Ideation Blog With Charles Lee

Thank You for Ideation

Ideation • Comments (3)

An Unforgettable Year

2014 was an unforgettable year of building Ideation. We primarily focused on developing stronger processes, infrastructure, and business design for our company. We recruited great talent and built a team of 20 strategy consultants and creatives in addition to a growing an extended network of contracted specialists and experts in multiple industries. We’ve moved into new space in a new city in order to build momentum and grow into becoming a healthier company.

I’m continual amazed by our talented team of idea-makers that offer a full range of high quality services for scaling brands through everything from business strategy, organizational change management, culture-making, design, web, apps, marketing, and event production. I’m seriously humbled by their attitude and willingness to go the extra mile to serve our clients.

We just had our best business year ever and have positioned ourselves to scale well. There’s still a lot of work to be done both internally and externally (probably more than ever before), but we’re excited for the opportunity to become a stronger company so that we can help others create and implement their dreams.

Looking Ahead to 2015

We are excited to introduce new services and products for our clients in 2015. In addition, we’ve begun to develop unique networking and learning experiences for those in our network that are designed to help accelerate growth. As many of you know, my personal mission in life is to reduce the percentage of people who take their ideas to the grave. I think we have some really great concepts to help individuals, companies, and organizations innovate better in 2015. (More to come)

Thank You (Yes You!)

I’m very aware that no business can grow on its own. Similar to a child, it takes a village of friends and family to raise a business. You’ve been an integral part of our company’s development. Thank you.

Thank you for believing in us when very few had any idea who we were or what we did.

Thank you for putting your reputation on the line and referring us to your network.

Thank you for sending your timely words of encouragement during difficult seasons.

Thank you for coming out to our events and inviting your network.

Thank you for your investing your wisdom into the shaping of our company.

Thank you for your kindness, favor, and support through thick and thin.

Thank you for building Ideation with us.

I/We will forever be grateful.

On December 31, 2014
By Charles
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Discovering New Ideas with Intentional Spontaneity

Ideation • Comments (0)
New ideas are often birthed when two or more seemingly unrelated concepts come together in sweet harmony. It’s a beautiful thing to watch and experience the formation of a “new idea”, especially if the idea contributes to the good of our world.

While it may be difficult to predict when these new ideas will come to life, given their spontaneous nature, it is possible to increase the probability for their creation by intentionally framing how our lives to discover them. Here are 3 tips for increasing the probability of discovering new ideas:
1. Experience New Environments – Regularly place yourself in new environments that stimulate new perspectives. Our cities are filled with environments that you have probably never explored. Spend a few hours exploring new spaces and taking in that which feels unfamiliar.
2. Meet New People – Spend some time away from your common circle of relationships and go meet some new people. Take time to attend a meeting or event outside of what you’re used to. Become an active listener and allow others to shape your perspectives and even challenge your assumptions.
3. Write About New Topics – Writing refines and solidifies our ideas. Writing outside of the genres and topics we’re used to opens up new ways of thinking. Take time to write about something outside of your expertise and allow others to react to your work.
Many of the world’s best ideas that we enjoy each day came into our world because someone took the time to intentionally allow for “spontaneity”.
On December 30, 2014
By Charles
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If You Knew

Business, Leadership • Comments (0)
It’s never easy to run a successful business or organization. The constant responding to the the never-ending needs of our customers, market, and organization can become quite overwhelming…very quickly. The stress of keeping things going and growing leaves very little room for creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking.

A Reactive Workflow

If we’re not careful, we’re going to create a reactive workflow that is fueled by urgency and distracting flashes of “new ideas”. While it’s important to keep “hustling” (after all, it is hard work!), it’s as important (if not more important) to take on the paradoxical practice of pause.

If You Knew

Taking an hour here or there to breathe and think about your business or organization is essential to its health and growth. It will keep you aligned to your original goals and keep you mindful of why it is that you’re in business to begin with. Here are some helpful “If you knew” questions that help me take a step back and provide some perspective for my work:
- If you knew your company was closing next month, what would you stop doing?
- If you knew your company was closing next month, what would you start doing?
- If you knew that your company could not fail, what would you do?
- If you knew that customers were committed for the long haul, what would you do differently?
- If you knew people on your team were primarily motivated by organizational culture, what would you change?
- If you knew that innovation was not optional, what would you change in your process of work?
What other “If you knew” questions could we be asking ourselves in order to create meaningful thoughts and conversations about our work?

Yes, give yourself permission to think forward.
On November 5, 2014
By Charles
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Ideation Blog With Charles Lee

Thank You for Ideation

An Unforgettable Year

Looking Ahead to 2015

Thank You (Yes You!)

Discovering New Ideas with Intentional Spontaneity

If You Knew

A Reactive Workflow

If You Knew

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