“The world isn’t waiting for you to get inspired, you have to inspire it."

Hi AIF Team Members;

Funny enough, I was reading a new research paper the other day, entitled “people are biased against creative ideas.”  As a result, I learned the following amongst the findings:

• Creative ideas are by definition novel, and novelty can trigger feelings of uncertainty that make most people uncomfortable.
• People dismiss creative ideas in favor of ideas that are purely practical — one they consider tried and true.
• Objective evidence shoring up the validity of a creative proposal does not motivate people to accept the idea.
• Anti-creativity bias is so subtle that people are unaware of it, which can interfere with their ability to recognize a creative idea in the first place.

As you’ve heard me state before, in times of accelerated change and uncertainty, people will stick to what they consider to be the ‘tried and true’. That’s just how people work.  Yet, if there was ever a need for new ideas it is now.   Further, the report highlighted how in love with ideas we all are, but as much as we are in love with new and disruptive ideas, we shouldn’t forget that executing those ideas is what really matters. My summary take on the report was; if you think that transforming yourself is risky, just remember that people will always make room for the new as long as it benefits them.

Now that I got that subject off my mind, let’s turn our attention to a very practical question; “should you give away ideas to potential clients before making a deal?”

The following is of course my personal take on the above question; ideas are a dime a dozen and coming up with them is really easy and in our “space” sometimes too easy. I noticed that we have one management member (you know who you are J )that sometimes freely gives ideas away to potential clients.  At first I didn’t like it. It made me uncomfortable because I thought he would give away too much before we closed the deal.  Then I began to rethink the issue and finally realized that it’s not so strange all our proposals usually lay out an almost step-by-step funding strategy with as much details as possible.  In fact, the way we’ve always looked at it, most of the proposals we’ve ever received all looked alike and looked more like a recipe for anyone, rather than customized solution plan. This is the very reason we needed to make our proposals idea driven, with the intent of differentiating ourselves.  So I changed my opinion, having realized that ideas don’t really matter, insights do.  

For the most part just coming up with random ideas isn’t a focused exercise, but if you have insights you have much more focus.  Hence, the need for completed funding evaluation questionnaires.  You see, there are all types of people (and therefore all types of businesses) that are by nature not so creative.  Some businesses are not designed to ideate, especially if they operate in boring industries.  It is these types of people and businesses that if you give them ideas, they’ll take whatever comes their way.  They might even perceive you as a genius because you’ve given them so much. Hence, you really need to know your products, they are in themselves evolutionary.

Now that I too am armed with a new mindset, the core lessons and issues have become:

1. Execution matters more than ideas. Yes, you have to be able to execute ideas. We can come up with funding tools and ideas, but execution is where the rubber meets the road. Nothing is going to happen if you don’t execute, so that is really the challenge. Hence, online social networks make this part a lot easier than before, but there’s nothing like face-to-face conversations or even a phone call.
2. Success requires commitment. Because the vast majority of activities require a commitment of money, people, time and will; lots of businesses will not immediately jump on a new idea.  Hence, when proposing an alternative funding strategy to an applicant, it may require you and them to do things a bit  differently.

3. Sharing is the new normal. In the world we live in today where information flows freely, more people connect, new reputations are being built on ‘helpfulness’; being helpful is expected. Giving ideas away is the new normal. Hence, people need to know what you have to offer and the benefit they can derive.
4. Innovation begins with conversations. This goes with the last point, conversations where sharing takes place are breeding grounds for ideas. Hence, you might give an applicant an idea but in really talking with them and listening to others perspectives, that original idea just might transform into something new and incredible.

In closing, don’t give ideas away because it’s cool, but because it’s part of what one does in an effort to introduce new ideas.  Adding value to the conversation is how you contribute and build your reputation with applicants. There is also an experimentation strategy going on here because; not all potential clients are the same, the approach you take depends on how you size up the situation.  And consuming information isn’t just about reading, seeing and hearing it, it’s about understanding, observing and listening. It’s about going, looking beyond the obvious and seeing deeper.  The key here is to know what you’re looking for, so giving away ideas isn’t really a risk because it’s just the start of a process. It’s not the end.

Again, these are just some “ideas” that you too may find useful. Thanks for your time and have a great weekend.

With best regards,  stay thirsty.