#561  Innovative Leader                 Volume 11, Number 9        September 2002

A Breakthrough: Extending Creative Capability
by Mark B. Stewart

Mr. Stewart is CEO of iAccess Communications (mbstewa@attbi.com), Denver, Colorado.  Previously, he was Vice President of Business Development at Lucent Technologies.

This article is second in a series of articles on the Quantum Advantage.  See Article 558- The Quantum Advantage

Is it really possible to create a work setting where people can truly thrive?  And does it make sense to do so? We are not just talking about the well being of the autocrat who lives at the top of the corporate food chain. We are talking about you and me—our co-workers—our friends.

Can we create such a place; are we really able? WE CAN, WE ARE, AND WE WILL. We will create such a setting because we know that the companies who come to understand that when their people are thriving, creativity and productivity soar.

We are going to create such momentum, such obvious value, that we cannot be ignored; we cannot be stopped.  We are going to demonstrate that the ill-advised corporate strategy of pandering to Wall Street vs. building true business value through people is simply wrong. This indiscriminate cut down of human resources is wrong today, and it will be wide of the mark for tomorrow as well.

People really are a company’s greatest asset; its most precious resource. It is up to us to prove it; to demonstrate the value of the individual through superior creativity leading to extraordinary output.

No industry is in need of such a paradigm shift more than the telecommunications industry. We have all been emotionally and economically crushed by:

•          The drop in business

•          The loss of jobs

•          The loss of corporate value

•          The slow-down in demand for telecommunications products and services.

Once the flagship industry in the national economy, telecommunications is now the poster-child for executive excesses, unrestrained and unsupported capital spending, and Wall Street overindulgences.

The road back to the economic peak is going to be on the backs of middle managers like you. There are no more good ideas coming from the corporate ivory towers. Cutting away at corporate muscle is a vacant solution to the ills of the telecommunications industry. In fact, recent comprehensive studies show that, after all the costs are examined, large indiscriminate downsizing really does nothing for the bottom line. Put simply, it just is not possible for companies to reduce their way to prosperity. Sorry, but we’ve been there and done that.

Come along as we explore together some new methods and models that can recognize and put to work the tremendous untapped human potential within all of us. We are entering the world of the Quantum Organization.

The Creative Subconscious

The mind is a terrible thing to waste. We have heard this quote before. Most often we relate it to the confused or misguided teen that fails to live up to his or her would-be potential. But, perhaps as big a tragic squander comes from our lack of understanding of the power of the subconscious mind.

Scientists tell us this about the other-than-conscious mind:

•          The subconscious thinks in pictures and images

•          The subconscious never sleeps

•          The subconscious mind records everything it sees or hears

•          The subconscious can be given tasks

In 1998, while working for a large telecommunications company in Denver, I conducted some practical research on the capabilities of the subconscious mind. In fact, I put to the test all of the theories of the Quantum Organization that you will be reading about in this set of articles. They are powerful; they are amazing and somewhat startling, and most importantly they work.

In the Quantum Organization, capturing the power of the other-than-conscious mind is central to our new leadership model. This is the wellspring of our new potential. This is where we will pull those groundbreaking creative new ideas that will drive real value for the corporation.

Next we will discover how to harness this great asset we call the other-than-conscious mind.

Pictures and Images

We all know that the subconscious mind works in pictures and images. You know this from your own experiences. When was the last time you dreamed in paragraphs of text? So it stands to reason that picture and images are the most effective way to communicate with the other than conscious mind.

The subconscious mind’s workings are analogous to a computer. Requests and tasks are fed into the computer in a format that the machine understands. The tasks are processed until a solution is reached. Like the computer, the subconscious mind does not sleep, nor does it vary from its task until the problem is solved.

There are two keys to harnessing the power of the other-than-conscious mind:

•          Feed the subconscious mind tasks to perform in the form of sensory-rich images and descriptions.

•          Recognize when the subconscious is giving you the answers you need.
  
  To get online with the other than conscious mind, we can do the following:

•          Create one-page documents that through pictures, images and descriptive text, pose questions—problems to be solved.

•          Review these descriptive queries on a regular basis—at least once daily.  

•          Set aside time to ponder and allow the subconscious to work on the problem(s).

•          Sleep on it.

•          Be receptive to those flashes of learning; the sudden intuitive perception or insight in the essential meaning of something.

•          Record what you have learned, what the subconscious is telling you, and begin working on your action plans.

•          Use this process over and over and over again.

I assure you this process works—it works for any problem whether it is that new product idea, or as you struggle to develop or repair a personal relationship. This powerful and knowledgeable personal computer that you have at your fingertips can be your most valued asset—the key to the power to create your future.

One final and very important thought—feed your mind. Feed your personal computer with what it craves—data. In other words, READ! Read the best authors, read the newspaper, magazines and newsletters—read them all. Never let a day go by when you are not empowering your subconscious mind with the muscle it needs to work for you.

Influence of Language

We have talked somewhat about the power of pictures and images, particularly as they relate to the subconscious mind. We are now going to explore the amazing power of language—of words and the thoughts they represent.

What pictures and images come to your mind when you see or hear the words “Just Do It?” These are three simple and common words used in everyday conversation, yet they conjure up a most commanding emotional response in most of the literate world.

A key to integrating your message, or your mission, throughout your organization is the creation of new language, new words that evoke the same kind of emotional response as the Nike theme.

You do not have to invent new words, but you must create, from the words that you know, those new phrases that can be linked to the images and ideas that you create—that can be linked to your new leadership paradigm.

As you put the ideology that you are learning in this series of articles into practice, the power of language will be critical to your successful implementation of the principles of the Quantum Organization.

Confidence of Conviction

In an understated way, but perhaps more vigorous than any of the physical forces of nature are the powers that operate upon our consciousness, the means by which the mind, and perhaps even the very soul of humankind may be synchronized with the forces of nature.

In this series of articles we have been, and will yet be, introduced to many new and exciting principles of the Quantum Organization. Many go counter to what we have been taught all of our lives. We must have the courage to go with our instincts, to listen to the still small voice in the back of our mind, to have faith to know that our intuition about these principles is correct while we continue to gain experience and collect the evidence of the truth of this doctrine.

Faith is a principle of action. It is by our belief that a principle is true that we are compelled to act; to enthusiastically go about the business of accomplishment. In other words, through our thoughts and actions we can create the world we want to live in. 

As you read this composition, I ask you to listen to the still small voice, your intuition, to know if these principles are true. You will know the verity of these things as you feel a sense of calm assurance. You will be synchronized with the powers of nature; and by this power you can know the truth of all things.

Finally as an undeviating tribute to YOU the individual—the true engine of change, the enduring words of Helen Keller, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”