brainstorming

Moneyball – the Smart Way to Innovate Better

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How to get your team to innovate on a consistent basis

Have your innovation projects yielded mediocre results? I have a fun solution. Go watch the movie Moneyball. It stars Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Chris Pratt (before he became Starlord), Philip Seymour Hoffman, and is based on a book by Michael Lewis. The story is about how an unlikely team almost won the American Baseball championship, the MLB World series. But, what does that have to do with innovation?

Moneyball shows a different way of looking at a game.

If asked which team will win the championship in a competition, I reckon you will look at the team with the leading stars. Irrespective of the sport, we tend to look at the movers-and-shakers and the clutch players who win championships. In other words, the big names who are paid big bucks. A team with no marquee players almost has no chance against these giants.

When it comes to innovation, we often consider ourselves as the minors against the larger-than-life innovation greats in our organizations.

Who are we to generate ideas? And if we do, surely the inventors around us must have thought of them already. That’s where we look at the approach followed in real life by Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt in the movie.

Instead of being overawed by stars, it’s much better to look at the key elements which required to win a game. In baseball, it is about getting people onto the base and scoring the runs for you. The stars will hit their home runs, but that’s not the only way to get there.

You can score one at a time and still win the game.

The sport has enough room for people who keep things moving step-by-step instead of mouth-gaping moments, such as home runs, which are sporadic. If you keep things moving, you can create more scoring opportunities.

Innovation projects are similar, but they need a defining element. A goal.

Something as nebulous as “we need to execute on the new and different” is vague for most of us. Because it is ill-defined, we create a mental picture of path breaking discovery. But, why is that a problem?

It is because any idea suggested to get there seems inferior to this lofty goal.

We get in the rejection mode leaving a trash can of discarded ideas. I guarantee if you look at that bin again, you will find great value sitting there. Just reflect on the “I wish I’d done that” mentions around you. I am sure you have heard yourself or others wistfully wonder aloud of ideas they thought of but didn’t execute and others have made successful products on those.

Is there a solution? Absolutely. Else I would be totally boring you leading you to this point 🙂

Let’s start by defining our primary responsibility, which is to serve the consumer. Our success, as individuals and as organizations, hinges on how well they like our products and services. We need to know their tastes and preferences, their pain points, and what is their innate need. That is the golden question every company, every entity whether it’s a startup or the highest valued company in the world is trying to answer.

The best way to learn is by being in touch with the consumers themselves.

Larger corporations have an advantage here because they have more touch points through events, conferences, and a staff that engages further. What can an individual like you do at this stage? Even if you are working for a large corporation, it is a part of our duty to spot what the upcoming trends are.

Now, let’s go trend spotting.

I like to use social media a lot to learn where the trend is coming from or in other words where the wind is blowing. You can use LinkedIn, or X / Twitter for this. Reddits are a good place to look at some of these subreddits to understand what people are talking about.

Seek out the highly passionate ones who are giving an opinion.

It’s also important that some of these opinions to be different than yours. Because the true, passionate ones will have a no filter approach. Your job is to study them and determine for yourself which of these would make sense or not. For example, you will find plenty of people who claim that the economy is going to tank in the next six months. Do they back it up with reasons? Do they explain well enough to determine if their assumptions are remotely valid or not? If there is merit in what they are saying, they will teach it well.

Another way to learn is by seeing other product launches.

ProductHunt, Kickstarter, Gumroad are some for startup or indie projects. I like these because these are tailored for a niche, a very small set of people. Quite likely, a larger company has not offered it yet. It’s a signal of the times to come ahead.

At this stage, you have a finger on the pulse of YOUR customer.

You know what to deliver for their pressing need. Addressing that may not need a multi-year budget and an army of the best talent around you.

You have moneyballed your target.

Achieving your goal is a much easier journey. You will have a greater confidence of what needs to be done.

Your solution will also find more acceptance with the customers and will change the trajectory of your innovation projects!

Have fun!

Want to differentiate yourself from the competition?

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The three step process to carve a unique offering.

How should you carve a differentiating message? I am sharing a framework to be used whether you are trying to communicate a message for yourself, a product you are building or if you are making a case for a new initiative. Imagine three circles which are intersecting.

Circle of your Strengths

The first circle is what do you bring to the table. This covers your strengths, your USP, your team’s abilities and everything under that.

Circle of Customers

The next circle captures what your customers really want. What are their core needs? Separate the must-have from the nice-to-have. Customers can be the people you interact with. It can be the team right after yours that depends on your work.

