A Crisis of Context

One of the greatest challenges to innovation in mission today is our crisis of context. What does that mean you say? Very simple...almost all of the ideas and thinking that circulate today are in snippets.

Think about it:

1. A quote on twitter is just 140 characters of a larger thought.
2. A song on itunes is just one piece of the artist's album
3. A Bible verse taken without those around it share an incomplete truth

And on and on...

Innovation desperately needs context. It is the side stories and the small details around the big idea that inform the new and innovative things. We settle for the soundbites but really what we need are those full body ideas with all of the nuance and the perspectives.

But nuance and perspective take time, consideration and thought. We are short on those things today and thus our innovation suffers.

Here is my challenge to you today:

Pick a key idea that you want to learn about and study it in full...read the whole article...look at a few perspectives...ask a few people what they think.
Your next innovation will be much more significant if you have the context that surrounds it!

Open or Closed

Talking about this subject reminds me of Ecclesiastes. But it is true, there is a time to be open and a time to be closed. What do I mean by that?

One of the greatest lessons in innovation is this: knowing when to be open to new ideas and knowing when to stop soft thinking and drive the idea into reality.

This is a very hard lesson. So many times we cannot distinguish between the creative time (soft thinking) and the implementation time (hard thinking). This means that we are either always in development or we never bother to brainstorm and rush right into roll out. Both leave our project missing so much of the innovation that it could have had.

Why does this happen?
1. We do not clearly set perameters and expectations when we start a project.
2. We are not confident in our innovation and leave it open for constant revision
3. We don't value input from others so we move straight into implementing our idea
4. We are behind schedule and cannot afford to build in the time to innovate

Do these sound familiar? They should. I can't think of a ministry that doesn't struggle with this. And if that weren't hard enough let me through in another twist. Sometimes after you have done your brainstorming, come up with a plan and are in rollout, you have to open up your mind again because something has changed.

So how do you decide when to open your mind to new possibilities and when to close it and get the job done?
1. Create an environment where innovation is celebrated and decisions are honored.
2. Always be willing to entertain new ideas but keep them insulated from items already being rolled out unless they are game changers.
3. Manage expectations daily so that people know what is open for innovation and what must be closed for implementation.
4. Even while you are rolling out today's idea, be promoting and developing people's ideas for tomorrow

As you can see, it isn't black and white. Things are in constant states of opening up for innovation or closing down for implementation. But your ability to facilitate those processes will determine your success.

Reimagining Reality

In my last post, I threw out the Innovation Challenge: What did the top 10 most creative people (according to Fast Company) do to change their industries.

Here is the answer: Reimagine Reality.

Dan Elliott, from Tyndale House Publishers, is our winner with this answer, "each of these innovative leaders did something unexpected, combining multiple disciplines to create a product that is remarkable, worth talking about."

This lesson is so critical for us as innovators. An innovative leader has to do two things to change the rules and think in new ways:

1. Accurately Define Reality:
First an innovator has to define reality accurately. So many times we see people flounder because they do not correctly define reality. What does this mean? This means that we have to be brutally honest about the circumstances in which we find ourselves. If your church is shrinking each month, you have to look at the reasons. If your ministry project is stuck in the mud, you have to ask the tough questions. Only when we define reality accurately can we think creatively about solutions.

2. Reimagine Reality:
What each of the 10 people that I shared with you did was to clearly understand reality and then turn it on it's head. Whether they redesigned how we listen to music, rethought the infrastructure to power electric cars or reimagined comedy, each of them took that clear view of reality and then got creative with it.

Ministry Application
In ministry we are afraid to look at reality clearly because of the many challenges we face. And so, when we try to brainstorm and think creatively we are usually doing it from a faulty understanding of our surroundings. It is only when we take the time to really understand the forces at work and the dynamics of our situation that we can truly be innovative.

This means that you have to take time before the brainstorming sessions and they consultants to understand your world with it's blessings and it's challenges. Once you understand it and accept what God has given you to work with, then you are in a position to reimagine it.

Fix and Flex Part 2

I received a great response from our first installment on the "Fix and Flex" concept. On of our facebook group members asked the following question and I wanted to take a minute and process it with you.

