Helping a Team Create
Usually I am lucky. I visit the library about weekly to get another armful of books. I usually don't have to go farther than the new books shelf to find things that interest me. Lately, things haven't been so rosy. People aren't donating as many cool books, and, seemingly at the same time, the library isn't adding new, interesting books at the old rate. So, on my last trip, I had to visit the regular shelves to find new reading.
I lucked out. Of the four books I found, Hall's is the most creative. And that's what it is all about, how to spur creativity at your company. OK, that's not really what it is all about. It is really about how you can hire Hall and his team to spur creativity at your company. They do a good job, so that's OK by me.
Now, the biggest thing I learned from Hall is that the first step is not to take a first step. Silliness makes more sense than structure. He has all sorts of games and processes meant to foster good ideas for new products and new marketplaces. That's all good. There's one list I liked a lot. Since silliness is the root of all new product ideas, Hall suggests a series of silly questions to help out. Here are three of them. You'll have to get the book to read the rest. Remember, it is in the library. The three questions (Hall, 132):
- What would be the simple solution?
- What would contradict history?
- What would be the most outrageous solution?
Consider: Hall is the sort of guy who, before he takes your gig, will visit a store where they sell your stuff (or your competitor's) and just watch people buying things on the same aisle as your stuff. He'll ask questions, maybe, but it seems that early on, he just watches. Simple enough. You could do it. But that is the point. You could do it, but you never will. Do it. Talk to people. Squeeze the Charmin (Hall worked for P&G, so maybe he really did squeeze the Charmin). Look around. Be creative. Take the day off and just watch. Don't act official. Be unofficial. Dream stuff up. Let it brew a while, then actually do something about your crazy ideas. A thing could happen: you give up on your crazy ideas. In the light of day, back at the office, they look trite, foolish. Well, remember Hall's admonition. Try crazy stuff. It works, I'll bet. At a minimum, it sure beats sitting around the office. More fun, too.
Hall, Doug with David Wecker. Jump Start Your Brain. Warner Books, Inc. 1995.