It’s once again time for the biggest and most exciting event in football, Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Florida, on February 1, 2009. Tickets for this game are being sold for anywhere between $3,000 and $4,000 each at a time when few in this country can afford anything at all. It should be noted that it’s not just admission tickets that are costly this year. A 30-second commercial during this year’s game will cost advertisers $3 million dollars … that’s $6 million a minute or $100,000 per second!

Those out-of-this-world-prices have forced some pretty creative out-of-the-box thinking. Remember back in 1962 when the Avis Car Rental Company gained fame with its “We Try Harder” campaign? This claim was the result of the fact that Avis was currently number #2 in the industry behind Hertz and therefore must try harder to achieve success. When it launched that campaign, Avis was an unprofitable company with 11% of the car rental business in the USA. Within a year Avis was making a profit, and within two years Avis had tripled its market share to 35%.

Is History Repeating Itself?

Anheuser-Busch, the game’s king of advertising and the country’s largest brewing company, will air 4 ½ minutes of ad time this year at a cost of $27 million! However, Miller Brewing Company, #2 in the industry, is going to “Try Harder” and may very well get more publicity by spending only a fraction of that cost.

Talk about creativity!

Talk about thinking “out-of-the-box”!

Talk about overcoming adversity in tough times!

Miller Brewing will air a one-second commercial for the champagne of beers, Miller High Life, on affiliates across the nation. That’s right, a ONE-SECOND COMMERCIAL! Talk about shorter attention spans! Viewers will have to watch closely for these ads. This game-day stunt ad—known as a “blink”—will air on 25 local NBC stations reaching about 60% of the TV audience. The ads will feature the Miller High Life brand and will put the highly popular delivery man from its original ads in the one-second commercials.

Here’s the beauty of this unique approach to a very competitive advertising industry tradition. Miller Brewing, #2 in the industry, will spend millions less than #1 Anheuser-Bush.

Miller Brewing is receiving millions of dollars worth of free advertising as a result of media coverage explaining its unconventional approach to advertising. Radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet are all sharing the story.

As a result of this ongoing coverage prior to the big game, viewers will be looking for these ads in anticipation of something that appears to be impossible.

Viewers can visit the Miller website, http://1secondad.com/, in advance of the game to view the many creative ad spots.

Miller is demonstrating that anyone can use creativity and innovation to deal with adversity in challenging times.

Not only has it discovered a way to compete at a high level, save money when it’s most needed, entertain its audience and demonstrate its uniqueness … Miller may even have found a way to produce the most successful ads of the day at an event where commercials have been known to upstage the actual football game.

Share this report with your staff, watch the game to see if this gamble pays off, and then discuss how this kind of out-of-the-box thinking might very well benefit your organization in this trying times.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you know that this “Out-of-the-Box Thinking” series was originated to share unique modern day examples of people and/or organizations that have demonstrated their willingness to venture beyond conventional thinking.

In so many of our creative-thinking seminars and keynote presentations, the following concern has emerged at one point or another: “This subject is a lot of fun, interesting, and educational; however, it’s difficult to actually apply in the workplace.”

That’s fear, doubt, or lack of confidence speaking. I say that because I find examples every week in my travels that prove creative thinking is alive and well from coast to coast—today more so than ever before as continuous workplace challenges demand creative responses.

Here’s an example I’m surprised hasn’t surfaced long before now. By the way, I’m not talking about futuristic possibilities … I’m talking about present day realities. This example emerges as a result of time pressures, health concerns and even proven statistics reflecting increased productivity.

Want to lose up to 57 lbs. in one year?

Can’t find enough time to get to the gym?

Spend lots of time in front of a computer?

Then you’ll want to learn more about the office treadmill. Yes, I know those two words sound contradictory, and it’s a challenge to envision the two in the same image, but it’s a fact … and a rapidly growing trend.

