When Genius Attacks
Ever notice how so many awesome ideas start out as scribbles on cocktail napkins? It’s not the martini (though sometimes the martini helps). It’s not the napkin itself (though every lounge should invest in robust serviettes). It’s not the fluid; it’s the fluidity. These ideas were written down in the flow of great conversations, not around a conference table in front of a PowerPoint presentation (or, as in the example above, a megalomaniacal supervillain).
We’ve seen that great ideas are a team effort. Besides the group you’re ideating with, you also need an environment that can help you achieve that idea-alchemy. The Rolling Stones had Nellcôte, the French mansion Keith Richards had rented so the Stones could create Exile on Main Street. Most of us have to settle for the next best thing, though: a comfortable space that doesn’t feel like the workplace.
We saw how a physically rigid office space can lead to isolated thinking and awkward exchanges with Darth Vader. When you need to break down those walls and team up to come up with something awesome, you usually have to get out of the building. Going beyond the Steve Blank term, this means leaving the office and going somewhere else.
You can be at your most productive when nobody’s forcing you to be productive. When approached with a sense of play, your ideation process can take you to some amazing places. A prime example: the annual television event that’s probably responsible for cable TV subscriptions still even existing.
Shark Week was threshed out over after-work drinks by Discovery Channel execs John Hendricks, Clark Bunting, and Steve Cheskin; and went on to become the longest-running cable TV event of all time.
Can’t you just picture that brainstorming session? “Shark shows! A week of shark shows! F&ck, yeah!” Everybody running around the lounge, cocktail in one hand and the other held on his or her head like a shark fin. Someone was probably making cello sounds.
If that image made you smile, then take it as a call to action. Gather your team and escape the confines of the rigid office. Head for a space where you can communicate as equals, and your ideas can cross-pollinate.
