Imaginibbles

Inspiration and ideas are everywhere….if we are paying attention. If we aren’t paying attention, if our antennas are down, great ideas just pass on by like a quick breeze outside our office windows. We don’t see it and we certainly don’t feel it.

In my keynote speeches to individuals and organizations trying to be more innovative and bring more ideas to life, I talk a lot about finding innovation in the obvious. I talk about connecting seemingly disparate pieces of information and going wide versus deep with knowledge. Why? Because innovative thinking occurs very easily at the intersection of random. For example, mix backpacks and water and you get the very popular Camelbacks that transformed the outdoor experience.
Often, great nuggets of ideas or solutions are missed. On the other hand, if you look for the bridges, yoyos and bootcamps amazing things can happen. Here is the bridge story to give a taste of what I mean.

Hiking can be a lot of fun if you have the right gear. It can also be uncomfortable and painful if you don’t. Arcteryx gear was out to solve that challenge and make each hiking experience a good one. For those of you that hike, you know that it all begins with the right backpack. A heavy, uneven backpack can end a hiking trip before you get to the first curve in the trial. The founder of Arcteryx understood this and set out to make each outdoor experience a good one. So how did he solve this challenge? Checking out other hiking gear or looking at how Olympians train? No, he solved the challenge by glancing at the Brooklyn Bridge. One afternoon, while walking down the street in New York City, he stopped to look at the Brooklyn Bridge in all its glory. The antennas were up and he realized something amazing. He realized that the Brooklyn bridge has a magnificent suspension system. That suspension evenly distributes weight and eases tension on the structure. Those of you reading know where I’m headed. He took the suspension system from the Brooklyn Bridge and applied it to his backpacks. The result… better design and construction that led to a superior product and outdoor experience. Bridges and backpacks do have a lot in common if you’re paying attention the way he was!

Where could you find your bridge of inspiration if you had your antennas up?
How could you re-frame your question or challenge to expand your thinking?

For this article, I won’t go into the yoyos and bootcamp. You’ll have to hire me to speak for the rest of the stories (wink wink). But, I will end with a valuable and simple lesson:

keep your antenna up and your bridges, yoyos and bootcamps will present themselves with abundance.