I have been a right-brainer since birth. Every single personality test I’ve taken confirms this. My decisions are based on intuitive thinking — knowing without reasoning. As a businesswoman, I’ve struggled with this. And during the early years at BBR, I consciously made great strides to change myself with a daily dose of affirmations: “I am organized. I am organized. I must keep this receipt. I must keep this receipt. I understand this balance sheet. I understand this balance sheet.”
Perhaps the affirmations worked. Or perhaps it was my intuitive thinking in action. But I have always understood that great success comes when you have both left- and right-brain thinking — that meets somewhere in the middle.
This thought was confirmed recently when I heard Roger Martin speak at the American Institute of Graphic Arts Conference in Memphis. Martin is currently the dean of the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and has written and published several books related to business.
Martin compared analytical-driven businesses to intuitive businesses. Analytical types are driven by statistics, research, systems and procedures. All of which are important components when building success. However, the downside is when a business is held within the confines of systems, no new ideas emerge. Martin mentioned no new inventions have ever come from the “prove it” theory. On the flip side, intuitive businesses have tons of great ideas and innovations but they falter in their lack of system to enhance productivity and increase profitability.
Martin’s solution? Meld the two together. A business that combines right-brain innovators with left-brain taskmasters — has the perfect business model that Martin calls design thinking. It is essential for the growth and sustainability of emerging businesses as well as established businesses.
The bottom line: Get your systems in place. Let your innovators think. And meet somewhere in the middle. And in case you were wondering, I can properly evaluate a balance sheet and I get my receipts in on time — sometimes. But I’m still not very organized.
Learn more about design thinking in Martin’s book, The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but to me, change can often feel quite uncomfortable. To a creature of habit, such as myself, a change in something as seemingly trivial as my morning routine tends to throw off my entire day. And with a new baby in my home, all bets are off.
As fast as my life changes every day, I feel like the way we communicate is changing even faster. My 4-month-old son “knows” his grandpa as the face displayed on my laptop during bath time Skype sessions. My friends and family now keep up-to-date by visiting the family blog rather than by picking up a phone. I get diaper coupons through my Facebook page instead of via snail mail. I read product reviews not on the actual product’s webpage but on personal websites.
So when I viewed the following YouTube video while sitting in a client meeting, I can’t say I was terribly surprised by the statistics. It only leaves me with one question: Are you up for the challenge of change?
Click below to view video.
As BBR Creative’s production manager, it’s my job to ensure there are no last-minute surprises (read: catalysts that awaken emotional outbursts of insanity) resulting from a missed task. On a daily basis, I am charged with keeping creatives in check and with managing the account service department’s veritable laundry list of daily responsibilities.
Essentially, I function as a hub for scheduling and as a system of checks and balances. Nobody’s perfect, but I like to think I’ve learned a thing or two about time management. Below are a few selected time management tips, courtesy of yours truly - a woman who dreams in checklists.
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I’m sure most people are familiar with the phrase, “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” Well, when it came to Twitter, I knocked it. I knocked it hard:
“What’s up with the flying whale? That’s stupid.”
“Are you kidding? I can only use 140 characters? How am I supposed to write anything insightful in 140 characters or less?”
“Why should I care that your cousin Nikki just painted her toenails in ‘Melon of Troy?’ Seriously.”
It all seemed so asinine to me. So, when I came across this video a few weeks ago, I knew it was a perfect blog topic. Not only because I never pass up a chance to poke fun at celebrities, but mainly because it described my initial feelings about Twitter in such a hilarious way.
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