The Idea Hunter by Andy Boynton and Bill Fisher
Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer show how innovative ideas come to people who have the habit of looking for them. Idea work is a learnable skill, depending more on how you search for ideas, than personal brilliance.
The hunt for ideas starts with a desire to learn about the world around you. However, it is necessary to focus your search for ideas by identifying your 'gig', your life's calling. For Henry Ford, his gig was a car in everyone's driveway. For Warren Buffett, it is to understand the fundamentals of a company. Your gig is your steering wheel, focusing your search and energizing it.
One of their key points is highlighting the difference between a person's vocation, such as professional accountant, and that person's gig, designing accounting systems. They suggest three questions for a person to determine their life's calling: What things constantly attract my attention and curiosity? What is it that I am good at (and want to be really great at)? Where is there a market for this? Whether or not you enjoy an activity is a question that you can answer. What you are good at is best answered by people who know you. The third question determines whether you've found a career or a hobby.
Boynton and Fischer use the acronym, IDEA, to describe four principles of the idea hunter process.
Interested (I) - good ideas are the result of great curiosity about the world around us. Idea hunters are focused by their gigs, but open to ideas from other fields. The number of good ideas that each of us can create is limited. There is no limit to the ideas that we find by looking around us. Curious minds look for surprises and learn from them. The iPod's wheel was a recycled idea used in the past. Disneyland was based on a visit to Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.
Diversify (D) - Thomas Edison believed in hiring people who knew a lot of different things. He believed possessing a diverse range of experiences and the use of analogies were keys to the invention process. At a time of increasing complexity, we should surround ourselves with people with diverse backgrounds. Most of us associate with people who are similar to us. These relationships are called "strong ties". However, the best ideas come from other fields, people that we don't naturally associate with. People who are social connectors are invaluable. Connectors are individuals who have a diverse range of friends and acquaintances, from all walks of life and demographic groups.
Exercising (E) - idea hunters immerse themselves totally in their fields. Sam Walton, who created Wal-Mart, frequently walked through other retail stores, talked to a diverse range of people and picked the brains of retailing gurus. Idea hunters are keen observers of the world around them, very disciplined in what they are looking for, separate critical incidents from random noise, and keep copious notes concerning their observations. Thomas Edison wrote down his observations in 2,500 note books. They try ideas out by rapid prototyping, taking rough ideas out for a spin. For example, movie producers use storyboards to explore ideas.
Agility (A) - a new idea is seldom good without lots of refinement. The idea hunter absorbs many ideas, combining ideas together and taking them for a test drive. The process is non-linear, with many turns, and frequent additions from other sources. The concept for the theatrical production West Side Story took years to evolve. It is like experimenting with ingredients to create a new recipe. Great ideas take time to evolve. Many ideas get tossed out during the process. Great conversations with a diverse group of people also help.
The book, The Idea Hunter, stresses how innovations are the result of focused searches by people with open minds. Openness of mind and curiosity is more important than brilliance.
The Idea Hunters can be found in the Prince George Public Library.
-- Reviewed by John Shepherd, a former member of the library board of trustees.
