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It's late on Monday, the night before Valentine's Day, and I'm sitting here thinking about how I will show my love for my wife and son. But I realize that there are many other people that I need to show my love for. So, let me pass on this small bit of wisdom...
I would like you to take time to think of every one you love, not just the person you may be intimately involved with. Those you love, also love you. You don't need to send them a dozen roses or diamonds and jewels because all they really need is simpler things in life. You can choose to be creative and honor them in many ways:
- Leave that unexpected "I miss talking with you" voicemail.
- Choose to wear something they gave you for Christmas.
- Keep a promise you made to them.
- Just hug them. This is one of my personal favorites!!!
- Do something for them that they hate to do themselves. Clean the dishes, do the wash, clean the bathroom...Do it without complaint and only with love.
- Ask for their advice...because they have some great ideas.
- Make a date to spend more time with them..Andd then do it.
- Pick up the phone and call your dad, you mom, your sister or brother, son or daughter, your friends....
- Slow down. Be patient. Truly treasure the moment because you won't have another one just like it.
- Open the door for them. The car door or the house door...or any door when they have their hands full.
- Let them go in first or last. Whatever they want is the right thing.
- Smile at them and laugh with them. Enjoy being with them.
- Be silly with them..And play with them.
- Write a poem or sing a song to them. Maybe even write and sing a song to them.
- Read them a story, and tuck them in. I'm a green eggs and ham fan. How about you?
- Watch their tv shows or listen to their music...even if they are teenagers.
- Write some words of love to them...something sweet always works.
- Say a prayer for them, and I will say one for you.
- Be happy...because more than anything they love to know you are happy too.
- ...and finally, don't expect anything in return. Just enjoy giving all day long and then, tomorrow, start doing it again.
And to my best friend.......Mary, I love you!!!
Happy Valentines Day!
Michael Bauer
http://www.creativeleading.com/ote
Chuck Frey at Innovation Tools posed a great question to his readers..."What is the most important lessons learned regarding innovation, creativity, or brainstorming in 2005?" The answers are posted here at Innovation Tools.I hope this stimulates some new ideas.-Michael Bauer http://www.creativeleading.com
I just finished reading Weird Ideas That Work by Robert Sutton. I thought I would post 1/2 of the ideas that the he suggests are important for sustaining innovation in an organization. - Hire "slow learners" in respect to organizational conduct and code.
- Hire people you find uncomfortable or even people you don't like.
- Use job interviews to get ideas, not to screen candidates.
- Encourage people to ignore and defy superiors and peers.
- Find some happy people and get them to fight.
I know what your thinking, there is no way in the world you would want to do all of these things because they all have possible risks. To be an innovative organization, you need to be willing to experiment and take the risks. You need to have employees that have the permission to look at situations in many different ways. To quote Thomas Edison, " To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." I love that quote! Let me know what you think of these ideas. I will post the second set sometime next week.
- Michael Bauer
http://www.creativeleading.com
I am always looking for great ways to keep up on the current business related books. It can be a very difficult task. Well, I came across a very interesting way to read book summaries. There is a website where you can go and purchase business book summaries in mind map format. I wasn't sure what to think about this new idea, so I downloaded the free summary offered on the site and I must say I was impressed with the way the information was layed out. It took some getting use to, but I think it was a useful way to pass on the information. I liked it because I like to scan for useful information before digging deeper into a book. Check out the mindmap summaries.
-Michael Bauer
http://www.creativeleading.com
It's been a while since my last post...so I hope that you missed hearing from me. As I promised a few months ago...I would give a "shout-out" to the group at inbubblewrap every time I won a free book. Well...it's now the second time and the book I received is titled "Weird Ideas that Work" by Robert Sutton. I didn't know what to expect from the book, but now that I am 3/4 of the way through it I need time to reflect on the many ideas that it generated. One of Sutton's statements is that "Creative companies and teams are inefficient (and often annoying) places to work." His point seems to be that innovation grows in environments where there is freedom to try new things and be different. How is innovation embraced in your work environment? I would love to hear about your experiences.
