Accountant and Bookkeeper Articles

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. - John Steinbeck

You know the type. They’re always thinking, always innovating, always solving problems, always getting the boss’s attention. The idea person is invaluable to a business because he/she discovers how to improve processes, enhance services, and increase profitability. When you become the idea person you secure your position in a company and increase your chances for promotion and advancement. Use the following 8 tips to begin generating your own business-building ideas:

1. Do your research
It’s important to exercise your mind. When you research other ideas your mind is better prepared to do the thinking required to discover fresh, innovative ideas of your own. Get started by looking at trade magazines, scholarly journals, and influential websites. The more you read the more valuable resources you’ll discover.

2. Question everything
But not out loud; you’re trying to become the idea person, not the Doubting Thomas. However, you only discover new ideas when you question old ones. Get in the habit of assessing how ideas work and then questioning their viability. When you ask the right questions you often come up with great new ones.

3. Collect and review ideas regularly
As you research and question, you’ll find that new ideas come to you more often. Collect these ideas in an idea log and review them regularly. Like Steinbeck says, when you recognize how to best manage your ideas, you’ll find they grow and multiply. It’s important that you write these ideas down so you don’t loose track of them.

4. Recognize how your thought process works
Only when you recognize how your thought process works are you able to take advantage of it. Do you think best when things are quiet or do you need background music? Do you come up with more ideas when you’re trying to solve a particular problem or are you a free thinker that generates ideas without focusing on a specific issue or need?

5. Be quick to recognize problems
Generally the best ideas are solutions to current problems. Is your company experiencing a bottleneck in production? Is customer service lacking? Would the business benefit from enhancing or increasing services? If you’re able to recognize and pinpoint problems you can generate ideas that respond to current needs.

6. Set idea quota
Sometimes it helps to require yourself to generate X number of ideas per day or week. Recognize that not all of them will be stellar, but from those numerous ideas you will probably discover a winner or two.

7. Scrutinize before sharing
Just because you have an idea doesn’t mean you should share it. Get in the habit of scrutinizing your own ideas before going public. Jump back to tip #2 and question every angle of your idea. If it helps, imagine how your coworkers and supervisors might respond. When you can recognize weaknesses you can improve on your idea or maybe even watch it evolve into something better.

8. Learn how to best share your ideas
You don’t want to become that annoying pest who thinks they can change the course of the company with their brilliant ideas. Delivery is key. How can you best share your ideas so that their value is recognized and appreciated? Play matchmaker. Which method of delivery works best for this particular idea? Should you email your boss, take some time in staff meeting, or gather your department together for an informal presentation? You’ll find that you’ll learn by doing and become more aware of what works best for you and your employer.

Becoming the idea person can propel your career in a new and exciting direction. Take the time to incorporate these 8 tips and you’ll quickly notice a difference in your thinking. And within no time you’ll notice a difference in your career.