shaping clarifies the visions.
To qualify for a free 30-minute consultation, submit a "pitch" through EPROW's PAPPY program => www.eprowimages.com
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