“One of the most amazing things about business (and life) is the power of one idea.” – Mac Anderson

I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. (Daniel 4:2)

What one idea do you have that could change the world?

For the past few days, we have been taking a look at ideas. On July 1, I came across a brand new blog post by Mac Anderson, founder of Simple Truths, titled “Reward the Gift of Imagination.” Here is what Mac shared:

One of the most amazing things about business (and life) is the power of one idea. And one of your greatest challenges as a leader is to understand how to find and nurture them.

One of the great myths in life is that most breakthrough ideas come from scientists with advanced degrees. While that is true for some industries, most new ideas come from ordinary people with what I’ll call “fertile minds” – minds that are always curious and looking for better innovations. “Fertile minds” are not plentiful in most organizations, but they do exist and it is up to the leaders to identify, reward, and cultivate the gift of imagination. For most leaders, however, imagination goes against the grain, because new ideas can rock the boat and cost money. I’d like to share with you some of my favorite examples of the power of one idea.

Howard Schultz was inspired by a trip to Italy and came back inspired to be the first coffee shop in the United States to focus on, of all things…coffee.

For years, Dunkin Donuts’ sales would slow in the summer, until someone thought…let’s add ice cream. A simple idea that increased sales dramatically.

To learn of some more amazing examples of the power of one idea, visit today’s Link of the Day for the rest of Mac’s message.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of UNCOMMON ideas. Everything we see began with an idea. Help each of us to identify and implement one idea that can change the world. May we reward the gift of imagination in our businesses and organizations. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Reward the Gift of Imagination – Mac Anderson’s entire blog post  [see below]

Blessings to reward the gift of imagination in your business or organization!

———————

Mondays with Mac: Reward the Gift of Imagination
Posted: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:16:52
Source: http://blog.simpletruths.com/mondays-with-mac-reward-the-gift-of-imagination

One of the most amazing things about business (and life) is the power of one idea. And one of your greatest challenges as a leader is to understand how to find and nurture them.

One of the great myths in life is that most breakthrough ideas come from scientists with advanced degrees. While that is true for some industries, most new ideas come from ordinary people with what I’ll call “fertile minds” – minds that are always curious and looking for better innovations. “Fertile minds” are not plentiful in most organizations, but they do exist and it is up to the leaders to identify, reward, and cultivate the gift of imagination. For most leaders, however, imagination goes against the grain, because new ideas can rock the boat and cost money. I’d like to share with you some of my favorite examples of the power of one idea.

• Howard Schultz was inspired by a trip to Italy and came back inspired to be the first coffee shop in the United States to focus on, of all things…coffee.
• For years, Dunkin Donuts’ sales would slow in the summer, until someone thought…let’s add ice cream. A simple idea that increased sales dramatically.
• McDonald’s only served lunch and dinner in all their stores until some maverick franchisee had the courage to ask customers if they’d like to have breakfast at his store. Their answer was yes, and you know the rest of the story.
• Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express, did a research paper in a business class on the feasibility of starting a “next day delivery business.” His professor acknowledged his “off the wall notion” with great skepticism, but with Fred the creative juices had begun to flow.
• In 1951, Kemmons Wilson took his wife and five kids on a vacation. He was so frustrated by the second-rate accommodations available for families that he decided to open his own hotel that was clean and never charged extra for children. Plenty of doubters predicted failure because there was nothing like it at the time. He decided to call it “Holiday Inn,” and by 1979 he had the largest hotel chain in the world with 1,759 hotels in more than fifty countries, and sales of over $1 billion.
• I remember it like it was yesterday. In 1985, we had a small publishing company selling quotation gift books. I had always liked quotes and the books were selling well. However, one night after work, I was talking with friends, and out of the blue the thought occurred to me: “people really like quotes, wonder if they’d want to put them on their walls?” From that Successories was born.

This simple concept not only applies to business leaders, it applies to leaders in all areas. For example, Notre Dame’s legendary football coach Knute Rockne took his team to a New York stage production for relaxation prior to a big game. While watching the chorus line, Rockne conceived the idea of a new offensive formation that gave him a great advantage over his opponents, and eventually revolutionized the game of football.

I could cite hundreds of other examples where one simple idea made a powerful, positive impact. Remember, keep your mind open and reward the gift of imagination in your organization.