Be A Yes Person

Castle logo.

Be A Yes Person

We understand the ready, fire, aim concept.

But do we live the essential essence of the opposite; intentional and proactive thinking and doing?

Years ago one of my favorite Disney colleagues, Dennis Frare, shared a statement that is one of the most profound truths i’ve ever heard.

To know is to do. To know and not do, is to not yet know.

The value of the following yes-or-no questions is self-evident and irrefutable.

Have fun answering.

i have read at least 24 creativity and innovation books?
i am the most passionate student of creativity and innovation i know?
i subscribe to, and read, at least two daily creativity and innovation blogs?
i have personally written extensively (subjective) about creativity and innovation?
i teach continuous improvement to others?
i understand and practice thinking inside-the-box.

These questions are the ticket to the dance. They are in no way all-inclusive. The road to excellence has no finish line.

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This website is about our HOME. This is the fifth of five daily, differently-themed blog posts about: (1) mind, (2) body, (3) spirit, (4) work, (5) home. To return to Mid Life Celebration, the site about MIND, click here.

Ready, Fire, Aim

Disney author Jeff Noel writing on iPhone on Disney train — Writing from a Walt Disney World Steam Train today.

Ready, Fire, Aim

Before you go any further, ask yourself some honest creativity questions.

If you are unable to answer yes to every question, you should rethink your motivation.

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Stop piling it on

Disney's Swan Resort — Disney’s Swan Resort.

Stop piling it on

Do an inventory of your business book collection, business email subscriptions, self-improvement Facebook pages you’ve liked, and people you follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Quit buying business books you’ll never read.

Quit listening to podcasts.

Quit reading blog posts.

Quite surfing LinkedIn and Twitter for the next creativity and innovation nugget.

How much creativity and innovation information do you need before you can convince yourself you’re confident in your continuous improvement convictions?

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Fear is a Liar

Disney Institute Employee Engagement program banner — Disney Institute Employee Engagement program at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort Convention Center.

Fear is a Liar

We admire legendary corporate cultures. Companies like Apple, Harley-Davidson, Southwest Airlines, and of course, Disney, come to mind immediately.

If we are honest with ourselves, would we say, deep down, we’ll never be as good.

i mean, seriously, how could we possibly create a continuous improvement culture that actually manifests itself as organizational vibrancy?

We can’t.

And we believe the script we tell ourselves.

What if i challenged you to .think .differently?

To imagine being able to draw up cultural blueprints; to architect a foundation that you can’t wait to show and tell others about.

This book illustrates the four foundational creativity and innovation building blocks for world-class corporate culture.

It’s just a dream and a drawing, but guess what?

Now you have a drawing.

You never had a blueprint before.

You’re welcome.

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The Law of Thinking Inside the Box

two people sitting on floor next to Disney trash can — We both wrote this fine October 2016 afternoon.

The Law of Thinking Inside the Box

If you want to generate creative ideas to solve your business challenges, you should think _______ ___ ___.

Business professionals unanimously answer, “outside the box.”

(Insert game show buzzer sound for the wrong answer.)

The challenge with out of the box thinking is that there are no parameters, and because of this, ideas may be wonderfully creative, but:

Can they be implemented quickly and inexpensively?
Are they scalable?
Once implemented, do they enhance your business objectives in remarkable ways?

Organizational creativity requires parameters.

You can ‘organize to maximize’ your idea generation, selection, and implementation.

Let’s face it, the need for creative solutions to challenges is never-ending. From small, daily issues, to weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and beyond – it never stops.

The most admired companies in the world reach that level of distinction in large part because they have mastered a simple and scalable method for problem-solving.

As this book unfolds, you’ll learn how to build your box and how to think inside it.

It’s also worth noting that the road to excellence has no finish line. Great organizations are never satisfied.

Never.

Satisfied.

As soon as something remarkable is launched, fixed, or enhanced, the next day people are (without prompting) asking, “How can we make this even better?”

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