Recently our consulting-team was working with a large organization innovating on a significant initiative they wanted to move forward. Everyone was positive and engaged, but we became concerned about maintaining momentum, especially as we considered the backgrounds and possible tendencies of their leadership…many came from large organizations, operated in a significant amount of bureaucracy – i.e. long budget cycles, layers of approvals, many stakeholders, committees, etc. There was a clear risk of thinking too big too soon, getting bogged down, analysis paralysis, and failing to take the next small step forward.

Throughout the process we had been applying our “customer-focused innovation approach” (aka design thinking), in which we really pushed the idea of fast & lo-fidelity “prototyping”, doing small incomplete experiments for the sake of iteration and learning fast. However, we were still concerned that the words (“prototyping”) and the approach were still too theoretical. To breakthrough this mindset and bring it down to earth we thought of using the well-known illustration of the “lemonade stand itself.”

We loved the vividness and simplicity of the example, as well as the tension it creates…First consider “what it does” (attributes) – it’s fast (an afternoon or less), temporary (not built to last), incomplete, intensive focus on customer interaction (waving kids, cardboard sign), requires some but minimal skin in the game (customers pay ten cents, Mary sits for 2 hours, mom provides the lemonade powder & cups)….In short, all elements are focused on the shortest & minimalist path to “selling” (aka desirability!) and assume away the broader system of what it would really take to do it.

Consider “what it does not do” (we jokingly call it the “MBA perspective”) – what about funding/budgets? P&L? CEO/management team? marketing plan? strategic road map? regulations?…..and on and on…the lemonade stand doesn’t help much.

Does it mean these many concerns are not important? The answer is: “it’s a question of time” – when you’re first starting, all you care about is the quickest and lightest way to learn…specifically about your customers’ needs and whether or not your solution meets those needs. Later on, the focus evolves and “the MBA questions” indeed become critical, but can often still be approached in small, fast learning steps.

So as you consider the project you have in front of you right now…what does your “incomplete lemonade stand” look like? – fast, focused, temporary, scrappy, minimal, incomplete, intensive customer interaction, some skin in the game…. Remember the point is speed and targeted learning that informs the next critical step…the rest can come later.

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Have you ever noticed how easy it is for organizations to fall in love with their own ideas? It doesn’t take much:…a statement by the right leader…forming a committee…a technological gizmo…a line item in an annual plan…beginning to spend money………..and ta-da it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that perpetuates, grows, consuming more and more energy, resources….and causing everyone to become even more committed because “we’ve already sunk so much effort into it…we can’t possibly stop now!” The saddest part, however, is that this cycle often creates tunnel-vision in leadership, blinding them to potentially fatal flaws of the idea, or better alternatives.

I’ve now seen this phenomenon so many times that I’ve named it the “kitten principle.” It’s simple, and based on my experience with my own children who love animals – “the longer they hold the kitten (or any animal, for that matter), the more exponential the chance we’ll take it home.” Can you relate?

So how do you avoid “taking it home?” Here are a few principles that I’ve seen work:

• Have lots of ideas – resist the temptation of falling in love with an idea by forcing yourself to come up with a lot of them, keeping a lot of possibilities open for consideration as long as possible. It’s a proven fact that great ideation is fueled by quantity, not quality. It takes courage to allow for sufficient divergence, and not prematurely push for convergence.
• Root ideas in need – ideas typically come to life when they’re rooted in first-hand interaction and experience with people who’ve “been there, done that” and felt the need “in their own skin” (immersive empathy). The ideas are colorful, tangible, have names, faces and emotions attached to them. Resist the urge to imagine, abstract, or conceptualize in areas where you haven’t taken time to really understand or experience.
• Expose ideas early – as illustrated by the “kitten principle,” a key problem is the length of time “holding the idea.” Therefore, one of the most powerful things you can do is to show a “rough idea” to a potential “user/customer” early…before its fully formed…while it still has lots of holes…while you’re still embarrassed about it. You’ll get invaluable feedback, your next idea will be much better, and you’ll be a lot less defensive then if you coddle it longer.

So, where do you need to stop petting your favorite kitten? Do you see signs that you may be falling in love with your own ideas? What courageous step do you need to take to step outside your own box?

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In my last post I wrote about the power of analogous inspiration to free you from “lame ideas” and ignite creativity and provide a fresh perspective on your ideation efforts (go back and read it if you missed it). If this struck a chord, I’d like to go a step further by providing you a practical “how-to guide.”

Here’s a step-by-step approach that will help you get started (maybe for the first time) and ensure you get the most out your analogous experience.

1. Clarify your game-changer. This doesn’t mean you’ve pre-determined your solution, but it assumes you have a clear angle (or at least a starting point) on what you think could “change the game” for your customer – examples: bundling, taking pain away, help make choices, simplify complexity, etc.
2. Establish an analogous lens(es). What would you like to learn from your analogous experience? Suppose we choose the angle of simplification in step-1. Is it simplification by saving time?…simplification by providing shortcuts?…simplification by making something complex seem accessible? You may have more than 1, but it helps to list them so you can stay true to what you’re looking for (and prevents it from becoming an aimless boondoggle).
3. Choose the analogous experience. Where can you go to see through the lens selected in step 2?…and what specific questions would you seek to answer? Again, if we go with the game-changer of simplification (step 1) and the lens of “making something complex seem accessible” (step 2), several destinations come to mind – a financial planner, a hotel concierge, a Genius-Bar technician at the Apple Store…others?
4. Experience it! As you go to your destination try to really experience the service, not just observe. While certain situations may make this challenging, you’ll find the impact exponential if you “feel it in your own skin” versus “just observing it.” Yes, that means…sit through a financial planning session, get a hotel concierge to advise you on an excursion (and do it!), get a phone fixed…
5. Debrief and leverage insights for ideation. Now loop back to step 1-2…How did the analogous service achieve the result (example: “make something complex accessible”)? Reflect on the experience…list the ways they do it (example – by creating a plan, by bundling options, by pairing me with an expert…). Then ask yourself the question: “how might we apply that to our game-changer” (example: simplification)? Let the creative ideas fly!

So, what are you waiting for? Not only do you reap the benefit of higher quality ideas, but it also gets your team out of their comfort zone into an “explorer’s mindset” as they venture into the great unknown to experience, observe, learn and apply. Go!

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