the educated retailers' guide
time, though we must regularly and every
day give it a little chance to start flowing,
prime it with a little solitude and idleness."
What this means for managers in this
context is that we need to stay intellectually engaged in an idea long enough to see
it through to fruition. Having the idea is
fun, like meeting a new person at a party.
Like any new relationship, the possibilities
seem limitless, the fascination is fun and
attraction is high. But we all know most of
that fades fairly quickly; a few months later
most of the glamour will have gone. Sticking
with an idea is a lot then like any long-term
relationship. It's about finding ways to stay
engaged, to rediscover its wonders, to stay
focused on the fun, to love the possibilities
and look forward to new discoveries every
day. There's no value judgment implied here
on relationships—have any sort you like.
My point is only that if we leave our new
ideas or insights behind after a brief flirtation, we're more likely to end up with the
sort of flavor-of-the-day management that's
ineffective at any level.
4. Get Emotional
Data seems to show that creativity and innovation, out-of-the-box thinking and significant artistic activity comes when emotions
are running high. Or low. Creativity comes
least when we're landed in the middle, slightly staid, sticking with the status quo, feeling
neither happy nor horrible, but just sort
of so-so. The face of this middle-ground,
make-do mentality is generally a flat, unfeeling, unemotional acceptance. It's a state
of mind that, I think, freezes out creative
activity.
As managers, we need
to stay intellectually
engaged in an idea
long enough to see it
through to fruition.
40 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE
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