The future is not the past

Words: 314
Reading Time: 1 minute 3 seconds

The Japanese have just returned a deep space probe to Earth carrying asteroid dust. They hope it will indicate something more about the origins of the universe.

It’s fascinating stuff. As humans we seem to have an abiding interest in origins. Most young children eventually ask, “Where did I come from?” In biological terms that can be difficult enough for a parent to answer; in philosophical terms it’s extremely profound.

However, too often origins are felt to be deterministic – not only by us, but also by others. If we were born among plumbers and electricians, then we think we cannot be an academic. If a person was born in a deprived area, or of rich parents, then they are characterized in a certain way.

In business this type of think is widespread, but extremely restrictive.

Those that start out as employees rarely see themselves as entrepreneurs – until redundancy forces them into a rethink.

Businesses that start out as caterers can find it difficult to branch out into computer software. Their competence is doubted since this is not seen as their “core” business.

Why is it, that what we start with is always considered “core” rather than convenient, or circumstantial?

Even in ecological and environmental terms we know that the future of planet Earth is not the past endlessly replayed. We are no different except that, as self-determined individuals, we can decide in which direction we wish to change and do it much faster.

But we need to get out of our own way.

Business suggestions:
1) Re-examine what you do – is that what really interests you?
2) Re-examine the way that you do it – is that the best you have to offer?
3) Re-examine those you work with – what else are they capable of?
4) Re-examine those you do not work with – what are you missing?

As Richard Bandler once said: “Why be yourself when you can be someone so much better?”

Lessons in Staying Positive – #6

Words: 455. Reading time: 1 minute 31 seconds.

The great thing about creative thinking is that apart from a little time and effort it is also free. Coming up with new ideas is essential for any business as it takes them forward and helps them keep ahead of their competition.

The down side of creative thinking is that it can feel scary because it is all about new ideas that have not been tested, where as you could be spending your time working on what you already know and do.

But please remember these two things:

1) What you know may not be working because of the change in circumstances we are already experiencing, or may start to fail at some point.

2) Any new ideas you have will continue to be free up to the point where you consider them good enough to start taking action.

This economic climate could be the time your company makes a massive leap forward, but it will all depend on your willingness to look.

The sixth lesson is: thinking creatively is as valuable in tough times as it is in the good times.

There are always far more options than people think they are; just give yourself permission to explore for a bit.

Creative thinking is essential for a company's development

The best way to do this is to throw all the known rules out of the window for a while and begin exploring the possibilities. For this initial phase accept every idea, however ridiculous it appears. This is not the time for criticism and exclusion. This is the time to get a little wild. Most people get hampered by thinking about what can't be done and who they are not, rather than what they could do and what they could become.

Once you have made the time to look seriously how each idea could be implemented and what that might mean, then you can permit those rational judgements back in to test for practical viability. Oh, and you can get back all the known rules that you threw out of the window for a while, but only if they are really still appropriate.

Strange as it may seem, many more businesses suffer from a lack of imagination than suffer from a lack of cash. Too much capital and it tends to replace creativity. Companies without money must dream, imagine, co-operate and improvise. Companies awash with money try to buy solutions from outside consultants – often with very poor results.

It was as recently as August 2008 that Woolworths revealed they had been working with strategy consultants LEK – after already having spent a small fortune with consultants over the last 5 years on their supply-chain logistics. And they were still outperformed by Wilkinsons, with the inevitable results.