Holly recently contributed to a series of blogs on innovation. She was asked to respond to the question, ‘What is the most dangerous current misconception in innovation?’

…that innovation can only be done by a few, naturally talented individuals.

Each of us has the power to be innovative. There are some simple ways to use the power of your brain to innovate every day. Doing them becomes complex and infrequent not because they require deep expertise or innate abilities, but because we have stripped away the time to pause and ponder. The moments to wander, explore, connect, and trigger our brain to do it differently have been almost completely eliminated from our lives. Think about how filled your current day is. If you aren’t engaged actively with a customer, supplier or employee, you are checking you PDA and responding to the hundreds of emails in your inbox. You might even be doing both at the same time.

We have created a belief structure that it is more valuable to check our PDA constantly even though it is estimated 80% of all email today is spam. We behave as if the most important things to focus on and do are located on that device or in meetings or on email. We feel guilty or believe somehow there is less value in sitting quiet every now and then to ponder future possibilities or get clear on winning or exploring alternatives.

Learning how to think differently requires time. Your brain needs a trigger and then some space to think. I am not talking about a lot of time, so don’t panic. In only 10 seconds or so every now and then, you could effectively think differently.

Keep in mind, however, the more successful you are, the less likely you are going to want to pause and consider thinking differently. This is the underlying reason so many people keep doing what they have always done, even when they see it is no longer working or everything around them has changed.

Learn to ask yourself: “What if…?
…my competitor had this choice? What would they do?
…my employees could change one thing? What would it be?
…the same data can be looked at from a different perspective or angle? What would I see if I were older, younger, a customer, a supplier…?
…my assumptions are wrong? What else is possible?
…I step back and look at the big picture?
…I am wrong and there is another way?”

The most powerful way to trigger your brain is to simply ask it a question. You naturally attempt to answer questions almost immediately. Your brain responds instinctually. Make your questions ones that open you to possibilities, to new ways of looking at the same data, to new interpretations of the same old thing. To do this, you must pause from the running and doing we have often decided has more value.

It’s amazing what you can come up with when you realize your mind is a very playful and interesting place. And you should visit more often. Go brain go.

You can check out all of the ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles from the different contributing authors on ‘What is the most dangerous current misconception in innovation?’ by clicking the link in this sentence.

How many times during your career have you attended training, or read a book, that offered tools and taught techniques that fired you up only to find yourself unable to implement them?

A frustrating experience and even more so when others seem to apply them effortlessly. That’s especially true when those who do succeed are less experienced or skilled than you.

What’s going on? Most likely the difficulty lies in your MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy^TM) and it is your MAP that needs to change.

People can’t implement any method unless their MAP is synergistic with it.
Unfortunately, most management and leadership training assumes that participants have a certain kind of MAP or they wouldn’t be there.

But that’s not true-MAP is as individualistic as snowflakes-no two are identical.

MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy^TM) is the basis for everything you do-it’s the why of life.

Everything you do and say is a mindset, grounded in your attitude towards others, which, in turn, is based on your personal philosophy.

MAP is learned, not innate, and it changes, either passively, through the influence of those around you, or actively, in ways that you consciously choose.

That’s why learning better management, leadership, parenting, etc., is a far cry from actually accomplishing it. The difference is similar to the difference between stain and paint.

• Paint learning means coating what you already think with new ideas or approaches. The problems arise when the underlying attitudes and thoughts, i.e., MAP, are inconsistent with the new ideas-the greater the discrepancies between the two the more difficult it is to successfully implement them.
• Stain learning means that the new ideas sink in and actually become part of your MAP. That also means being willing to modify or change your MAP when the value of the new ideas is greater than the cost of change.

The greatest thing about MAP is that it’s completely within your control.

Changing it requires a strong desire, the right catalyst-awareness-and a journey through each of the four levels of competence:

1. unconscious incompetence,
2. conscious incompetence,
3. conscious competence, and
4. unconscious competence. (Most people believe they never reach this level since, by definition, when they do reach it they aren’t aware of it.)

Although there are as many types of MAP as there are people, I’m often asked what comprises “good” MAP.  Keeping in mind that my answer is totally subjective, I think good MAP is (in no particular order) positive, open, flexible, honest, secure, interested, enthusiastic, patient, sincere, encouraging, caring and loves creativity (its own or others).

Once your MAP is on board and you start implementing, be careful not to confuse process with bureaucracy.

• Process is like MAP, it gets you where you want to go, whereas bureaucracy stifles whatever it touches.
• Process, like MAP, is ever-growing/ever-changing, while bureaucracy is carved in stone.

Finally, remember that in the high stakes employee productivity, motivation and retention game MAP is worth more than money.
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About the author: Miki Saxon is founder of RampUp Solutions, Inc.

Miki has been coaching startup executives on their cultures and communication skills for 10 years using a system she developed called MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy^TM) that’s predicated on the belief that every outcome starts with a thought, so “To change what they do, change how you think^TM”

In 2003, she shifted from consulting to a virtual coaching model to accommodate both her clients’ preferences and a move to southern Washington State.

RampUp Solutions is also developing Option Sanity^TM, the first program to provide an automated, CEO-defined approach (based on the founder’s philosophy) to awarding stock options for any company instituting a stock plan. Beta testing is set for mid-Q3, with full release in Q4. Interested parties should contact miki@RampUpSolutions.com or call 866.265.7267

Miki writes two blogs, MAPping Company Success and Leadership Turn.