Inspiration
Inspiration is the fresh breath of AIR that energizes people and drives ideas. Unfortunately, many businesses still view inspiration as unimportant to the overall culture and profitability of an organization. Nothing could be further from the truth.
But before we demonstrate that, let’s look at how it ties into the holistic and beneficial framework of The Elements of Adventure. The elements of earth (grounding Purpose that battles misalignment and confusion), water (fluid Relationships that combat isolation and disconnection), air (Inspiration that challenges apathy), and fire (spark of action that fights inertia) are tied together by the heart of humanity.
While the whole c-suite will find value here, Air/Inspiration often draws the attention of the CMO. They appreciate the ROI of how creative concepts and solutions generate tangible outcomes that improve efficiency or address customer needs.
Let’s look UP at LIFTing your people and concepts with Inspiration! 
Challenge
In today’s world there is an oppressive apathy that is chaining people to old ways or simply phoning it in without any passion whatsoever. Lack of enthusiasm can result in missed deadlines, stifled innovation, and inferior customer service. Poor service can quickly sever relationships you may have spent years cultivating. A negative culture can perpetuate a cycle of disengagement, making it challenging to attract and retain high performing employees. This all obviously impacts the bottom line!
Apathy is a disease that can spread throughout a workplace, affecting the morale of the entire team. People become more likely to take frequent absences, lack commitment, and focus on problems and negativity.
Choice
WHY make the choice to include focused, intentional Inspiration into your organization?
It can remove apathy, convert quiet quitters, and electrify the energy of your people. You release preconceived assumptions and judgments and create an environment of curiosity, opportunity, abundance, and answers.
You will:
- Improve current products and services
- Generate ideas for new product development
- Improve your customer experience
- Engage your people
- Solve problems in your community
- And so much more
Without it:
- Amazon would still be selling only books
- Netflix would still be mailing you DVDs
- And the computer you carry around in your pocket would still weigh 30 tons (yes, I said tons)
Choices to think about:
Inspiration isn’t fluff– there’s a business reason for it- Companies that actively promote a culture of innovation are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers. (McKinsey, 2022)
Balance– Innovation involves inherent risks and uncertainties. It’s important to include effective risk management to mitigate potential challenges and generate more beneficial results.
Collaboration– Companies that support vision, imagination, new design, and overall ideation will want to foster collaboration simultaneously. Communication and teamwork facilitate better advances.
Plan and systematize it– The most innovative companies, at 79%, possess well-defined innovation strategies, while just 47% of the least innovative ones do. (PwC)
Change
Inspiration and innovation have transformed over the years and with the ever-present massive change in our businesses and world, it will continue to become an important part of our future.
In Islands of Invention, new book by Bryan Mattimore and Clauss Raasted they begin with the history of innovation and, “In 1636, Henry Burton was accused of being an “innovator” and sentenced to a life in prison because of it.” Then they take you through the process of setting up an internal innovation center and conclude with, “The modern world is a place of infinite complexity; of overlapping and interlocking spheres that ruthlessly transcend things like nationalities, cultures, industries and markets.” This is just a small dose of demonstrating the path and mindset shift around innovation through the years. It shows how ideation can break down walls, differentiate, connect, and solve problems.
The transformation in how people view inspiration and innovation is based on real evidence of the power of progress.
Infuse and embrace Inspiration as the necessity it truly is and create space for new ideas, solutions, and opportunities for your people and company. Creating an environment of inspired adventure liberates next-level thinking that can exceed all expectations.
Next in our series of articles is FIRE, my natural element. You’ll find information on how to pull together the concepts from the other elements to ACTION focused productivity for increased results!
Quote of the Day:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” ~John Quincy Adams
