Paul Williams writing at Brand Autopsy has hit upon the concept of the Imaginary Board of Directors. Paul's idea is to let the great minds of the past and present find solutions to all sorts of business problems. Paul even names his choices.
Paul recreates and develops the great thinkers idea from Michael Michalko's book, Thinkertoys:
1. Select three to five business movers and shakers, living or dead, whom you admire most.
2. Get photographs of your Board and pin them up to constantly remind you of the talent at your disposal.
3. Research your heroes. Read everything about your heroes that you can get your hands on.
4. Take notes on your favorite passages. Pay particular attention to the creative techniques they employed to solve problems.
5. When you have a challenge, consult the members of your board and imagine how they would solve it.
I really like this technique of problem solving for several reasons:
1. It takes the problem away from you personally. Instead of having the usual personal and emotional attachment to the issue to be solved, it's now turned over to a panel of experts.
2. The Imaginary Board lets your imagination run wild with new and fresh ideas. Knowing that many of the great thinkers that you choose, ranging from Shakespeare to Einstein to Aristotle to Galileo to Susan B. Anthony were looking for radically new solutions, you are free to do so as well. They open your mind to new possibilities.
3. The great minds panel would not be bound by conventional wisdom and following the beaten path. Like Robert Frost's poem, the all star team would be taking "the road less travelled by." They help you to go far beyond the standard text book ways of thinking.
4. The list of imaginary experts can also be varied from problem to problem. Using their great quotes to stimulate fresh ways of thinking can lead to solutions to one business roadblock, but not to another. Mark Twain could solve one problem for you, while Marie Curie, Queen Elizabeth I, or John Lennon might better guides for another.
Overall, any system that helps a business owner, manager, or entrepreneur find solutions to problems is a good one. The important thing is to stick to the process and let it achieve the results. In this case, let the great minds do the thinking and provide the creativity incentive for you.
Let an Imaginary Board of Directors help you and your business achieve success.
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