Unfortunately, in our current political culture, the notion that two opposing parties could come together for a singular purpose seems rather absurd. Rather, the norm is to stubbornly take sides. Dig our heels in. I’m right. They are wrong. Actually, this is nothing new. This was the case from our country’s very beginning. In 1787, the states’ delegates were so divided on whether on congressional representation should be equal amongst states (irregardless of their population) that it threatened the very basis (and existence) of the Constitution.

Fortunately, our forefathers learned how to be talk it out, how to see value from the other side. This situation (in 1787) eventually became known as “The Great Compromise” – a proposal that, while at the time seemed quite radical, was the beginning of our current representational structure (a proportional House of Representatives AND a Senate with equal representation).

In the business world, working with the competition is an even greater anomaly. Other than negotiating usage rights and/or buyout agreements, working with the other side is almost unheard of. That’s why the story of NUMMI is so intriguing.

NUMMI was a joint venture by GM and Toyota in the early 80s. Toyota was looking to enter the North American production space. GM was looking to learn the “secrets” of Toyota’s efficient production system. The results (and lessons) from the experience(s) is quite remarkable – in both what was accomplished and what was not. In fact, the lessons go well beyond GM and Toyota, but are incredibly insightful for our relationships today (business or not). But hearing the story from me would not do it justice. Instead, I invite you to take your next commute or car drive and listen to some of the best storytellers of our day, the team at NPR’s This American Life. Here is their story of NUMMI (personally, one of my favorite TAL episodes of all time.) Enjoy.

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Download story here.
or stream via the This American Life app here.

So, one of our interns (let’s call him Steve) has an ongoing list he carries around on his iPhone called the “million dollar ideas list”. It contains a variety of outside-the-box, mostly funny, ideas that are just reasonable enough to cause you to pause and think… “yeah, that just might work.” Ideas like the ravioli with the sauce INSIDE, the stretch-to-fit band-aids, and the (heated) bean bag toilet have all prompted lively discussions in our office. (By the way, by reading this you are virtually signing our NDA.)

In many ways, the simple thought that something “just might work” has been the angst that has kept progress afloat. It was the catalyst for the Wright Brother’s first flight. It was the precursor to Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb. And it was the basis for some of the most innovative means of productivity – everything from Ford’s assembly line to Wikipedia’s (volunteer) community of publishers.

But, here’s the problem.

Few of us consistently give space for ideas. We tend to go about the monotony of our daily routine and write-off any such “thought” as an ineffective use of our time. Even if we get to the “just might work” moment, it is often derailed by our realization that we simply do not have the time to research, to experiment, to wonder.

We would be wise to pause here and take a few cues from who very well might be the worldwide leader of idea development these days… Google. Sure, they currently have the resources to hold such a position; however, this was not always the case. In fact, a significant portion of Google’s growth in the early days was directly correlated to Google’s “laboratory” mentality. As most are now aware, Google has what has been deemed their “20% Time” program, where employees devote 20% of their time to something that is company related, but also is of personal interest or intrigue. In other words, if you have the thought that something “just might work”, they want you to try it (on company time and with company resources). Popular products such as Gmail, Adsense, Orkut, Google Talk, Google Earth, and Google News all emerged out of various engineer’s “20% Time.”

Throughout our week, we meet with numerous business owners and entrepreneurs that are looking for ways to improve (or begin) their business. It does not take much to notice the difference between those that will likely succeed and those that will likely fail. Sure, there are countless factors that go into the success of company, but all of those factors revolve around one thing: the idea. Is it good? Is it unique? Is it the focus? And can it be implemented?

Again, the problem is not necessarily whether something can happen or not, the problem is that we don’t give weight and attention to idea development in the first place.

Try something different this week. Schedule an hour for ideas. What are the primary problems in your industry that need addressing? What are the possible solutions? What do you care about? What matters to you? Before you (hopefully) embark upon many ventures in idea development, I leave you with a fair warning. If you’re committed, if you’re consistent, it’s very possibility that you’ll land upon something that… well, “just might work.”

The most chronically mismanaged times of the day tend to be first thing in the morning and the last hour of the work day.

Is this true for you?

How do you manage your mornings? What are you doing to organize the end of your day?

We all can agree that winging it rarely gets us the results we are looking for, especially when your day has so many unique demands. Starting the day with a readiness to take on whatever comes your way is essential when you are running a company. This becomes especially important if you have employees and are interacting with clients on a regular basis. Being on top of your game when you walk through the doors not only instills confidence in those around you, but will also help you handle whatever is waiting in your inbox or on the other end of that first phone call.
Read the rest of the entry >

If you’re like me, you read a lot. You browse Twitter for the latest updates. You eagerly pull up a daily list of blogs, news, and reviews. Scavenging quickly for the main idea, you consume the latest articles with a voracious appetite. You are up-to-date. You are informed. At least for the next twenty minutes.

I recently read a controversial article in which the author makes an ironic point about a growing problem with our growing knowledge:

“We pay a price for all the information we consume these days – and it’s knowing less.” Read the rest of the entry >

Do you listen to music at work? We do – all day long. In fact, I think we’d consider it an integral part of our workday. But why does music resonate so well with us (pardon the pun)? And does it have the ability to change or improve the way we work?

Everyone is different, but we all have one basic similarity: we live as a function of rhythm (our heartbeat). Music is a function of rhythm and tone. It’s been proven that the human heart responds to music tempo – slowing to match a slow song, and speeding up to quicker music. Some people’s hearts even begin to beat in sync with music tempo. So you can see, at a very basic yet profound level, we as humans and music are somehow connected.

Here’s a specific example of how this simple connection might play out for your benefit. Studies show that employee accuracy increased by nearly 20% and efficiency by 18% when certain (classical) music was played in the background as compared to working with popular radio. Similar studies also talk of an increase in creativity, but those results were more difficult to measure.

Okay, why am I boring you with all these tedious details? I want to give you a quick tip to try for the next time you have a creative block.

Next time you are in a creative slump, download a Mozart album and listen to it for seven and a half minutes. This may either sound like heaven or torture to you, depending on what you think about classical music. But try it. And I mean really listen to it. Sit back and don’t touch your email, phone, or even your sketchbook. Just listen. Then after 7.5 minutes, pick up your sketchbook.

Or, if you really don’t want to do the classical thing or spend the cash, check out this video from TED:

It’s a quick and excellent example of the power of music; make sure to watch all the way to the end. (Side note: have you seen The Soloist? Excellent movie; true story)

See what happens, and let us know if it helps.