If you search around on YouTube you can find some very excellent videos regarding business and marketing. One such video was created by TheRSA.org. They’ve illustrated a talk given by Dan Pink about what really motivates us at work. This is a must see. Enjoy!
Direct Link: RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us.
This post is the second post in the “How to Brainstorm for Success” series. If you missed the first post, check it out here: “How to Brainstorm for Success: Part 1 – An Introduction to Brainstorming” where we briefly discuss different brainstorming stages.
Have you ever been laying down at night waiting to go to sleep, or been on a nice afternoon walk and the ideas just kept rushing into your head? I’ve been there way too many times. I love it when this happens, but what really drives me nuts is when it happens and I’m not prepared. I’ve since learned to always keep a notebook and pen on my bed stand, and I usually have something to take notes on when I’m out and about.
With that in mind, I’ve prepared a few simple preparation ideas that can help you be prepared for brainstorming. To effectively brainstorm, you don’t need to meet all the criteria I lay out below. These are merely instruments and ideas to cater to an ideal mood and mindset that lets the lightning come down.
Technically speaking, all you need to brainstorm is something to write with and something to write on. I have a legal pad holder and a pen set aside for brainstorming, it doubles as my idea book and a brainstorming book.
I prefer brainstorming with a pen and paper so that my mind is free to roam and write ideas down as they come to me, and some of my ideas come as sketches, shapes, or equations or something that is not easily and quickly recorded on the computer. Working with pen and paper lets me quickly sketch those down. I occasionally use a computer to brainstorm, but I’ve found that it’s too distracting and limits what I can add to my brainstorming paper (more about this in part 3).
Some other good materials to have on hand but that are not necessary are sticky notes, rulers, different colored pens (or colored pencils), and a whoopie cushion soft chair. In my point of view, the fewer distractions you have, the more effective your brainstorming session will be.
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I’m amazed at how many work-a-holics there are in the world. Just today I read a blog post about a guy who was aggravated because he’d heard another man say he was just killing time. “How dare he!” the blog author thought as he considered clobbering the other man. “Doesn’t he know that time is precious, and I don’t have any of it? How dare he be unproductive and do nothing!”
The blog author then proceeds to discuss all the things he does and how he as a serious businessman doesn’t even have the time to sleep. His plan? Free up as much time as he can to do what he wants do and go where he wants to go. But to “waste” time or “kill” time? Forget it. I’m afraid this man is on the road to burnout.
Here are my issues with this type of thinking and why I believe sometimes it’s best to, yes, do nothing.
To live your life never wasting a moment, but always doing something is tough stuff. We all love a hero, and we all love the stories of people who accomplished great things. Those stories and people are inspiring and they push us to do more and be better people. We assume that to be like these people, we have to work harder and be better than the next guy. We believe that we don’t have any time to waste. To some extent, it is true. You don’t want to sit on an idea forever. Ideas don’t create income. Action creates income.
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You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.” I’ve been hearing it for years, and I’ve used it a few times myself. It’s a true phrase. If you’re not careful, once you step foot into the big bad business world, you can get skewered, slathered in BBQ sauce, chewed up, and then spit out. These are reasons that people put up a guard and make business and the ensuing relationships as tough as boot leather.
If you have seen the movie, “You’ve Got Mail” you may recall the line by Joe Fox. In an email to Kathleen Kelly, he says, “It’s not personal, it’s business.” Later in the movie, Kathleen asks Joe, “What’s so wrong with being personal, anyway?” Joe, a little stunned, responds, “Uh, nothing.” Kathleen follows up with, “Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.” (I’ll admit that even though I’m a guy and avidly follow and believe in The Art of Manliness, I still enjoy some of these classic ‘chick flicks.’)
I ask that same question today. What’s so wrong with being personal, anyway? Business is a giant web that connects people (not businesses) together; this means that business today is about building relationships and being personal, even in this dog-eat-dog world.
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About a month ago the company I’m working for gathered all 60 of us into a tight meeting room and announced that there would be layoffs in July. It’s not because we’re shrinking or doing poorly, in fact–it’s quite the opposite. It’s because we’re growing. Perhaps on another day I’ll tell you how that works. Those of us who are in management positions already knew what was coming, and it made the meeting all the more interesting because I could sit back and observe the reactions of everyone else.
It helped that the company purchased giant breakfast burritos for everyone and passed them out before the meeting (my idea). Mine was filled with bacon, potatoes, sausage, cheese, and eggs… This of course sounds to you like a tactic to butter people up and soften the blow. And maybe it is… but so what. The truth is at our company, it’s not unusual. Upper management always treats us extremely well with tons of perks, and they’re always transparent about the company’s health.
The burritos were a nice touch, one of those perks. And sure, it probably did soften the blow for a few people.
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In high school and part of college I competed on the forensics team in debate, oratory, humor, drama, and poetry and (pardon me for tooting my own horn) did really well at it. Actually, I lied. I did well in all areas except debate. Debate was a giant thorn in my side and I’d leave the debate floor feeling like I wrestled a hippopotamus in the wallow. So after a couple years, I decided to leave debate behind. But that’s not what this is about; this post is about working towards a goal, and working hard.
Enter the W^8 formula (imagine cool theme song here).
Just in case the image burns your eyes out, here it is in plain text:
The W8 Formula
Working Will Win When Wishy Washy Wishing Won’t.
Okay okay, I admit that it’s a little cheesy (cheesy enough that I gave it it’s own goofy motivational poster). Cheesiness aside, I like it, and it’s easy to remember. My high school forensics coach, Mr. C, taught me the W8 formula and oddly enough, it’s one of the few lessons I remember from high school. The W8 formula works for any goal or ambition.
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