Dr. James Levine, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, conducted a study revealing that people can burn 350 calories a day by doing things like fidgeting, pacing or simply walking to the computer from their desk.

As a result of his study, Dr. Levine constructed a treadmill desk by simply sliding a bedside hospital tray over a $400 treadmill. That is “out-of-the-box thinking.” Can you imagine the thoughts and comments of those viewing his efforts for the first time? You can pretty much bet there was laughter and/or ridicule involved at one point.

However, the Mayo Clinic research acknowledged that, without breaking a sweat, the so-called “work-walker” can burn an estimated 100 to 130 calories an hour at speeds slower than two miles an hour.

Today, choices range from homemade monstrosities to a sleek $4,000 all-in-one treadmill desk which comes in your choice of 36 laminate finishes with an ergonomically curved desktop from Details (a Division of Steelcase). Its quiet motor is designed for slow speeds.

Work-walking may very well inch itself into the mainstream as dozens of businesses have already invested in the equipment to let their employees walk and, ideally, lose a little weight, at work. Hundreds of these workstations have been sold from coast-to-coast to organizations including Humana, Mutual of Omaha, GlaxoSmithKline, and Best Buy.

Some employees feel this whole ideal is a bit freaky, and others simply can’t seem to walk and work at the same time. While it may sound like a recipe for distraction, devotees say the treadmill desks increase not only their activity but also their concentration. Several call-centers have discovered an increase in productivity, while reducing employees cholesterol, weight, and blood-sugar levels.

Want more information about this unique concept? Go to http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/treadmill-desk/MM00706 to view a short video of Dr. Levine explaining the advantages and research data on the Treadmill Desk. He believes that if individuals were to replace eight hours a day of sitting at their “normal” desk with a Treadmill Desk, and if other components of energy balance were constant, a weight loss of 57 lbs. a year could occur!

Current plans range from “The $49 Treadmill Desk” (http://www.treadmill-desk.com/2007/06/anders-burvall.html) to commercial offerings near the $6,500 price tag.

You know this is a growing trend when you discover that there are more than a dozen work-walking blogs on the Internet already (for example: www.treadmill-desk.com and treadmill-workstation.com and www.bookofjoe.com/2007/10/treadmill-works.html to name a few). There is even a blossoming social network (officewalkers.ning.com) available for those interested.

What appears to be “freaky” to some appears to be a Treadmill Desk revolution to others. This bizarre trend may join the ranks of the hula hoop, roller blades, and the convertible … once an oddity, later a staple. Creativity is alive and well.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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This very simplistic phrase, “Find a need and fill it,” has been around for a very long time. I first read about it in Entrepreneur Magazine many decades ago. They explained this strategy was the #1 rule for business start-ups.

I later heard Zig Ziglar, one of the nation’s most highly regarded motivational speakers, share the virtues of this very successful approach to life.

I then read that John Deere, the respected blacksmith who later became the world’s leading producer of farm equipment, claimed the phrase as his personal inspiration and philosophy back in the 1800s.

Regardless of its origin, it continues to produce creative ideas that have enhanced society in many diverse and productive ways.

The interesting thing about this simple battle cry is the modest fact that many people struggle with the challenge of “finding a need” … and yet they exist all around us.

For instance, consider a basic common obstacle confronting football players, firefighters, industrial and hazmat workers, and even racing pit crews—the need for quick heat relief.

It’s an elemental challenge, yet critical to anyone having to deal with it. Well, someone has recognized that need and obviously filled it.

For apparent reasons, they call it the Cool Shirt®. It was designed to maintain or quickly return core body temperatures to normal levels, reducing heat-induced fatigue. It also cools the body and allows it to radiate its heat, thus reducing the risk of heat stroke.

Weighing a mere 4 lbs., this unusual shirt contains more than 50 feet of medical-grade capillary tubing securely stitched on the front and back of the shirt. It is connected to a compact cooling unit via insulated hose with quick, dry disconnects. The cooling unit contains ice, water and an internal pump that supplies cool water to the shirt as it covers up to 40% of the body. The shirt pumps 40 degree water through 50 feet of tubing to keep the wearer cool.