Circle of Competition

Here we capture what is the competition not giving your customers. Your competition could be other people – in the event you are vying for a job, and know similar candidates. What is it that they are not doing? What are they not communicating to the same customer base? Important to state that you are not putting yourself on a higher pedestal. You are just being factual that this is what they are not giving.

The intersection of these three is where your unique differentiation lies. And that’s what your message should focus on.

To sum it up, here are the key action items to carve your differentiation:

  • Reflect on your strengths and the value your team brings.
  • Conduct research to understand customer needs and desires.
  • Analyze the competition to identify gaps in their offerings.
  • Brainstorm ways to align your unique differentiation with customer needs.
  • Develop a clear and compelling message that highlights your unique differentiation.

Moving Ideas Forward: What to do after Brainstorming Sessions

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A few years ago, my friends and I decided to go to Phoenix on a Thanksgiving trip. We decided on the destination after throwing our bags in the car. It was a long weekend and we had about four or five destinations but couldn’t pick. So, we brainstormed the activities, pros and cons, and used the audience poll to arrive at the destination. We arrive in the evening only to find most places were shut because of the holiday!

My friend, that is a lesson on what not to do after a brainstorming session.

With friends who don’t care much for plans, anything is salvageable. That is not the case for your innovation or strategy projects. However, the reason why many a project fails, is that we jump too soon into action.

Brainstorming sessions are high energy events – very stimulating and inspiring!

To choose a single direction at that point of time is natural. It’s like deciding to sit on the front row of a roller coaster. Fun at first but you know the feeling when the train reaches the top.

So, what should we do?

Insert – a – pause.

Wait at least a day. In some cases, give it a week especially for critical projects. If you are deciding on a multi-year strategy, a longer time is suggested before you take the decision.

The pause allows you to reflect on all fronts.

During the ideation sessions, it may be natural to get swayed along a train of thought. The group energy may be such. Some ideas may feel like the best thing since chocolate filled cookies. And yet, marching forward at that time may get you stuck. We haven’t had time to flesh out all perspectives especially the execution details.

After ideation, you should move one or max two ideas for prototyping to confirm the merit of each solution.

Here’s how you get there after the brainstorming session:

  • Summarize the discussion grouping ideas together.
  • Highlight the ones that had the group salivating.
  • Ask the group to think and reflect on each highlighted one.
  • Use a framework, example SWOT, on all. This should be done after the pause duration.
  • Select the ideas to prototype ahead based on your considerations.

The ideation session feels like kids in a toy shop. Everything seems fabulous and possible.

After that, we put our adult hats and determine what to take ahead forward.

That’s it from me for today.

Happy ideating!

Hemang.

p.s.: Our Phoenix trip ultimately turned out very memorable. We visited many surrounding places, went on hikes, discovered historic towns, and had good fun!

What to do if you are given an Innovation goal

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One of the worst things you can do is to take an Innovation project completely on your head. At the onset, it feels like a super worthwhile project where YOU can shine. Ideas come and fly, some stick, and you will be on a path to deliver the riches. Soon enough you will hit a speed breaker and things come to a halt. That’s because you are stuck on a “local maxima,” the farthest point you could reach by isolating a huge piece.

The collective talent of a team.

I am not saying don’t think by yourself. By all means we should do that. We need to dig deep into problems and carve our perspective.

Our solo perspective will always be limited.

As a basketball fan, I have seen countless of NBA tournaments featuring superstars and Hall of Famers. Did Michael Jordan or Steph Curry or Lebron James win it all by themselves? As good as they were, to win at big problems like NBA championships, a strong team is a requirement.

Innovating and in other words, creative problem solving is no different!

Here are my 5 top reasons to consider.

  • Innovation requires a strong supporting cast, not just a standout player.
  • A diverse team brings different perspectives and a 360-degree view of the situation.
  • Opposition and obstacles can be overcome with the help of the team.
  • Involving the team in a relay race-like approach enhances brain power and expands possibilities.
  • Innovation is a team sport that should not rely solely on one person.

Work with a team and see what can be brought to life!

Happy Ideating!
Hemang.

Trust: The Unsaid Factor for Greenlighting Projects

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In the past two weeks, I had contrasting experiences with grocery shopping. A fruit vendor handpicked top quality fruits for me, which turned out to be substandard. Contrast this with another vendor who convinced me to buy the lower-priced of two variants of raisins, which have turned out to be awesome. It’s clear who will get my repeat business, but the more interesting aspect is what they really ended up losing. My complete trust.

