Casual Fridays

… the originator of ideas is undervalued.
My family has had a business of somekind in my hometown since 1914. That might be where I get my entrepreneurial spirit. While I was growing up, we had a local grocery store named Staiger’s Grocery. Original, isn’t it? I worked there for nearly five [...]

This was on my cup of Starbucks coffee today:

The Way I See It #290
On the battlefield of ideas, winning requires moving toward the sound of the guns.
– Newt Gingrich
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives
I’m not big on battle metaphors. Too often they lead to a zero-sum philosophy of “I win, you lose.” or [...]

Many ideas are borne out of solitude. The shower is a classic example of quiet alone-time creating a vacuum for new thoughts. Still, we usually have to bring these thoughts back to a team for development. We also have moments where we need to generate ideas in a team environment.
Having the proper [...]

Did you know you can train fleas to stay in a jar?
Put them in a jar and screw on the lid. They will jump and bump the lid repeatedly, because they can jump much higher than the lid. After a few days, take the lid off. They won’t jump out. They [...]

You’re in a meeting and a seemingly brilliant idea enters your mind. Adrenaline starts to rush. You imagine what wonderful things might happen if your idea is executed. You can’t wait to interject.
“Wait a second. I just had an idea.”
Everybody stops and gives you their attention as you breathlessly explain the [...]

Preconceptions often arise when you say someone is creative. A friend of mine even uses air quotes with that word. He also uses it as a noun, which is common in ad agencies.
“You can do that because you’re a ‘creative’.”
The connotation isn’t completely positive. There is this suggestion that though creative people [...]

First Step to Creativity:
Realize
There
Are
No
Steps
Now, how will you get
from
———————–—————-to up there?

———————–———____
—————–————–|
—————-———____
———-————–|
——————____
—————–|
————____
———–|
——____
—–|
down here
If there are no steps, what else can
lift,
elevate or
transport
you to a. higher place
.you to a  h/\
you to a hig|her place?
|
(Feel free to leave a comment and fill the rest of us in)

In his popular ‘06 TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes an inspiring, and entertaining, argument that we are educating the creativity out of our children.
It’s not hard to see how corporations are on creativity killing sprees as well.
Here are the top 10 signs you’re killing creativity:
1. You Preach ‘Safety First’
If you are always opting for [...]

As a fun little riff, I thought I’d share with you a variety of snapshots from my cell phone and a few thoughts on each:

This is called a Whisper Phone. Our daughter’s elementary school teacher showed it to us at a parent/teacher conference. Children use the whisper phone so they can hear themselves [...]