Being made of lightweight cotton, it can be worn comfortably for long periods of time and quickly connected and disconnected to the cooling unit as needed. Cool Shirt® will return the body’s core temperature to normal levels within minutes.

The temperature-controlled cold water provided by the refrigeration unit to the Cool Shirt® is between 50 and 65 degrees. Studies have proven that cool water will transfer body heat 28 times faster than cool air. This allows faster, more efficient maintenance of the body’s optimum core temperature.

The Cool Shirt®, while quite fundamental in its construct, has provided relief and assurance to many employees working under challenging conditions day in and day out.

This is a perfect example of identifying a need and producing a solution to fill that need.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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There’s a certain genre of unique people in the world today who seek and discover rare opportunities in the growing crisis we find around us. They possess a rare quality that seems to shield negativity as they search for possibilities.

For instance, this summer many parts of the country experienced an unusual “perfect storm”—a combination of brutal drought resulting in countless, unattractive brown lawns AND a national home foreclosure-plight unequaled in our memory. This combination is obviously not conducive to home sales in today’s marketplace.

But wait—creative minds reign supreme and not a minute too soon. For years lawn services have injected lawns with water-absorbing polymer pellets while others have resorted to pouring beer and soda across the lawn to keep yards green. And now … the most obvious of solutions. Why not simply spray paint your lawn?

A California-based chemical company is now selling a water-based spray-on paint that doesn’t harm the grass and wears off after about a month. Sales have jumped about 35% in the past month.

Workers armed with sprayers resembling an astronaut jet pack paint lawns with a turf colorant traditionally used by golf courses and athletic stadiums. Lawn painting provides an instant curb appeal adding much-needed value for property owners.

Lawn service companies are now pitching this service to home owners and real estate agencies across the country. While it appears to be somewhat of a quick fix until water restrictions are lifted, it’s obviously solving problems for home owners, city officials, realtors, and lawn companies that have also experienced a slow down in tough economic times.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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We’ve been using this particular category of our blog to provide examples of out-of-the-box thinking that are actually taking place in our everyday lives. It’s our hope to demonstrate that creativity and innovation can be found at every level of our society, can require a large monetary investment or cost next to nothing, and is needed today more than ever before.

The term “find a need and fill it” has been around a very long time. It’s a simple strategy that can very easily lead to success in many areas. Some have credited this battle cry to a blacksmith, John Deere, who later created the world’s leading producer of farm equipment while others attribute it to an American writer, editor, and speaker, Ruth Stafford Peale. She was the wife of The Power of Positive Thinking author, Norman Vincent Peale, and co-founder of Guideposts magazine and the Peale Center. Regardless of who first said it, it’s quite obvious that it’s going to be around for quite some time due to its wisdom, simplicity, and potential.

Here’s still another example of a very low-cost but particularly practical innovation which could easily have found its creation as a result of that age-old battle cry.

Tell me this isn’t a need which demands being addressed. I see it happening in break rooms from coast to coast. An employee arrives at work in the morning to place his/her lunch in the break room refrigerator before tackling the challenges of the day. Lunch time finally rolls around and that famished employee dashes to the break room with anticipation of devouring that delicious triple-decker specialty sandwich waiting in the fridge. Bursting into the break room, the refrigerator door is thrown open to reveal the alarming sight of an empty sandwich bag. Someone stole your luncheon masterpiece leaving you frustrated, empty, and violated as you nibble the few carrot sticks the thief apparently overlooked or ignored during the illegal appropriation!

Don’t underestimate the impact of such a hideous act and don’t think it happens only in your break room. This is a very common occurrence in most office settings which continually leads to depression, suspicion, hunger and loss of productivity.

