Genius in the Workplace

More naps, increased curiosity, less detail and an abundance of positivity. Sounds like a great way to approach work? It's actually pure genius.

Genius in the workplace goes beyond brainstorming sessions and innovation mandates. It is an innate way of thinking differently that becomes a pre-occupation. An evolving mind map of thoughts that explores possibilities while adjusting variables to take into account new information of relevance. An obsessive need to solve problems to provide enhanced solutions.

Culture change programs are focussing on creating work places that adopt 'Einstein' traits to encourage genius.  These values embrace the following principles:

 Imagination, Always questioning, Old problems new ways of thinking,  Intuition, Strong positive attitude, Naps, Rise above the mundane details, Willingness to try new things...and fail, Maintaining balance, Stay on top of technological trends *

Most of us are not geniuses. We work hard at being perceived to be smart. We facilitate sessions to unlock ideas. We focus on what we can control. We keep an eye on trends and competitors. We response as quickly as we can to new information. 

The learning that I have taken from 'Einstein' and professional observations on ingenuity is this;

* Deep thinking is different to free thinking

   Brainstorming sessions enable free thinking. Deep thinking is an entirely different concept 

   requiring time and intense focus. It is also more difficult to achieve as it requires taking

   resources away from everyday work distractions on a regular basis. It requires a full

   understanding on what the 'old problem' is to apply new thinking to it. In contrast,

   brainstorming sessions don't require much context or understanding to generate  

   ideas.

 

   

* Genius emerges from curiosity and questioning

   Genius ideas do not come about by working in isolation. Accessing knowledge, insights and            

   experiences available enhances the thinking process. Beware of individuals that always know 

   the answer. They are most likely to be the ones stifling creativity and progressive thinking.

   You don't need to know the answer to solve the problem, however you need to embrace the

   process of discovery.

* Maintain an external focus on technology, customer and market trends

   Organisations with a strong external focus survive by reinventing themselves. Businesses 

   with an internal focus eventually self implode from not being open or able to change over

   time. Focusing on breaking down an internal barrier impacting on external performance role

   models how new ways of thinking about an old problem creates positive outcomes.

* Minimise burning and churning resources 

   Resources that are over stretched do not have the time or energy to contribute beyond their

   immediate focus items. The ability to contribute quality thinking requires time out to focus. 

   Stressful workplaces do not allow for questioning or time to be curious. Deep thinkers are 

   likely to move on quickly from these workplaces, even though their skills are greatly

   required.

...and if all fails take a nap and start again...

* Taken form an article Mike Werling titled '10 Traits Entrepreneurs and Einstein Share' Oct 2008 on www.entrepreneur.com. 

Guerilla marketing thinking in large organisations

Guerrillamarketing was defined by Jay Conrad Levinson as a way of promoting that relieson time, energy and imagination (source: Wikipedia). It embraces an alternativeway of thinking to the traditional marketing principles employed by largeorganisations to assist individuals and smaller businesses attract and build aloyal customer base.

Theapproach cuts through marketing jargon and ignites us all to ‘go to market’ with confidence by trustinginstincts. It is the “doing” that is critical to keep momentum.  Everyone has time, energy and imagination.What we often lack is investment dollars and support resources.

There aremany free and cost effective ways to target customers. Opportunistic ways tostand out from competitors are all around if you are open to seeing them andapply some imagination. Managing the risk is less daunting when there islimited investment dollars required to assess impact.

Marketingleaders in large enterprises are required to be more adaptable and flexible astraditional practices are being challenged. Find new ways to adapt traditional ‘go to market’ models.  Keep a keeneye on the external environment as the cost of entry for new brands to quicklyreach a target audience becomes less of a barrier. Demonstrate a guerrillamarketing tenacity and attitude to stay ahead of the competition.

Bigcompany marketing approaches can become predictable, slow and unoriginal.  The big players keep watch of the other bigplayers.  This allows new players withenergy, imagination and time to grab attention and customers.  Placing pressure on margins for largercompanies with high cost structures. 

