Ideas on the go!

RS just completed the security check and walked towards the belt where the bags come out from the scanner.

He is petrified by the thought that someday someone would walk away with his laptop.

 He collected his MacBook Air, his phone, and his bag, and walked toward the coffee shop. He settled down and started reading the latest issue of Tehelka. Their stories fascinated him. He was also slightly sleepy as he had had a long day.

Boarding would be in another 40 minutes.

He remembered that his phone was switched off. He switched the phone on and as if on cue, it started ringing.

His client was on the line. They had an overseas call coming up soon and wanted some fresh ideas on arresting attrition. Quickly. RS tried telling them that he would be boarding a flight soon but to no avail. They wanted some ideas in the next 2 hours.

RS could not ignore the request because it was the CEO who spoke to him directly. Obviously, there was an emergency.

RS stared at Tehelka and tucked it away. His mind was blank. He felt he could do with some help, so got himself a black coffee, no sugar.

As he got back to his table, he heard the announcement. His flight was delayed by two hours because of the late arrival of the incoming flight. The thought that he would not be home till midnight depressed him.

He reached for his phone to call his wife and tell her that she should not wait for him for dinner.

 “What is wrong?” she asked. He whined about the delay, the hectic day, and now the urgent work to be done.

 “So what are you going to do?”

“I wish I knew?”

 “Relax, take a stroll. Go to the foot spa..” She rattled off more suggestions.

 “OK, I will manage” RS finished the conversation rather abruptly.

 He was upset with his mobile (iPhone 6S) - if it was not there his client could not have reached him.

 The 6S - he loved the looks, the feel, and the features. He started looking at his phone and started checking out the various apps he had loaded.

 As he started a bright yellow icon caught his eye. IDEABREAK - something he downloaded a couple of months ago. Never tried it seriously though.

 He clicked on the icon and the screen turned to a lush green lawn. It looked so fresh and nice. It was soothing and RS felt good looking at it.

 He tapped the screen and a question popped up

“What do you want ideas for?” The question was written on the grass, it looked so nice.

 As RS touched the screen two icons appeared

A microphone and a typewriter. RS was in no mood to speak, he tapped the typewriter.

The keyboard appeared with the question and a window for his answer.

 RS keyed in “Reducing attrition”

 He finished typing and simply tapped the screen.

 The screen was filled with the question “Got any ideas?”

 RS tapped the screen and a window appeared where he could enter his current ideas. After he finished typing his last idea, he paused.

 After a minute two buttons appeared.

 SHARE   FILE

 RS just filed his ideas.

 After a few seconds, the screen changed to an inviting, stunning visual of a pathway into a lush green forest.

And the question appeared “Want some more ideas?”

RS hesitated for a while and the screen was filled with a rainbow-coloured menu bar. The options were

 TAKE A BREAK

INSPIRATIONS

CRAZY QUESTIONS

ACTION VERBS

VISUAL FEAST

IDEAFONE

HUNTTHENET

IDEAPEDIA

MY TRICKS

RS would have loved to take a break, but he could not do that. So he tapped “INSPIRATIONS”

A quotation from Einstein popped up:

“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

RS liked that. Actually, that was what the client was doing. Doing the same thing and expecting different results.

RS tapped on the IDEA tab and mike & a typewriter popped up. He tapped on the typewriter and the keyboard appeared. He started typing his ideas

Call a few guys who left in the last 3 months and ask “What would have made you stay back?”

 Ask the most talented people “What bugs you most about the company? Bugs you enough to think about leaving?”

 RS tapped the file and he heard a click sound to indicate that the idea had been filed. He now had the menu again.

 TAKE A BREAK

INSPIRATIONS

CRAZY QUESTIONS

ACTION VERBS

VISUAL FEAST

IDEAFONE

HUNTTHENET

IDEAPEDIA

MY TRICKS

 RS tapped the CRAZY QUESTIONS and a question popped up.

 “What ideas might be rejected by the powers that be?”

 RS smiled. He got a bit wicked as he thought about the CEO and what irritates him (a control freak). This triggered an idea

“What if the CEO goes on a vacation for two weeks and hands over charge to a promising star?”

He tapped CRAZY QUESTIONS again and this time the question was

“What if you did something unexpected?”

 That made RS sit up.

 “What if you announced an UNHAPPY DAY every week? People, who are upset, or unhappy come to a ‘speakeasy point’ and record their unhappiness. Giving the name could be optional.

CEO & HR listen to the recordings for feelings & meanings and announce corrective measures within 24 hours.

RS went back to the menu and tapped on Active verbs

Several random verbs appeared and RS kept looking for a different one. Finally, he got something that found interesting “Manipulate”

“What if we prepare a list of suspects (people who might want to leave)? Make them offers through headhunters via a dummy company. Understand their real reasons and discretely tackle them.”

By this time RS’s mind started ticking and he started capturing many more ideas.

 When boarding was announced he was the last passenger to get in. He quickly sent a WhatsApp message to the CEO that he has several ideas and would want to refine them before sending them. The CEO could expect them by 5:00 AM the next day.

Just to be sure that the ideas are stored safely, he tapped the SHARE, selected the file and mailed it to himself. When the icon “MAIL SENT” appeared, he switched off the phone, stretched his legs, and got ready for a well-deserved nap.

(I wrote this piece as a briefing note to create a mobile app to help managers generate ideas on the go!)