The Hindu Business Line : Ways to generate new ideas at work

While conventional wisdom teaches us to acquire the right skills and knowledge for the job, we often forget that we need to keep coming out with new ideas that will help the organisation succeed and also secure our jobs in today’s competitive l andscape.

Here are some tips that will help you break out of the routine thought process and generate breakthrough ideas.

Exercise your mind: Your mind needs exercise like your body and it can get it through challenges and problem-solving. A good way to feed your mind is to read a lot and study the success stories of other businesses and entrepreneurs.

Read a lot of case studies related to your industry or biographies of successful people. This will not only stimulate your grey cells, but will also inspire you.

Capture your thoughts: When the brilliant idea spells do come, make sure you capture them.

Don’t rely on mental notes; you’ll just forget them.

Have a notepad, PDA or voice recorder nearby at all times, including by your bed (for when you suddenly strike gold at 2 am). Once you’ve recorded your idea, use it as soon as you can as ideas are best when they’re fresh.

Change your setting: Your mind reacts to its surroundings and has a strange ability to generate new ideas when the physical setting changes.

You may be thinking in a very linear and academic way while you are at your workstation, so take your laptop and sit by the office garden or cafeteria and you may see some fresh perspectives.

Take a walk or hit the gym. For all you know, a change of setting may bring you the inspiration you need.

Go out of your way to help others: Step out of your job description once in a while and help others with their tasks. Do this without having to be asked.

Saying, “Need a hand there” has a twofold effect.

First, you encourage others to give of themselves, creating a more positive workplace.

Second, you buy yourself a future favour, since kindness always comes back. The people you have helped will become sounding boards for your ideas.

Know your organisation’s and customers’ needs: You must know if what you have to offer is in high demand at work. Find out the direction in which your company is headed and the areas in which it needs maximum improvement.

This will ensure that your ideas have a business impact and act as a catalyst in your growth within the organisation.

Tailor your ideas to meet the organisational objectives and you will be in a position to add maximum benefit to your organisation.

Understand your work environment: In today’s team-oriented work environments, no man is an island. You are always a part of the bigger picture that the organisation has in mind.

Expose yourself to different realities.

If you are a marketing person, go and spend some time with the finance team or the product management team and ask them questions about their nature of work.

The best ideas sometimes come from looking outside the familiar and that is what ‘thinking outside the box’ means.

So keep your eyes and ears open and indulge in some idea generation activities.

(The writer is a Managing Partner at W.C.H Training Solutions, a New Delhi-based training and consulting firm.)

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