CONFESSION:
I had a full-blown mid life crisis.
I was tired of being stuck in circular feedback meetings stuffed with traditional feedback loops that were...well...let's face it: a waste of time. So I went searching for something better.
Lots of people seek out meditation. Or yoga. Or carb-free living.
For me, it was #experiencedesign and #designthinking
I was excited. REALLY EXCITED.
So excited that I wanted to share it with the teams I was working on.
So pumped that I actually #disrupted my career in #communications and convinced the CEO to create a role where I could teach people how to "feed forward" as part of my job.
It wasn't easy.
I wondered if I had made a mistake.
There were lots of cynics and skeptics.
But slowly, I saw the shift...
People HAD to put their phones down and engage.
They were encouraged to invite non-managers and clients to be part of important conversations and did.
Instead of coming to meetings saying "I've got this great idea when need to run with" they instead came with vital questions like, "what is the problem we're trying to solve?"
Most importantly, they left meetings with a concrete plan of action.
95 % of participants said the work created "meaningful results."
100 % agreed the work was more effective than "traditional brainstorming."
Heck, the positive shift even showed up on innovation culture scan results in a BIG WAY.
The second act in my mid-life disruption? Founding Big Eye Innovation.
Why?
Because too many organizations think creative thinking and innovation are only for the Apples and the Googles of the world.
Too many organizations think the status quo is "good enough."
And I say, "tell that to Kodak or Blockbuster."
Here's the thing: innovation doesn't start with an amazing idea.
It actually starts with a mind and culture shift.
It starts by understanding that "status quo" equals "stagnation."
That ideas are a dime a dozen, but that the "proof" is in the pudding. And that pudding is made of action, not air.
So if you're facing the same kind of crisis (middle-aged or otherwise) or are just tired of being on the hamster wheel of traditional meetings that go nowhere, let's talk!
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