You can innovate like Einstein! Ever wonder where big, breakthrough ideas come from? How do innovators manage to spot the opportunities for industry revolution that everyone else seems to miss? Here are the eight steps of how to creatively innovate like Einstein according to Rowan Gibson, the author of The Four Lenses of Innovation: A Power Tool for Creative Thinking
8-Step Creative Process for Innovation
1. Frame a specific challenge and focus on solving it.
2. Research a subject. Learn from the work of others.
3. Immerse yourself in the problem. Explore possible solutions.
4. Reach a roadblock. Feel the creative frustration.
5. Relax. Detach from the problem. Let it incubate in the unconscious mind.
6. Come to an illuminating insight that fundamentally shifts your perspective.
7. Build the insight (or insights) into a big idea–a new combination of thoughts.
8. Test and illuminate the new idea–try to make it work.
Treat the 8-steps for innovation like scaffolding. Use the process as a way to build your innovation muscle. As you start to spread your wings, you’ll find you can skip over steps or re-sequence them, as you build your fluency in the art and science of innovation.
Rowan Gibson is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost thought leaders on business innovation. The media have labeled him “Mr. Innovation”, “the Innovation Grandmaster”, “the W. Edwards Deming of innovation” and “a guru among the gurus”. He is the internationally bestselling author of three major books on business strategy and innovation which have been published to date in over 20 languages. Rowan’s new book – The Four Lenses of Innovation (Wiley, 2015) – provides a practical tool for radical business creativity.
