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MARCH 2001 BRAINSTORM

1. INVEST IN CHANGE—AND YOURSELF
PriceWaterhouseCoopers recently conducted a major study of innovation. It revealed that for global companies with a presence in Britain, the highest performers generate up to 75% of their revenue from products and services that didn’t exist five years ago. For the lowest performers, new products or services represent only 10% or fewer of their offerings. The report suggests three key characteristics of the most successful companies:
1. Well-defined idea management—these companies know how to gather and process information from a wide variety of sources, and avoid judging ideas too quickly.
2. An open management style that encourages new ideas.
3. A structure that blurs the lines between leaders and followers, rather than a rigid hierarchy.
QUESTIONS: The same approach can be applied to individuals. For example:
1. Do you have a process for gathering, recording, and accessing new information relevant to what you do? If not, how can you set up such a system?
2. Do you take time every week for open-minded brainstorming? If not, can you schedule a half hour per week for this?
3. How much of what you are doing today is different from what you were doing five years ago? Is it time for you to add to or change what you offer?
2. MEMORY TIP
If there’s something you can’t remember, try putting a finger over one nostril and breathing eight times through the other one, then reverse the procedure. According to Dr William Cone, author of "Stop Memory Loss," when the left nostril is open, the right hemisphere of your brain is dominant and when the right nostril is open the left hemisphere is dominant (they alternate in roughly 90-minute cycles). Because different types of information tend to be stored in each hemisphere, manipulating your breathing
patterns may jog your memory.
3. USE YOUR VISION
A study at Pennsylvania State University suggests a connection between being a strong leader and being able to visualize events (that is, to have a strong mental picture, especially of positive events). Some people find this easy to do, but if you don’t, here are three tips:
1. Imagine that you are watching a movie in your mind. See yourself on the screen. If you find that difficult, experiment with changing the viewpoint to a subjective one—that is, seeing events as though through your own eyes.
2. If the images don’t come, start by hearing the sounds instead—in your imagination, hear what you and others are saying, as well as the other sounds you might hear in the situation. Then allow pictures to follow.
3. If you have trouble coming up with moving images, imagine a series of still pictures of key moments. When you are used to this, you may find that the images begin to move.
TIP: Practice with tapes or CDs on which others guide you through visualisations. We have one called "Power Trances," which you can order for £12.95 (ph: 0207 580 4997), but others are available, too, at bookshops or via mail order.
Join us on Wednesday, 18 April, from 6:30pm to 9pm in Central London for an exciting workshop called DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! These days, whether you work within a company or are a free-lancer or an entrepreneur, it’s not enough just to do a good job–you have to make people aware of who you are and what you’re offering. It’s something that does not come naturally to most creative people, but it’s something you can learn–and must learn, if you want to be successful in your chosen field. Jurgen Wolff wrote the book on this subject–literally! His new book, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, is published by Virgin on the 5th of April. It includes one hundred case studies, and the 14 key marketing principles derived from them. In this workshop, you will get the chance to put into practice for yourself the valuable lessons behind these hundred successes. Please ring Sheridan Bolger on 020 7580 4997 to register. The fee is only £15, and you can use your credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or Switch) or send a cheque payable to Brainstorm, to Jurgen
Wolff, Brainstorm, 85 Ridgmount Gardens, London WC1E 7AY. We will send you confirmation and directions. Space is limited, so please ring now.
4. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK
A study by the British Psychological Society reveals that executives who trade in the 9- to-5 work schedule for flexi-time or shorter working hours actually are more productive than those who stick to the traditional
schedule. Another study, this one reported in the journal, Psychosomatic Medicine, shows that over a nine-year period, people at high risk for heart disease who take at least one vacation a year had significantly lower death rates than those who skipped such time off.
THE MORAL: Whenever possible, arrange your schedule to fit your needs, get enough rest and exercise, and make sure that you have at least one longer vacation every year.
5. THE LANGUAGE OF THE BODY
A recent issue of Men’s Health included tips on how to use body language effectively. Here are the three best:
* You probably already know that crossing your arms and legs or bowing your head comes across as negativity. The opposite is displaying upward-facing palms as part of your gestures.
* Gently and briefly brushing the tip of the other person’s elbow with your forefinger causes a subconscious feeling of trust. (Note: this was tested in Australia, where they have different body language patterns than in the U.K., so use this with caution!)
* Rubbing the nose is often associated with lying. If your nose itches, don’t rub it while you’re talking.
5. AND FOUR QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT…
I’m working on a new book called "50 Questions That Will Change Your Life"—actually of course, it’s the answers (and what you do about them) that could change your life. Here are four (each with a follow-up question) to get you started:
1. If money were no object, what would you do with your time? (How can you do some of this now?)
2. If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you set out to do? (How can you set out to do this even though you might fail?)
3. Who do you need to forgive in order to give yourself peace of mind? (When do you plan to forgive them?)
4. What are three things you haven’t done yet that you’d like to do before you die? (Which one can you do this year?)
‘Til next time, Jurgen
(ps: check out our website, www.BrainstormNet.com – and if you’ve enjoyed this bulletin, why not forward it to a friend or colleague?)
Requests to subscribe (or, for that matter, unsubscribe) should be sent to
BstormUK@aol.com. We also welcome your comments and suggestions and we do not sell or share our mailing lists. (Contents copyright 2001, Jurgen Wolff).

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