Inspiration does not appear out of thin air. In part it is the product of hard work, perseverance, and passion for what you are doing. Which led Thomas Edison to conclude: “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
On another level, inspiration relies heavily upon things we already know. Our knowledge of the world processed and stored in bits of information called imagination, memory, and judgment-type mental activity—or as some might put it, your organizational database. As such, inspiration is the spark that motivates and compels action in feeling, thought, values, and belief.
Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.
— Pablo Picasso
If inspiration lies within all of us, why is it so difficult to harness and leverage as an organizational asset? Moreover, how can business leaders tap into the energy, passion, and creativity that spark and fan the flames of inspiration in a way that drives performance excellence?
The problem is more serious than you think. A recently released Forrester Consulting study commissioned by Adobe found that while leaders perceive creativity as a benefit in all functional areas of the business, 61% do not view their firms as creative [see The Creative Dividend, how creativity impacts business results, August 2014]. A mere 11% of those surveyed said their organizations were aligned “with firms readily recognized as creative.”
On the plus side, the study found organizations that “foster creativity achieve [more] exceptional revenue growth than peers, enjoy greater market share and competitive leadership, and [earn] recognition as a best place to work.”
The inspired business energizes everything it touches. Growth and value are its natural by-products. Its processes and methods are client and/or customer-centric. Every breath and fiber of the organization is focused on serving others — clients, customers, strategic partners, team members, vendors — as a means of achieving greatness. Shared Values are at the heart of everything this organization does. Flawless execution is its hallmark.
Given that inspiration is such a vital force in the creativity, innovation, and operational excellence of your organization, consider how you can tap into and leverage inspiration in ways that translate into consistent revenue growth that outperforms competitors, improves profit margins, and generates greater market share.
First of all, the reason so few firms are “inspired” is because inspiration begins with introspection and introspection is a dirty word to most executives. Socrates is credited with saying, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Same goes for self-examination on the organizational level. If you and your leadership team cannot readily identify, define, and communicate the why, how and what that make you better than competitors how can you expect your frontline team members to do so? How can you expect customers and clients to believe what you tell them? How can you compel others to action?
The foundational premise behind MindMeld is just that. A means for enabling leaders to awaken and clarify vision, dreams, ideas, energy, and passion that somehow get overlooked in the busyness of business.
Phase One of the process involves introspective exercises that reveal and clarify vision, worldview, and values relative to the marketplace. This answers the “why” questions, as in: why you are different, why it matters, and why people should do business with you.
Phase Two examines the value chain and the methods, processes, and workflows that enable you to deliver value to clients. Thorough analysis is made of the market using a method called data triangulation. As a result you can now determine if the why and how of your business are properly aligned with consumer wants, needs, and demand. If not, you can value engineer these dynamic forces so they are.
The what, or overall strategy, now clearly emerges in a truly “inspired” way. It is genuine, honest, service-driven, and results-oriented because you made it that way. It fosters a creative environment based on “inside the box” thinking, whereby everything you do is values based and value-driven with a single-minded focus on customers and clients that inspires action—both internally and externally.
Lance Secretan writes, “there is a growing movement that seeks to restore joy, significance, and personal worth in work and life. It is a movement formed by leaders who are leaving old ideas of leadership behind and adopting new philosophies that inspire others to get things done and to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.” [see The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch]
Are you as a business leader part of this movement to inspire yourself, others, and yes, even the world?
About MindMeld: Our vision is that your business will grow, prosper, and make a positive and lasting impact on the world. We accomplish this by helping you discover and communicate the inherent value of your products and services and capitalize on that value in lasting, meaningful ways. To learn more please contact me at doug.knuth@mindmeldmarketing.com.