Thequestion is whether process discipline and guerrilla thinking can co-exist? This evolution is still a work in progress.  A philosophical step change is required tounlock guerrillas from their constraints in large enterprises.

Suggested leadership qualities and mantras are outlinedbelow.

1.  Time, Energy & Imagination - Embrace thismantra as part of the marketing culture. Marketing leaders need to be enablersof these conditions to incorporate guerrilla thinking to challenge theconventional.

2.  Doing trumps planning – Execution provideslearning. Embrace doing and avoid over engineering the planning process.

3.  Leadership – You are closest to the business you intuitivelyknow what to do. Be decisive.  Trust yourinsights.

4.  Apply, learn and test scenarios – Review quickly. Stop doingwhat isn’tworking.  Even when there is a lot ofdata, isolating the impact of individual marketing activities can beimpossible.  Be a champion of flexibleexecution to uncover wins and losses.

5.  Does it really need high production quality toexecute – Oftenit is the simple, personalised touches that make the most impact withcustomers.

6.  Be alert and react quickly – Avoid being too internallyfocused and set on a path regardless of external trends and competitor actions.

7.  Use technology to advantage – There are many new andcost efficient technologies that can be used to engage customers, increasemessage reach and measure activity responsiveness. 

8.  If you can’t explain quickly and simply what you’re doing and why, youprobably don’t knowwhat you’re doing– Oftenmarketing plans are complex. Does everyone in the team know what is expectedand how to measure success.

Marketingleaders who can get the internal balance between process discipline andguerrilla marketing thinking right will increase profitability.  Having the two co-exist will produce optimalresults even though the approaches are divergent practices.  Fast moving markets, on-line consumerengagement and new media has created new ways to ‘goto market’ for those with time, energyand imagination.  This reality appliesjust as much too large enterprises as it does to smaller players.

Ever had a performance review in a coffee shop?

A meeting over coffee can be a powerful way to connect with an individual or small team.  An off site meeting in a cafe setting can be an ideal communications environment. It can act as a leveller where reactions and comments are likely to be aggressive, emotional or confronting. Sales people use the concept effectively to provide a small reward for a client's time and create a comfortable setting to exchange information. 


Great people managers use coffee shop meetings in a strategic and relevant way. Like any well thought out communications approach it is important that the messaging cuts through and the context is aligned to outcomes.  It takes confidence to take the lead in meeting this way, especially if it is with a staff member you don't easily communicate with. If you are new to leading people it can be professionally awkward or even intimidating.


Think about it.... there's the process of inviting, the ride down in the lift,  the walk to the chosen destination, the ordering process (which can take forever if its a whole team) and so it goes on. If you struggle with small talk or just find it difficult to engage with the person or group you are with it can feel like a big effort.


The power of such meetings is not just because they are less formal, more social or a break away from office routine.  The location implies a courteous exchange of information and ideas simply because it is in a polite environment. This can be an unexpected and pleasant way to identify solutions, uncover underlying issues, provide advice, refocus priorities, and demonstrate care.


Coffee shop meetings should be used wisely, with purpose, in a practical way.


The most successful coffee shop meetings are to check-in 'one on one', understand work wins and challenges, identify barriers for achieving goals, explore concepts, or to brief-in projects.


I have experienced some uncomfortable moments relating to meetings over coffee. Here are some examples that come to mind for me:

• Team meetings over coffee with more than 3 people where the ordering process and delivery time drags on and is a major distraction
• Regular meetings over lunch where the pressure to eat quickly, talk about important issues, and not be put off by the other person eating made it impossible to catch up effectively
• A manager who talked so loudly and did not have any discretion about topics or care for who was in ear shot
• The colleague who only ever wanted to meet in their office and did not seem to understand the value of a two way exchange in neutral space
• The manager who conducted formal performance reviews with staff 
• The colleague who picks up every call on their mobile so you are sipping coffee trying not to look like you're listening or annoyed

What are some of the uncomfortable coffee meeting moments you have experienced?