Well, someone has finally done something about it. A trained mechanical and aerospace engineer, New York-based Sherwood Forlee, has focused his vast experience, talent and imagination to create a solution to this universal problem.

He’s created a designer Anti-Theft Sandwich Bag. Simply put, Anti-Theft Lunch Bags “are regular sandwich bags that have green splotches printed on both sides providing the appearance of a dreaded mold.” It causes your sandwich to take on an unappetizing shade of green. In short, your sandwich looks disgusting, scaring away any potential thief.

Be honest, doesn’t this simplistic approach to a common problem cause you to wonder why you didn’t come up with this idea yourself?

What’s next … a giant car bag that makes your new Corvette look like a 1958 Ford Edsel!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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It was inevitable! And I’m sick about it!

As much as I fly …

As often as I’ve been stranded at airports and forced to sleep at the gate …

As often as I’ve been forced to get up at 4:30 a.m. in a strange hotel to grab a cab to rush to the airport to get an early flight—only to have the flight delayed …

I should have been the one come up with this idea … me and a million other “frequent fliers” who have enough airport horror stories to write a book. I guess this is another perfect example of the knowing-doing gap. At the very least, a million of us KNOW the need for this creative innovation and yet none of us did anything to DO something about it.

However, someone did. Oscar Dios, longtime owner of a hostel and hotel in Uppsala, Sweden, saw a need and proceeded to fill it. In December of last year, ground was broken near the entrance to the Stockholm-Arlanda International Airport for a new Jumbo Hostel, housed in a genuine jumbo jet aircraft—a Boeing 747 to be exact!

This creative idea emerged as a near necessity considering that 17 to 18 million travelers pass through this airport every year. Couple that fact with a trend of late and delayed flights, increased passenger traffic, fuel price increases, and strikes, mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies. … all of which combine to add frustration to the stressed travelers hoping to reach their destination.

By the way, a hostel, as defined by HostelManagement.com, is a budget-oriented dormitory accommodation that accepts individual travelers for short-term stays, and that provides common areas and communal facilities.

This 747 is currently being converted into a 25-room hostel with 3 beds per room. The first phase of the conversion was the dismantling of the old interior, new paint and new decorations for the rooms. 450 seats were taken out and the plane was sanitized in its entirety. The plane has been placed on a concrete foundation with the landing gear secured in two steel cradles.

Each room features a flat-screen TV where you can, among other things, watch the times of departure for all flights. Everywhere in the jumbo jet you have wireless broadband Internet access for your convenience. The upper deck of this 747 has several more luxurious rooms with their own bathroom facility. For the ultimate in overnight luxury, you will even be able to spend the night in the cockpit, where you can enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of the live air traffic at the international airport.

As though all of that were not enough, how about an excursion area where visitors will be able to walk right out on the wing of the Jumbo jet? Not too many people can make claim to that unusual experience.

And should you get hungry, the 747 has its own café where you can buy breakfast, coffee and cookies and basic meals. You can also heat up food you may have brought along.

Can you imagine the peace of mind spending the night right there at the airport knowing that when you wake up in the morning you’re just a short stroll of your gate?

The Jumbo Hostel will open its doors for reservations in December and is guaranteed to be a unique and outstanding experience at a good price.

If this creative adventure proves successful, and there’s no reason to think it won’t, you can expect to see similar hostels popping up at every major airport in the U.S. before long. Convenience and comfort for fliers, strong competition to existing hotels, and profits for those undertaking the challenge of closing that knowing-doing gap.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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“To-do lists” have always been a powerful time management tool. Most everyone uses them in one form or another in hopes of increasing productivity. However, another strategy, much less well-known but just as powerful, suggests the opposite approach of the renowned to-do list.

It’s nothing more than a “don’t-do list” or a “stop-doing list.” This concept certainly isn’t new, and I doubt that it would qualify as “out-of-the-box thinking.” Management guru Peter Drucker mentioned it in many of his 39 best sellers over the years, and more recently, author Jim Collins (Good to Great and co-author of Built to Last) shares his support of the simple concept.

