Mitch Ditkoff from the Heart of Innovation Blog has published a new manifesto on ChangeThis.com called 14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas. His goal in writing this report is to highlight where "ideas with enough mojo to rally sustained support" come from, so individuals can help to drive innovation in today's organizations. My favorite techniques from this report are these:
Suspend logic:"Suspend judgment. Suspend evaluation. Suspend your addiction to the practical. What exists on the other side is fuel for the fire of your untapped creativity." Mitch compares this process to the way in which moviemakers have "trained" us to suspend our disbelief when watching many films. What makes this technique important is that most of us aren't even aware that we're unconsciously "filtering" or self-censoring ideas and passing judgment on them before they've even had a chance to grow. Remember, a whacky idea may very well be a stepping stone to a valuable, workable one!
Hang out with diverse groups of people:"If you want to increase your chances of getting a breakthrough idea, you will need to break the bonds of the familiar. Hang out with a different crowd. Go beyond the usual suspects. Seek the input of oddballs, mavericks, outcasts, or, at the very least, people outside of your field." This one is hard for most of us, because we're very wedded to our habits, and don't like talking to people who push us out of our comfort zone. But these interactions are critical to your ability to find and capitalize on new ideas.
Some of the other techniques Mitch highlights sound very familiar, but his manifesto is a valuable reminder to make these thinking techniques part of our work and lives. Because we're all creatures of habit, and without an occasional whack upside the head, we tend to fall back into well-worn paths of thinking.
