Keynote presentation: Avoiding Innovation Black Holes
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Allen Fahden only carries two dollar bills*. Why?
He uses the question to gather feedback from the audience and explore different people’s approaches to innovation and change. He’s quick to point out that there are no wrong answers to the question and hands out two dollar bills to everyone who makes a suggestion. Because two is better than one? Because two dollars is worth (slightly) more than a euro? Because it makes a great ice-breaker for his presentations? Because it annoys people?
It turns out that this last one isn’t so far from the truth, but you’ll need to attend one of Allen’s presentations yourself to find out his own favorite answer to the question…
He goes on to explain that different people react to his two dollar bills in different ways when he tries to spend them in stores, depending on their personality.
- Creators love to break the rules. They are great at solving problems and exploring new ideas. Allen is a creator.
- Executors love to follow the rules but can’t cope with large amounts of change. They love to keep the system working smoothly. These are the people who run off to get their manager when presented with a $2 bill and then call 911.
- Refiners love to make the rules. They are thinkers and have the ability to see around corners and tell you what’s going to wrong with any particular idea. They love picking ideas apart. These people are likely to study the $2 bill, foresee the potential issues of accepting it, then turn round and ask you for another means of payment.
- Advancers are great at setting priorities, defining strategies, and creating action plans. They love new ideas and are key to getting them implemented. Allen recognizes the importance of this kind of person and is keen to meet more of them. Unfortunately for Allen, advancers are generally the most difficult people to annoy with his $2 bill prank.
Allen suggests that the signing of the Declaration of Independence (featured on the back of the $2 note) was perhaps the original dysfunctional meeting. Only about a third of people at the time wanted revolution, another third were fine with the status quo, and the other third just didn’t want their names associated with either side… The moral of the story: it’s a diverse world!
The key to success is playing to your strengths (see Marcus Buckingham’s series of “strength books”). Did you know that Winston Churchill failed 6th grade? That Einstein couldn’t walk until he was four or read until he was seven? It might have been easy to dismiss these people as idiots, but once they found and worked to their strengths, they had the power to change the world.
Creativity = having ideas. Innovation = implementing ideas.
In order to get ideas implemented, everyone must work to their strengths. If this session turned out ideally for you, what would happen today, in two weeks, in six months? What advantages would you gain? What barriers to success would be removed? How are you going to manage to convey the excitement and innovation from this conference back to your colleagues at the office?
A common reaction when colleagues return from a conference is to immediately reject and ridicule any new ideas or enthusiasm they may have picked up. People will reject new ideas because it’s their nature.
Different people resist change for different reasons. This is not bad in itself; each group is just playing to their strengths, dong what they do best. The net result, though, is that many new ideas are shot down before they even get off the ground.
- Creators (35% of people) will say NO - because it’s not their idea.
- Refiners (25% of people) will say NO - because they can see the things that won’t work.
- Executors (25% of people) will say NO because they simply don’t like change.
- Only advancers will say Yes -that’s only - 15% - so you have to go and find them!
So how do you sell an idea to people whose natural tendency is to reject new ideas?
Allen shared a few de-motivational posters that he thought might help:
Never quit. Wait to get fired: you get more.
Or:
Give up. You’re a loser. No poster is going to change that.
Or, my favorite:
Momentum: You spin a lot faster towards the bottom as you’re circling the drain!
Innovation black hole #1: The meeting.
In a typical meeting, 26 ideas might be put out and 25 of them will be shot down. The only idea left standing is probably not the best idea. Instead, it’s likely to be the one that is most devoid of greatness and innovation. These kind of meetings suck the money right out from under you and down the drain.
You need to use speed meetings. Get your Advancer to host a meeting with your Creators, and give them the room to create. Keep the Refiners are out of the room. Then get the Refiners in to refine the ideas - but make sure your Creators are out of the room. Rinse, and repeat. Allen compares the approach to the Newton’s Cradle.
Close the drain and you can do 3 weeks of work in 3 days.
Innovation Black Hole #2: The deliverables
Most CEOs, it seems, are creators or refiners. Most people in IT are refiners and executors. You need a diverse team to get things done. Don’t get bogged down in refining and revising individual deliverables. Keep your eye on the overall goal. Keep the momentum going.
Innovation Black Hole #3: The idea paradox
The bigger your idea, the more it has wrong with it. Every big idea is born drowning. The moon is big and bright, but it too has a dark side.
The Black Hole Solution
The solution to this whole scenario is the radical reinvention of work.
If you haven’t yet read the book Who Moved My Cheese? Go and do so right now.
New discoveries let you make change without changing you. Research shows that strengths and talents drive results. Studies show passion drives success. Marcus Buckingham’s first rule: First Break All the Rules.
Most business books talk about one of four things: Strategy, Process, Roles, Strengths, but fail to connect them together. You need to be able to go to the right strength at the right time.
People work in their strengths only 17% of the time. We love trying to get square pegs into round holes. Dont’ send people to “roundness training”. Change the shape of the hole! Make a better world by playing your own tune. Give the work you hate to someone who loves it.
Allen suggested a refinement on Scott Klososky’s circular org chart from yesterday: Think of the center of the chart as the Death Star (where the Refiners and Executors live) and the tie-fighters as the Creators (with the Advancers as their point men. Hmmm…. %-)
Allen closed with a mention of one of his favorite projects: His “one-book bookstore”. He set up a real brick and mortar book store fully stocked with just one book. His own book. The idea was picked up by local news, NPR, and even People magazine - and he never even had to pick up the phone once to promote the idea. The power of being different.
* As an Englishman, I never even knew that $2 bills existed, but apparently they are actually legal tender. He gave me one to prove it!
If you’re anything like me, you probably do most of your reading online these days. Of course, blogs, wikis, forums, e-newsletters and the like are great for staying on top of the news. Nevertheless, I’m still a great fan of the good old-fashioned printed word.
