Accidental Creativity

One day a man lay in the middle of the street, his ear to the pavement. A passerby stopped, leaned closed and listens as the man reported: "Red Toyota, mag wheels, young driver and two doors I think. License Plate TRU-647.”

Impressed, the passerby said, "Wow! You can tell that just by listening to the pavement?" The man on the street replied, "Not really. But that's the description of the car that just ran me down."

He’s not a genius but just a victim of an accident.

Do you know that in the field of business, not all accidents are bad? In fact, many turned out to be a great blessing in the long run.

Consider this story told by Guy Kawasaki in his latest book entitled, “Rules for Revolutionaries.”

Kawasaki has given a term to the discovery of products by accidents. He calls it “Entre-manure.” “Entre-Manure,“ says Kawasaki, “is the result of an entrepreneur stumbling into an unintended consequence (for example-manure) that is more valuable than what he was originally looking for.

Take Teflon, for example. Most of us think of it as the nonstick coating for pots and pans, but the DuPont scientist who discovered it in 1938 was hardly looking to improve life in the kitchen.

The scientist was Roy Plunkett. He was working on a project to create a new type of Freon -- a chemical used as a refrigerant-that would not infringe on another company's patent. He did not intend to create a new compound for pots and pans.

When Plunkett discovered this new material, he did the right thing: He remained curious about the results and conducted more chemical tests on it. He didn't ignore what happened because it wasn't what he wanted. When he couldn't get

any of the basic reagents to react with this mystery material, he concluded that his process caused polymerization (which means many simple molecules of one type combining one long chain).

He sent some of the material to DuPont's Central Research Department, where they noticed how slick and chemically inert the new material was. The outbreak of World War II and the project to build an atomic bomb pushed Plunkett's discovery into service. It was used in the manufacturing process of the radioactive isotope of uranium and also molded into nose cones for proximity bombs. More than a decade after the end of the war, DuPont was able to manufacture Teflon cheaply enough for use in consumer goods.

The discovery and use of Teflon teaches three lessons:

• Be curious about unintended findings.
• Establish a company atmosphere that encourages seemingly unapplied research and discovery.
• Stick with a discovery and it may yield important commercial products.¹

In the garment industry where every product is just as good as the previous hit, I have to keep coming up with new ideas and new designs in order to survive. I see a product, I put it on the drawing boards, source for the right fabric, formulate the right kind of washing and felt sure that it will sell but does not. It’s frustrating at first but I’ve already learned my lesson; to continue to press on while keeping a watchful eye for accidents.

Something went wrong with the fabric, or the formula for washing wasn’t right and then we’ll discover that the accidental product carries potential and then becomes a big hit. Same thing with advertising. The layouts were superbly done. The photographer and the model understood each other. Then we take a lot of random shots and guess what happened? All those accidental photos turn out to be better than the pre-planned ones. So accidents are really blessings under cover.

This leads me to a confession. Every time I set my eyes and heart out to do something but what happens turn out to be something else, instead of fretting and whining and groaning about it, I say a quick prayer. I remember what Paul said in the Book of Romans, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

So why complain? Simply trust.

Source:Francis Kong

Becoming an Enlager

Dr. John C. Maxwell is a very prolific author. He has written many books on the subject matter of leadership.

So what does Dr. Maxwell have to do with NBA players like Shaq, Olajuwon and Mutombo? A lot.

I would like to share with you his article entitled: “Becoming An Enlarger.”

Dr. Maxwell says:
Before the NBA ever heard of Shaquille O'Neal, Dikembe Mutombo or Tim Duncan; back before anyone knew the name Hakeem Olajuwon; in the days before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ruled the hardwoods, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell changed the nature of professional basketball with the way they played the center position.

Chamberlain was a great scorer and Russell was known more for his defense, but no matter which end of the court they were on, they played above the rim like no centers before them ever had.

Russell, however, is best known not for his offense or his defense but for something else - winning. His No. 6 jersey was retired by the Boston Celtics in 1972 to honor his contributions as the anchor to teams that won nine consecutive NBA titles. He added two more titles as a player/coach.

That's why it was such an honor to meet him at a recent NBA All-Star game, and that's why I wasn't surprised to hear what he said about great team players: "The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I'd made my teammates play."

One of the qualities of a great team player, you see, is that they enlarge others. Bill Russell isn't just a large man; he's a man who enlarged others. He made them better.

Here are five characteristics of people who enlarge others.

1. Enlargers value their teammates.

When you think about your teammates, place a "10" on their heads. If we think of others as 10s, we'll do everything to add value to them. Our behavior is totally different when we think of someone else as a two. Seeing others in the very best light makes the entire team better because usually our level of performance equals the level of value placed on us.

2. Enlargers know and relate to what their teammates value.

Here's how you can tell if you value people: Do you value people who won't benefit you or only those who might contribute in some way to your success? Great team players truly value others as people, and they know and relate to what others value. When I want to know and relate to others, I look for five things. I want to know their dreams, values, skills, attitudes and life questions. We all have questions, by the way. If you can find the pathway to a person's questions, you can always find the pathway to a person's heart.

3. Enlargers add value to their teammates.

Whatever the project, task or situation, enlargers find ways to make others around them better because they approach life as a win/win situation. They realize that making others better isn't just better for others, it's better for everyone. As the old adage goes, a rising tide lifts all boats.

4. Enlargers make themselves more valuable.

You cannot give what you do not have, so self-improvement precedes team improvement. The first step toward improving the team is to improve yourself. I've been teaching leadership for 20 years and I've written twenty-some books. Here's what I know - the only way I can keep leading is to keep growing.

The greatest way that I can add value to my team is to make myself more valuable. If I can become a better player, if I can continually increase my skills, if I can continually become enlarged within myself, then I have the capacity to enlarge others. Too many people are still trying to give what they learned fifteen years ago, and they're in trouble.

5. Enlargers initiate.

Enlargers believe in others before they believe in themselves, serve others before they serve themselves, and add value to others before they add value to themselves. See the common thread? The word "before."

They have the ability to see potential in another person before they even see potential within themselves. They have the ability to start action. They have the ability to start belief. They are initiators.

Initiate. Enlarge. Be a great team player.

Serving others is one way of enlarging others.

For the bible says that he who wants to lead must first serve.

And when we serve we do not only enlarge others, we also enlarge ourselves in a positive way.

Source: Francis Kong