One of the things I’ve been spending time on these past couple of years is the very idea of innovation and how to be innovative. A lot of people want to innovate but don’t necessarily know how to. It is true that innovation is the life blood of commercial success, but it’s also the basis of personal well-being. (If you’re in any doubt about that just ask someone whose relationship has gone stale).
Being able to innovate then is very important - which is why
I began to work with Professor John Bessant who’s background is innovation in
organisations. We got together because John had got to the point where he was
very clear that the next stage was not organisations but what happens inside
people that makes it possible for them to be innovative. We met when he came to
take the Practitioner with me. Many of the NLP techniques are potentially
useable to foster that overall capacity to be innovative. This is not the same
as being creative: you could be creative and not really do anything. To be
innovative you need more than an idea: you have to follow through and do.
Something has to actually happen.
John is going to be joining me this weekend and we will be
sharing some of the tools that we have in our new programme that will be
starting in the Autumn.
I also want to spend some of the time looking at the long
and winding road that is a person’s life. Having a way of making sense of where
you are on the journey, knowing how to take charge and go in a direction that
is meaningful to you is crucial. So often what I hear from people who have taken
trainings with me is that what they found most valuable was how it helped them
re-orientate in their own life. They have a new awareness of what they are
about and where they want to be going.
I am very pleased that Lawrence Kershen QC, who took his Practitioner with me in 1990,
will be joining me on Saturday. Lawrence’s journey can tell us a lot about how
to engage with our inner calling. It has immediate relevance for anyone wanting
to be true to themselves. More of that on the day.
When you start thinking about the journey that is your life,
being able to just keep going is also
a crucial part of the art of succeeding. So the other thing that I really want
to focus on are those secrets of perseverance.
Winston Churchill’s adage of “never, never, never give up” is really to the point
here. After having guided ITS through 25 years of ups and downs I think there
are some things I can usefully say about how to ensure that you do not just
survive but you actually thrive.
It is going to be a jam-packed day and, hey, here comes
summer!
Also listen to Ian's blog here:
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