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 teaches us an important lesson.  Winnie the Pooh has his “thoughtful spot” – the place where he can contemplate important questions, such as what he should do for the day.  Pooh has found the perfect environment to do his creative thinking.  This thoughtful spot may not be the right environment for other characters, but it is his special place.

You need to find your own “thoughtful spot” to develop creative ideas and new innovations.  The environment that works for you is not necessarily the same environment that fosters creativity in your business partners or employees.  So, let others find their own “perfect” environment and don’t try to make them be creative in your environment – it will not work.

To identify the environment that is best for your own creative thinking, keep track of where you are, what you are doing, the time, etc. when you develop new ideas.  You will begin to see a pattern develop – this helps define your creative environment.  You can then go to this environment (or create the environment) when you want to practice creativity and innovation.