I recently listened to a Central University of New York (CUNY) podcast highlighting the work of Alan Furst.
Furst, speaking and reading from his most recent New York Times Best-Seller, “The Spies of Warsaw,” at the Best-Selling Author Series at Kingsborough Community College.
The interview and reading was interesting and what struck me was Alan’s process for writing. As I listened I thought how simple his method was. It could be adapted to any creative endeavor, in the arts or in business.
So, here’s my take on Alan Furst’s writing process adapted for idea generation.
Day 1: generate “x” number of ideas. The “x” number is important. Set a value, it doesn’t have to be high. It’s more about the process and having an objective.
Day 2: a quick review of Day 1′s ideas. Tweak them, expand them, reject some if necessary. Repeat Day 1 idea generation,
Day 3: final review of Day 1′s ideas. This is not about perfection. It’s about actionable. Ask – “what is acceptable and what can I action – now”. Repeat Day 2, Repeat Day 1.
Day 4: if you’re generating ideas for business or products action your first ideas. If you’re writing or painting you’re now done with your work from Day 1. Repeat Day 3, Repeat Day 2, Repeat Day 1.
And so on.
The power of this process is that there are steps for creativity (Day 1), steps for review and refinement (Days 2 and 3), and steps for action (Day 4 and beyond). It’s not about finding perfection it’s about keeping the momentum and continuous practice.
Our Vision into Action (VIA) plan for 2008 to 2011 aligns the energies and efforts of our teams around the world behind a number of priorities which will make the most impact on our revenue and margin performance.
The move to cut the size of their flagship product and replacement of some of the cocoa in the recipe with palm oil might help margins (for perhaps two days…). However, the backlash to these changes is prompting a boycott – so that is not going to have the desired effect on revenue. The competition has been quick to see the opportunity as the video below shows.
There is a certain arrogance and disregard for the customer in these changes. It does begs the question – “what are they doing to all their other products?” And Whittakers must feel like they have died and gone to (chocolate) heaven.
And now there’s a petition to fight the changes. Go sign it yourself if you feel inclined.
Palm Oil is labelled as Vegetable Fat on their chocolate labels. It decreases the quality and pleasant taste of the chocolate, it is higher in saturated fat, and the Palm Oil industry is one of the leading causes of deforestation in Indonesia.
Orangutans are on the brink of extinction due to this industry. Both the Bornean and Sumatran subspecies will be extinct in 12 years unless the slash and burn of rainforests to create Palm Oil plantations is slowed. Countless other endangered plants, animals and local people are also suffering.
Many responsible companies are looking for ways to decrease their use of Palm Oil due to the difficulty in finding a truly sustainable source.
It has been shocking to countless numbers of Cadbury fans to find that Cadbury have gone the opposite direction and increased their usage!
Although Cadbury claim to be using Sustainable Palm Oil we question this claim as they have yet to back it up with details and proof.
The comments and opinions expressed on this blog are Steve Swann's alone. They do not necessarily represent the views of his past, current or future Employers or Clients.
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