Page 28 - Free the Idea Monkey

They Understand the Difference Between
Knowing and Learning ... and have become

learners. Perhaps the trickiest of all the Idea
Monkey traits is maintaining the ability to
constantly learn, even when you are the Head

Monkey (otherwise known as the Leader). We
often make the mistake of believing that as Leaders we need to be
experts. We think, incorrectly, that expertise is measured by how
much we know rather than how we learn. Monkeys are all about
focusing on what they don’t know, not on showing us what they
already know.

They Can Produce Ideas on Demand. Being fearless and
delivering new concepts anywhere, anytime is the trademark skill
of the Idea Monkey. By itself, it can be received as a parlor trick.
Ideas by themselves are useless. But delivered in combination under
the watchful eye of a great (Ring)leader, this trait has the ability to
literally change your industry.

They See the Upside of Challenges. There always will be a
competitor who does the unexpected and upends your market; you
can bet in the coming months consumers are going to demand some-
thing you just can’t provide today, or perhaps financing that you
were absolutely certain was going to be there suddenly won’t be.
Don’t run from problems. That is what your competition will do.
Find the advantage within. Idea Monkeys and Warren Buffett have
a lot in common. Warren Buffett made his fortune by following an
adage he came up with a long time ago: “be fearful when others are
greedy—be greedy when others are fearful.”

They Cross-Pollinate. All Idea Monkeys are
different. But one thing they have in common
is their ability to connect ideas. The reason
this skill is so powerful is because the best
Monkey will give credit as he makes the
connections. This means that his ideas are
actually your ideas too, since he will inevitably
build on yours to create his.

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