"Jon -- Cool. Sounds like being goal oriented. For me, that is a strong motivator...but what about other creative types that are not particularly goal oriented...who prefer to feel the flow. Any tips? Any tips for those to whom they would be accountable?"

Here are some thoughts:

When we talk about fixing one thing and flexing another, we usually thing dates/times/etc. Those are very linear things that we wish we could fix on both ends. The innovation of fix and flex is that we pick the most important one to success and then the other side of the equation stays loose and able to change.

But lets think about this in a different way for creatives who aren't at all driven by linear goals. You can also do this with very conceptual things. For instance, let's say that you are a graphic designer and you are tasked with creating a series of postcards to promote an upcoming event. The normal process is to receive the scope for the project from whoever is requesting it and then begin to work based on that scope. But what if the designer looked at the scope and asked the question, "Which element of the scope is most central?" Out of this exercise they might pick one or two things to fix. Then they could process, what areas are open for new ideas or new approaches - those are the areas to flex.

Now comes along the manager of this graphic designer. If you are using the same vocabulary, the manager who is holding this graphic designer accountable can engage them and ask what things must be fixed and what areas can the designer really try some new and different approaches.

In this environment, a designer can create an innovative environment while still being accountable for the scope.

What do you think of this next application?

The Courage to Ask the Question

So many times when we think about the challenges of innovation and creative thinking, we get focused on the brain power that is necessary or the creativity that will be required.

But what about the courage just to ask the question. Some of the questions that you have to ask if you are to innovate are scarry. They are revolutionary . . . silly . . . ridiculous . . . outlandish even. But that is how innovation happens - when you are brave enough to ask the questions no one else will ask.

In the Innovation in Mission book, Sam Chaing of TWR dared to ask the question, "How do we get Bible software to Chinese pastors?" When he first asked that question, it sounded impossible, but the asking was what opened the door to the innovative solution.

So what questions do you need to be asking today???

Thinking and Motivating

When you go to brainstorm with your teams, your first challenge is not the soft and hard thinking. Your first challenge is getting your team to the table. The key to a good brainstorming session is the attitude that your team comes to the table with. If they come with their guards up and a skeptical attitude you will not see the creative open discussion you are looking for.

So as you prepare for your brainstorming sessions, here are a few tips:
1. Meet with your team and give them the big picture outside of the brainstorming session
2. Establish an environment of participation by affirming that their input will count
3. Differentiate between good critical thinking and a negative critical attitude
4. Show a timeline and milestones that can show the pathway to success

Soft Thinking / Hard Thinking Part II

One of the misconceptions about soft thinking is that it is easy. How many of you roll your eyes at another all day strategy meeting where there is lots of talk and lunch is catered. We tend to think that the soft thinking is the easy part and the execution is the real work.

Now if you really think about it, you know that isn't true. But that is our perception. So how do we get to a place where we value the soft thinking? Well we need to ask ourselves a few questions:
1. How important is a creative approach to this problem?
2. Where are we going to get the ideas to execute?
3. Why isn't anyone else being innovative in this area?

In the end, soft thinking is as much a discipline as hard thinking. It just looks radically different. Discipline in the soft thinking is the structuring of the creative time, the transcribing of the ideas, the narrowing of the field, the analysis of the data in front of you.

So the next time you are called into an all day Strategic Meeting - look at it as an opportunity to discipline your soft thinking skills.

Hard Thinking / Soft Thinking

Today I gave a presentation about this topic and people seemed to respond very well to it. The idea is this . . .
Soft Thinking is the creative, macro-level, brainstorming that allows people to work on new ideas and be innovative.
Hard Thinking is the actionable and measurable thinking that gets a project done.

I think that we tend to glorify the one that comes easiest to us. Those people who are creative and big thinkers love to sit around and dream. Those who are practical doers love to get the job done well.

The challenge is that both things are critical. You have to have a dynamic integration of soft thinking and hard thinking to really create innovation. Because a genuinely new idea is no good without follow through and on the other side good follow through on a boring idea gets no traction.

Unfortunately, the leader of a project, department, or organization usually surrounds themselves with people who think like them instead of the opposite. So if a leader is a soft thinker they tend not to bring around them hard thinkers to help them make their ideas come about. Innovation in non-profits will only happen when we are thinking about how we think and pulling the right people together to be effective.