Innovative ideas can occur at any time.  If you’re like me, some of your best ideas “pop” into your head at the most unexpected times.

I was talking with a friend recently who mentioned that he often comes up with his most creative ideas in the shower.  I found that interesting because I also have innovative ideas while in the shower.  I also have many creative ideas when I’m driving.

Since we all have creative thoughts at unexpected times, it is important to be prepared for those innovative ideas ahead of time.  To me, being prepared means having a way to record the innovative idea before it “disappears”.  Here are a few ways to be sure you are always prepared to record your innovative thoughts:

1. Carry a pen/pencil and paper with you at all times – get a small pad of paper and a short pencil that easily fit in your pocket or purse.
2. If you have innovative ideas in the middle of the night, keep a pad of paper next to your bed to record those ideas.
3. Use an audio recorder to quickly record your thoughts.  Or, carry a portable video camera, like the Flip video camera.  Since these video cameras also include microphones, you can use them to record your thoughts – just ignore the video.
4. Use your cell phone.  If you have a smart phone, use a note-taking application or a voice recording application.  If your phone does not have those abilities, send yourself a text message or call your voicemail and leave a message for yourself.
5. Keep a pad of paper and a pen in your car.  If I’m waiting in my car for an appointment or to pick up one of my kids, I will often use that time as a mini-brainstorming session and write down all of my ideas.
6. Put a white board in your office or other location just for creative ideas.  I have a white board in my office that is used exclusively for innovative business ideas related to my current projects.

I realize that the above ideas for recording your thoughts probably won’t work in the shower.  So, here’s an opportunity for you to innovate:  How can you record ideas while in the shower?  A water-proof white board?  Leave a comment below with your ideas.  Also, let me know about other systems you use to record your innovative ideas.

A question I am frequently asked is “How do I create innovations in my business?”  To address this common question, I created the acronym IDEA, which describes a system for leveraging innovation in your business.  The first letter “I” represents “Identify All Innovations“.

The first step in leveraging innovation is to begin identifying creative ideas that can be developed into useful innovations.  If you don’t capture these creative ideas, there’s nothing to build upon.  Think of creative ideas as the “seeds” that, with proper attention and care, can grow into valuable business innovations.

Innovative ideas are often generated from problem solving exercises, brainstorming sessions and other activities.  These ideas must be captured and recorded for future evaluation or further brainstorming sessions.  Many businesses use these  ideas as “seeds” for future discussions.  For example, the initial idea may be a broad concept that needs to be refined into a product or service appropriate for the business.  Additional brainstorming on the broad idea may produce multiple approaches to implement the idea, thus “growing an innovation” from the idea seed.

Start finding those creative ideas today to begin identifying innovations that will grow your business.

Many factors can affect your ability to innovate and think creatively.  Location, noise/activity level and time of day all have an influence on your innovative thinking.  A recent article suggests that the image of a conventional light bulb (an incandescent bulb) improves a viewer’s insight and creative thinking.  Click here to read the full article in Fast Company.

The light bulb is used regularly as an indicator of creative ideas and innovations.  However, this article (and the related study) suggests that surrounding yourself with innovative objects or symbols – such as the conventional light bulb – improves creativity.  This study compared the performance of participants who viewed a conventional light bulb as compared to those who viewed an overhead fluorescent light.

The results of the study are based on the presence of the light bulb, not the actual light emitted by the bulb.  The bulb itself can be disconnected from an electrical socket and still have a positive influence on a person’s thinking ability.  The “power” of the conventional light bulb appears to be its symbolic value as an indicator of innovation and creative thinking.

What other symbols come to mind when you think of Innovation?

One of the questions I am asked most often is “How do I create innovations?”  Most people asking this question are looking to expand an existing business or launch a new product or service.  I’ve created the acronym IDEA to describe a system for creating and applying innovation in your business.

I – Identify All Innovations. Understand where and how to create innovations – through brainstorming sessions, problem solving exercises and other techniques.  You also need a system to record these innovations.  Even if the recording system merely captures the title or a one sentence description of the innovation – you must capture this information.  Provide a simple way for everyone in the company to record or submit their creative ideas.

D – Develop An Innovation Culture. Get people throughout your organization (including yourself) to make innovation part of their daily thought process.  By providing examples of other innovations and encouraging the submission of creative ideas, your business develops a culture of innovation.  Teach people to look for innovations when solving problems, and think of ways to use that solution to avoid future problems.

E – Evaluate All Innovations. Create an Innovation Review Group to evaluate innovations submitted by company personnel.  This Innovation Review Group should include people with different job functions, such as sales, marketing, product development, etc.  People with different job functions will have different perspectives on the innovations and can help evaluate creative ideas by applying a cost-benefit analysis.

