Amen Cliff!!!!!. When I was in the Navy reserves we used to show up to
active duty commands and show them new ways to do things all of the time. In
most cases they had been trained by career Navy people before them who had
never seen any other way to accomplish something. As a reservist we used to
ask "Why do you do it this way?" and the standard answer was "We have always
done it this way." Habits are powerful things and can really affect our
thought process. Sometimes a group discussion about a problem is a great
thing especially when you put the rule out that ANY idea will be considered.
While some ideas may start out sounding crazy, they can often be refined to
a workable solution.
Thanks for posting this. I hope it inspires an already innovative group
of
people to achieve even better things.
Thank You,
Brian Webster
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Behalf Of Cliff LeBoeuf
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 1:04 PM
To: WISPA General List
Subject: [WISPA] FW: INNOVATION - The Square Watermelon
Lessons of the Square Watermelon
Japanese grocery stores had a problem. They are much smaller than their US
counterparts and therefore don't have room to waste. Watermelons, big and
round, wasted a lot of space. Most people would simply tell the grocery
stores that watermelons grow round and there is nothing that can be done
about it. That is how the vast majority of people would respond. But some
Japanese farmers took a different approach. If the supermarkets wanted a
square watermelon, they asked themselves, "How can we provide one?" It
wasn't long before they invented the square watermelon.
<http://www.financialhack.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/square-watermellon
s.png>
The solution to the problem of round watermelons wasn't nearly as difficult
to solve for those who didn't assume the problem was impossible to begin
with and simply asked how it could be done. It turns out that all you need
to do is place them into a square box when they are growing and the
watermelon will take on the shape of the box.
<http://www.financialhack.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/square-watermelons
.png>
This made the grocery stores happy and had the added benefit that it was
much easier and cost effective to ship the watermelons. Consumers also loved
them because they took less space in their refrigerators which are much
smaller than those in the US meaning that the growers could charge a premium
price for them.
<http://www.financialhack.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/square-watermelons
-2.png>
What does this have do with anything besides square watermelons? There are a
few lessons that can you can take away from this story which help you in all
parts of your life. Here are a few of them:
Don't Assume: The major problem was that most people had always seen round
watermelons so they automatically assumed that square watermelons were
impossible before even thinking about the question. Things that you have
been doing a certain way your entire life have taken on the aura of the
round watermelon and you likely don't even take the time to consider if
there is another way to do it. Breaking yourself from assuming this way can
greatly improve your overall life as you are constantly looking for new and
better ways to do things.
Question habits: The best way to tackle these assumptions is to question
your habits. If you can make an effort to question the way you do things on
a consistent basis, you will find that you can continually improve the way
that you live your life. Forming habits when they have been well thought out
is usually a positive thing, but most of us have adopted our habits from
various people and places without even thinking about them. It's a never
ending process, but by doing this, you can consistently strive toward making
all aspects of your life more enjoyable instead of defaulting to what you
have now.
Be creative: When faced with a problem, be creative in looking for a
solution. This often requires thinking outside the box. Most people who
viewed this question likely thought they were being asked how they could
genetically alter water melons to grow square which would be a much more
difficult process to accomplish. By looking at the question from an
alternative perspective, however, the solution was quite simple. Being
creative and looking at things in different ways in all portions of your
live will help you find solutions to many problems where others can't see
them.
Look for a better way: The square watermelon question was simply seeking a
better and more convenient way to do something. The stores had flagged a
problem they were having and asked if a solution was possible. It's
impossible to find a better way if you are never asking the question in the
first place. Get into the habit of asking yourself, "Is there a better way I
could be doing this?" and you will find there often is.
Impossibilities often aren't: If you begin with the notion that something is
impossible, then it obviously will be for you. If, on the other hand, you
decide to see if something is possible or not, you will find out through
trial and error. Take away the lessons from the square watermelons and apply
them to all areas in your life (work, finances, relationships, etc) and you
will find that by consistently applying them, you will constantly be
improving all aspects of your life.
Do you have a ³Square Watermelon² story in your business that you can share?
- Cliff
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