Mindmapping Eats Balanced Scorecard for Lunch

Have you seen one of these Balanced Scorecard bubble charts?  If its like the one I’ve been seeing lately it looks like an example from “top ten things never to do with PowerPoint.”  The late Steve Jobs would hate it…but I digress.  The real problem with them is that they just become another mind-numbing chart.  Some companies even put them up on the wall like Successories’ motivational posters.  While displaying such things certainly communicates what your “big rocks” are, it does little to align the “IBE”s

Optimal Creativity and Leadership Implications

I had to good fortune to facilitate an annual strategic ideation meeting recently with a Hawaii-based training and development organization.   Like before at another workshop, I asked the 20 participants when they did their best, creative thinking.  Amazingly (tongue in cheek), none of them mentioned “while at work.”  Like audiences before, the responses included “while running,” “just before bed,” “in the shower, ” etc.  Could this be because their state of mind at the time of greatest creativity is when they are emotionally relaxed?  It takes only a few minutes on an internet search to find credible data linking stress to all forms of ills.  Is it any wonder therefore that a work environment full of stress is devoid of innovation and creativity?

Keeping Your Processes Current

Mindmaps, especially those used in real-time or collaboration modes, can keep your operational processes and/or standard operating procedures (SOPs) current.  I was demonstrating “Military Planning 2.0 with Mindmapping” to Don Lett, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, now responsible for major emergency contingency plans.  He commented on the struggle to keep SOPs current and enduring due to the turnover of military and government civilian personnel.  He saw what I had not considered before – that by putting SOPs in collaboration mind-maps the data stays fresh

Military Planning 2.0 with Mind-Mapping

We have not had a real breakthrough in planning processes for a long time.  Military planners have long had a 1/3-2/3 rule that says for any given mission, senior planners or headquarters elements take 1/3 of available time to plan and give 2/3 of the time to subordinate units or commanders for preparing to execute the mission.  This rule was ingrained in me even as a cadet in the Fighting Texas Aggie Corps.  The rule is a good one even for today, but technology in the form of real-time mind-mapping (MM) makes this a nearly obsolete paradigm and greatly enhances the concept to execution process.

Walk out with something done

If you’ve followed my articles at all you’ve noticed my inspiration for them comes from real contacts.  I caught up with an old friend who is now a regional executive with one of the top 3 pharma companies in the world.  I relayed to him why I decided to add deBono Thinking Systems to my consulting portfolio:  Over 20 years of seeing verbal ping-pong played out in countless meetings resulting in little to no output – an atmosphere dominated by titles, egos, and type A personalities.  My friend is experiencing the same thing.

Visual Language: Why You Should Map

The Power of Visual Language

Mapping is a VISUAL LANGUAGE – and you need to learn it if you want to improve your personal and team performance.

Mindmapping Can Bring International Thoughts Together

I had the good fortune to participate in an international meeting between members of the US military, State Dept, and representatives with ministries of health in four other countries.  The meeting had three primary goals