A – Action. Don’t just create lists of innovations – Take Action to implement the innovations that have the most potential value to the company.  Track the results, such as increased income, reduced expenses and customer growth, and share the positive results throughout the company.  These positive results will encourage further innovative thinking and provide additional examples of successful innovation.

Start applying the IDEA system today to position your business as an innovator in your market.

Innovations and creative ideas for your business can pop into your head at any time.  These spontaneous ideas can be valuable to your business and should be recorded for future thought.  But, you never know when the next random idea will “appear”.

If you want to regularly develop more creative ideas for your business, schedule a brainstorming session.  Before scheduling the brainstorming session, be sure you know the best environment for your creative thinking.  Pick a time, location and setting that supports you in developing innovative ideas – read my blog post on Finding Your Innovation Environment for more details.

There are many techniques for brainstorming new ideas.  One technique involves identifying an unmet need in your own company or in your market.  Brainstorm for solutions to satisfy that unmet need.  Your solutions may include new products, new services, or adding new features to existing products or services.  Record all ideas you generate during your brainstorming session (using pencil and paper, a computer, a smartphone, an audio recorder, etc.)  You don’t need to understand all the details necessary to implement the solutions – just get the ideas recorded and you can work out the details later.

I recently scheduled a brainstorming session for myself to identify a list of article topics related to business innovation.  My list contains article titles and topics, but not the details of each article.  My brainstorming session generated a list of 28 article titles/topics in a short period of time.  I will schedule several follow-up brainstorming sessions to fill in the details for each article in my list.

Please share information about your successful brainstorming sessions here.

In an earlier blog post I discussed the importance of finding your best environment for innovation and creative thinking.  Click Here to read that post about finding your “thoughtful spot”.

When looking for your perfect innovation environment, consider these factors:

1. Location – Inside or outside. In your home, at work, in your car, at school, or at a coffee shop.  In an urban location or in the country.
2. Time of Day – Morning, afternoon, or evening.  Are you most creative when you are wide awake or later in the day?  Do you tend to identify creative ideas on weekdays or weekends?
3. Noise Level or Activity Level – Do you generate ideas in quiet settings or in loud environments, such as a noisy restaurant or a busy amusement park.  I know several people that develop their best ideas in noisy places.  They believe that the noise causes them to block out all the external sounds and focus on developing creative solutions to problems or unmet needs.
4. Alone or In A Group – Many individuals best identify innovations and creative ideas in a solitary setting, while others do better in a mastermind or brainstorming group. I often combine these two settings:  identify a list of possible solutions to a problem by myself, then brainstorm with others to further refine the solutions and/or pick one to implement.

There are many other factors, but this list will get you started.  When you identify a great idea, first write it down.  Then, make a note of where you are and what you are doing (look at the list above for reminders).  As you record ideas and the environmental factors, you will soon see a pattern – common places, times, or conditions that seem to spark creative ideas for you.  When you want to develop new ideas, put yourself in that environment to stimulate your creative energy.

It doesn’t matter what environment is best for you – what’s important is discovering that environment so you can go to your own “thoughtful spot” when you want to focus on creativity and innovation.  Give your business partners and employees the freedom to find their own creative environments, rather than forcing them into an environment that is not appropriate for their creative activities.

My kids love our collection of Winnie the Pooh books and videos.  Winnie the Pooh was one of my favorite characters when I was a kid too.  I recently discovered that he’s not just entertainment for kids, but he brings an important lesson about innovation to adults!

Entrepreneurs and business leaders are constantly looking for innovations that will expand their business and give them a competitive edge to thrive in their market.  I’m often asked questions regarding how to identify innovations.  The answer to this question is different for each person.  Since we are all unique, each of us thinks differently and does their most creative thinking in different environments.  If you want to identify innovations and creative ideas, first understand the environment that is most creative for you (as well as others in your business).

This is where Winnie the Pooh continue reading…

Businesses use many techniques to develop innovations.  One approach to innovation development deals with problems experienced in your own business or in your industry.  Problems provide an opportunity for innovation by asking (and answering) five key questions:

1. What Happened? Identify details regarding the specific problem and determine whether the problem is related to a client, a product, a service, your entire industry, or a problem with your internal business procedures.  Determine exactly what happened, such as dates, locations, people/businesses involved and other relevant details.  These details will be used later to help prevent future problems.
2. Why Did it Happen? Determine why the problem occurred by evaluating when it happened and why the problem occurred at this time, but has not happened before.  Identify what details were different this time that may have caused the problem.  Determine continue reading…