I may still shop with them – everyone deserves second and third chances – but will be much more diligent. In there is a lesson for getting the green light for any project you’re pitching.

As our careers progress, we will find ourselves facing complex situations.

We may not know everything we’d like to. In hairy situations where run-time decisions need to be made, the best leader is one who holds the trust. The team believes in this person. As does the management.

Wait – is skill or talent undervalued compared to trust?

Yes, to an extent. There will always be a skill gap. However, a gap in how decisions are made is not acceptable. Think of how many times a sporting event has been won by an inferior team compared to the most talented one. Dig deep and you will find that the team that made better decisions won in the end.

Where does trust come in the picture?

The team executed on the decisions. When people are not convinced, it shows in their body language and ultimately their performance. When the process is not sound, getting the output is a coin toss.

If your leadership trusts you, getting extra budget is a possibility. Making a case for a change of plans gets you an audience that is willing to listen with an open mind. That is a huge factor. For innovation and strategy projects, that is the main factor. This is also one reason why some entrepreneurs keep getting funded – one strong reason is their investors believe in THE person.

How does one cultivate trust?

This is a test of character, which is proven when things get tough. Own up to blind spots, issues you should have caught earlier, or made a mess. People can sense intent miles away. However, this is a subjective factor. You will rarely be able to pinpoint a situation where the Trustometer swung the right way.

If I had to suggest one approach to practice, here’s what it would be:

  1. A systems mindset helps. Take decisions that help everyone around you. See how your decision can affect all around you whether it’s customers, vendors, or the business.
  2. Communicate how you are arriving at those decisions. A clear communicator finds it easier to get buy-in.
  3. When things are not going to plan, refer to point 1 above 🙂

That’s it for today.

Happy Ideating!
Hemang.

A Monday Exercise for Jump Starting Innovation

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One of my favorite brainstorming teams would meet on Monday at lunch. We would get together every two weeks. The meeting always started with the same question.

What bothered you over the weekend that you want to solve today?

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All the participants would proceed to share the pain point(s) they experienced. It might have been something they saw at a mall or a movie theatre or while out on walk. They may have noted a stronger “What if” thought. Or wondered “Hmm, why aren’t they doing X this way?”

The key is to gather these problems in a no filter approach.

It was simply a problem statement collection exercise. There’s no revenue analysis, market surveys were not required. No slides, for that matter.

Collect as many pain points as possible.

The moderator of the meeting would go around the room, jotting down these on simple spreadsheet. No one else could use devices. No screen sharing. It’s just a polling exercise around the room. After about 15 minutes, we would then pause before proceeding to the next stage.

Selecting the problem to solve.

This was selecting the strongest pain that wasn’t solved. In other words, the best opportunity to go after as a team. Usually, the group would quickly determine that. If there was a deadlock, the moderator would call rank and select the problem for the group.

After that, we would brainstorm different approaches to solve the issue at hand.

Depending on the problem, we would devote anywhere from 15 – 20 minutes to sometimes a full hour. The moderator aims to keep the group energy high peppering with questions if the team is stuck. We are trying to keep the ball rolling. When things get to a standstill i.e. when all creative juices have stopped, we move to the next problem. Along the while, the moderator would note the key ideas generated that will help the product.

What makes Mondays so special?

We are outside of our work on weekends and get a natural pause among our chores, meeting people, and relaxing. Subconsciously, we can get to a state of pause and wonder. Issues identified in this state are worth spending a bit of time. Before we get too involved with the other work items, filing them is worth addressing.

But we only selected one or two to solve. What about the rest of the pain points?

That is your pain point bank. If a problem wasn’t picked during one meeting, we can bring it up during the next. We also don’t forget things that bother us. Quite often, the team will remind of something worth spending time on. Else, you have the moderator for that too.

Is that it?

Yes, keep it simple. The most important thing is to instill this as a habit. Our meetings were recurring and at lunch, which people should not skip 🙂

Try it and you will look forward to these meetings.

Happy Ideating!

Hemang.

Ever catch a falling pen? How about a falling soldering iron?

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Sometimes instinct can be harmful. As unnatural as it may be, there are times when its better that you don’t act right away.

During brainstorming, the problem solver’s tendency is to start solving the first idea that caught their eye. It might be better to wait, allow some “bad” ideas and let the game changer emerge.

Using a sports analogy, Innovation is sometimes a game of base hits (baseball) or singles (cricket); incremental advancements that result in a win. Get the process right, keep at it, and the results will follow.