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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Ideaflow summary
Jeremy Utley
Perry Klebahn
The Only Business Metric That Matters
16 mins
Brief summary
Ideaflow by Jeremy Utley & Perry Klebahn offers practical advice and tools for generating and developing ideas. It teaches us how to harness our creativity and bring our best ideas to life.
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Ideaflow
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The most important business metric you’ve never heard of
In April 2002, the beloved outdoor clothing brand Patagonia was in trouble. They were going through samples for their Spring line, but the drab gray, brown, and black fleeces on the racks were, well, underwhelming. It had been their strategy to “focus on the winners” – the practical, workhorse pieces beloved by their repeat customers. But by focusing on their tried-and-tested aesthetic, they’d stifled creativity, and their Spring offering was undeniably stale. How had this happened? Well, there was one key metric that the Patagonia team had neglected to monitor: ideaflow.
The concept of ideaflow is simple. It’s basically a metric by which you can quantify creativity. That’s right – contrary to what you might think, creativity isn’t magic dust; it can be measured and optimized. It’s also a learnable skill, not an innate talent. It’s the art of solving problems by generating original ideas.
The number of ideas you can generate in response to a problem – your ideaflow – is the best metric for measuring your creativity. It’s also the most useful metric you can use to predict your organization's potential for innovation, and success.
Ideaflow should be a key performance indicator for every department, not just creative teams. Focusing on bottom-line metrics like new products shipped can only tell you there’s a creativity problem long after your creativity problem should have been addressed – as the team at Patagonia learned.
So, why aren’t you hearing about ideaflow at every all-hands meeting and in every business profile you read? Put simply, prioritizing ideaflow can feel scary. Organizations with high ideaflow don't look like conventional businesses. Creativity requires flexibility – people may need to move around or take breaks from constant communication. Innovation comes from both independent thinking and collaboration. Trying new ideas inevitably leads to some mistakes. This unstructured approach can seem messy or unproductive to traditional corporate culture.
But mindless productivity sometimes gives way to bursts of creativity. Rather than avoiding missteps, companies should view failures as learning opportunities on the path to innovation. Structure and perfectionism may need to be sacrificed for playfulness and originality. By embracing ideaflow over tradition, organizations can build the creativity required to solve problems and drive growth in today's complex business environment.
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What is Ideaflow about?
Ideaflow (2022) introduces the concept of ideaflow – the rate at which original ideas can be generated – as a key business metric. It also shares practical strategies for optimizing ideaflow at the personal and professional level.
Ideaflow Review
Ideaflow (2021) explores the process of generating and developing ideas, providing valuable insights for anyone looking to enhance their creativity. Here's why this book is worth a read:
- By offering practical exercises and techniques, it helps readers unlock their creative potential and overcome mental blocks.
- With its case studies and examples from successful innovators, the book presents a roadmap for turning ideas into tangible results.
- Through its engaging narrative and thought-provoking concepts, it makes the journey of ideation exciting and definitely not boring.
Who should read Ideaflow?
- Frustrated creatives who can’t seem to get their ideas flowing
- Busy professionals who just don’t have time to be creative
- Founders and CEOs seeking tools to drive corporate innovation
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Ideaflow FAQs
What is the main message of Ideaflow?
The main message of Ideaflow is that creativity can be cultivated and enhanced with the right mindset and practices.
How long does it take to read Ideaflow?
It takes a few hours to read Ideaflow. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Ideaflow a good book? Is it worth reading?
Ideaflow is worth reading for its practical tips and insights on boosting creativity and innovation.
Who is the author of Ideaflow?
The authors of Ideaflow are Jeremy Utley and Perry Klebahn.
What to read after Ideaflow?
If you're wondering what to read next after Ideaflow, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The Outsiders by William Thorndike
- Net Positive by Paul Polman & Andrew Winston
- Mind Magic by James R. Doty
- Moore’s Law by Arnold Thackray
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
- Focal Point by Brian Tracy
- Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
- Building Your Money Machine with ChatGPT by Larry Wheeler