Businesses are increasingly putting innovation at the top of the business growth agenda. This puts increased pressure on accountants to become more innovative in their approach and thinking.
But how is this possible when the accountancy profession is so hard-wired toward left brain process driven, analytical thinking?
The good news is that anyone can become a BIG IDEAS person. It just takes practise. (Ideally Passionate Practise).
Here are some simple exercises:
- Start noticing everything. Become a traveller in your day-to-day life. Notice more. Start questioning the processes and assumptions under which you operate at work and in the office.
- Every day, ask yourself a good open question and write it at the top of a sheet of A4. Write a list of possible solutions and don’t stop until you’ve filled the page or written at least 25 answers (whichever happens sooner)
- Get a whiteboard in your office and sketch out the key problems you’re trying to solve. It’s far easier when you can see the problem (plus it helps others see the problem too).
- Read more widely. Pick up random magazines e.g. from weekend newspapers, and notice key themes and trends. Notice the design of slick advertising. Read articles that you might not normally consider reading.
- Mix with more people. Say yes more to invites from people who you might not normally choose to hang-out with. Ask questions and listen. Suspend your judgements or preconceptions. You might just find that you’re way off the beat and learn a thing or two.
- Mind-map your thoughts on a sheet of paper. Use lots of colours. (Your mind likes colours. Trust me). Look for connections and draw arrows to connect them. Stick it up on the wall. Return to it later and notice that you’ll spot even more connections. Spooky.
- Get up and walk about when you hit mental sticking points. Extra blood flow to the brain via exercise could be just the stimulus you need to make that break-through.
- Ask good questions. Good questions are those that are open and invite possibility thinking e.g. “What if we opened an office in X, what might this mean for our business?” See point 2 above.
- Encourage a culture of idea generation within your team. Eradicate cynicism. Allow team members to feel empowered to challenge the norm without fear of being ‘”shot-down” or made to feel silly or embarrassed. After all, initial seedling ideas can turn into giant market leading oak trees.
- Develop an ethos of learning as a continuum within your team and become sceptical when things start to feel obvious, comfortable or black and white – revel in the grey and uncertain as this is where breakthroughs live.
Here are just 10 ideas. Try some today. Let me know how you get on or any other suggestions you have?
[Photo credit to ViaMoi]
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