Page 185 - Free the Idea Monkey

When I told Hank I thought he was an Idea Monkey, here’s what
he said: “Monkey? Yeah, I guess I get a lot of juice from seeing ideas
come to life. When I look back, much of my energy comes from having
the idea and then handing the ball off to a partner who keeps things
moving. I’ve learned—sometimes the hard way—that every brain-
stormer is only as good as the operators he surrounds himself with.”

Hank was lucky to have Eric and Eric was lucky to have Hank.
Walt was lucky to have Roy and Roy was lucky to have Walt.
Who is the Yin for your Yang?

COMPANIES, TOO, ARE EITHER YINS OR YANGS
Turns out, the best companies are a lot like Roy and Walt Disney.

Everything we said about people applies to companies as well. Some
are better at having ideas; others are better at making the idea happen.

All too often, we here at Maddock Douglas (and maybe at your
firm, too) stop at the first part and pat ourselves on the back for
being innovative, even though we aren’t exactly sure what to do with
a great idea.

At our firm, ideas come easily. In fact, we believe big, beautiful,
million-dollar ideas are a dime a dozen. Want to see? Picture yourself
sitting on a plane. Hmmm. Let’s see. Airline ideas. Why don’t airlines
create a loyalty card? You’d pay for travel at the beginning of the
year in exchange for some sort of special treatment or perks—say,
no fees for checking luggage, free food and drinks (including alcohol),
and access to their “president’s club” lounges so you would have
someplace—other than the gate—to wait for your plane. Sure, you
can pay à la carte for all these things, but it would be more conve-
nient for you if the airline bundled it all together, and better for the
airlines since they would get the money up front. Starbucks has cre-
ated plenty of cash flow with this idea. Why not the airlines?

170 D I S C O V E R I N G A Y I N T O Y O U R Y A N G