Thinking Innovation
Thinking Innovation – The Bohemian in us All
In October of 2002 I had the joy of speaking at a conference in Prague for the Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO). The Young Presidents’ Organisation is an international group of business leaders who gather to network and learn. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and a beautiful old city where even the ‘New Town’ was founded in the 14th century. The theme of the conference was ‘Bringing Out the Bohemian in Us All’ and my topics of presentation were ‘Thinking Innovation’ and ‘Smart Behaviours in a Changing World’.
A Bohemian is defined as
A person - especially a poet, artist etc - who lives and thinks in an unconventional, non-conforming way.
In this fast paced world of ours it is essential that we all add an element of ‘Bohemian’ to our thinking. Business and life are not just about the predictable, the balanced and the secure, they are also about the unpredictable, the uneven and the turbulent. By tapping into some Bohemian thinking we find ourselves better able to deal with the turbulence of ‘white water’ times.
Katmandu, Nepal is quite a way from Prague and the Czech Republic but there is a link. My wife Lindy and I spent our honeymoon in Nepal and had many adventures there. One was white-water rafting on the Sun Kosi River. There was a simple process of instruction to rafting; when the river was smooth the guide told us paddlers to ‘relax’, when the river was rough, he shouted out ‘paddle!’
To some extent ‘paddle’ and ‘relax’ is the limit of strategies some individuals and businesses have for dealing with change, challenge and chaos. A ‘Paddle like Buggery’ philosophy can be exciting and a definite adrenalin rush, but it can also lead to your boat being overturned and you struggling in cold water for very precious breath.
A different approach is to spend a bit of time each day with your Bohemian beret on, pondering possibilities. Like a poet or a visionary ask yourself ‘what if?’ questions. Such questions are the rock throws that can skim you into potential futures.
‘What if the market crashes?’ ‘What if there is war in Iraq?’ ‘What if I were unable to work for three months?’ ‘What if our client numbers doubled next month?’
By visiting such potential futures and playfully pondering in our minds we can devise possible alternative actions and responses before an event occurs. We may not be able to predict an exact outcome but by rehearsing possible scenarios we are better able to think quicker, on our feet - or in our raft, when a turbulent event does arise. We have already prepared our minds, hearts and bodies to flow in the unconventional.
Another Bohemian thinking tool is to be an asker of the great questions ‘why?’ and ‘why not?’. Firstly, prepare yourself to be an observer in life, then whenever anything bugs you ask yourself ‘why does this ‘bug’ exist? Then use the ‘why?’ exploration to develop innovative ideas for ridding yourself of the bug. Likewise, when someone says ‘It can’t be done’, ask ‘why not?’ then set about finding ways to ensure it can be done.
‘What if?’ ‘Why?’ and ‘Why not?’ are three simple Bohemian tools that need to become part of the culture of our individual and organisational thoughts if we are to truly develop a mind-set of innovation and creativity.
Keep in mind that ‘creative cultures’ need what Richard Florida, author of ‘The Rise of the Creative Class’ calls the “Three T’s” : Talent, Technology and Tolerance. Our three Bohemian questions can only live and dance and play within a foundation of the Three T’s. In such environments we can innovate the answers to meet the challenges of today’s world, whether we are in Perth, Sydney, New York, Kathmandu or Prague.
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If you think your organisation needs some creativity and innovation then Glenn Capelli has a keynote presentation and workshop session called ‘Bringing Out the Bohemian’.
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