Imagine driving through the painted desert of Arizona, it is a warm dry day and you look to the side of the road just in time to see a single road runner speed by a hungry coyote. The coyote perks up and a light bulb appears above his head. Aha, an idea is born. The coyote makes a call and seconds later an elaborate setup is delivered to his door. He assembles it and the chase for dinner is on. Unfortunately things don’t go quite as he planned.
Imagine now that same coyote. The light bulb appears however this time he hesitates. Several more light bulbs start to appear with alternate choices. He takes the time to evaluate all the alternatives and finally he orders a contraption that has been well thought out. He executes his plan and ends up enjoying a fabulous dinner.
“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it’s the only one you have.” - Emilé Chartier
In A Whack on the Side of the Head, one of the questions Roger von Oech asks is “What is the second right answer?” How much more productive would the coyote have been if he had not jumped at his first idea every time? How many times do we get an idea that doesn’t quite get us where we want to be because we stop looking for other solutions?
When you get that “Aha!” light bulb above your head, take a break to Think Outside of the Bulb and gather some more ideas, evaluate all the ideas and take action on the best solution. I think you will walk away with many more roadrunners following this approach.
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” - John Steinbeck