A few months ago I described this powerful tool in Start a “Stop-Doing” List. I explained that a “stop-doing” list is nothing more than a simple inventory of bad habits or negative actions currently practiced by an individual, team or organization that would provide better results if they were discontinued.

While this strategy may not represent “out-of-the-box thinking,” the method of application certainly can. I recently saw a perfect example of this strategy while flying to Philadelphia to deliver a keynote presentation. Due to the aftermath of several tropical storms in the Gulf, my plane was rerouted through four separate airports before reaching Philly in an effort to circumvent bad weather heading east from the devastation in Texas.

In printing my boarding passes, I immediately noticed that only one boarding pass emerged from the ticket kiosk machine. Fearing an even longer delay, I approached the ticket agent and explained my dilemma. She quickly suggested that I review the pass in my hand as she explained I only needed one pass. The airline now issues a single boarding pass regardless of how many connections you may be scheduled to make before reaching your final destination. In an effort to save paper and ink, they have eliminated separate boarding passes for every city on your route. This procedure also reduces your chances of losing one of those passes in route.

Later, on the plane, I couldn’t help thinking about this small gesture on the part of the airlines and the enormous impact it was going to have on the industry. I couldn’t help but wonder why this idea had not been carried out years earlier. It’s so simple … very little cost … very little effort … quick transition time … tremendous savings.

At my hotel that evening, I did a little surfing to further my investigation. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the Department of Transportation (DOT) keeps track of commercial passenger traffic for the United States. For the 12 months ending February 29, 2008, there were 735 million U.S. passengers flying over 366 days, which equals about 2 million passengers per day on average.

Let’s low-ball this equation by assuming that, using this new strategy, the airlines saved one single boarding pass for each customer. It’s quite obvious that many of those passengers would have required several boarding passes. However, assuming one pass per passenger, the airline industry saved a minimum of 735 million pieces of paper over the past year and who knows how much ink. It would indeed be interesting to calculate what that means in dollars and cents. In addition, I can’t imagine another industry that needs that savings more than those flying our costly skies today.

Share this example with your team members in the near future. Allow them 24 hours to brainstorm the application of this simple but powerful strategy to your own business. Meet the following day and chart the results of their efforts. What are some of the things you might “stop doing” to reduce costs and increase efficiency? Remember, your findings don’t have to involve large projects, policies, or procedures. Little changes can make an enormous difference!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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We initiated this particular blog feature for the sole purpose of providing real-life examples of out-of-this-world creativity for those who struggle to find such illustrations on their own. I had no idea when we started that it would be so easy to find so many examples every day in every field of endeavor. The situations we’ve shared are far from futuristic predictions that may materialize some day in the world of TomorrowLand. They’re happening now and they’re happening here, there and everywhere.

To review the previous 20 examples we’ve shared … simply click on Out-of-the-Box Thinking in the column on the right titled Categories. If you have personal examples you’d like to share with us, please send them to us.

While today’s example is rather humorous, it might be a bit frightening for some. What’s really astounding is the fact that it’s taking place right now as you read this piece.

Visualize yourself lying in a hospital bed recuperating from yesterday’s surgery in Hackensack University Medical Center. A nurse drops in to tell you that your doctor will be in to see you in just a few minutes. That’s always good news because everyone wants an update on their progress. As promised, the door opens and in rolls your doctor. Yes, I said rolls. Before you can fully appreciate the message your eyes are sending to your brain, you hear your doctor’s voice greeting you from an image displayed on a flat-screen computer monitor mounted on top of the robot … yes, a robot standing at the foot of your bed. Your doctor’s face is looking you right in the eye from the computer screen connected to the Internet via broadband and a wireless network as his familiar and reassuring voice greets you warmly.

However, as you look closer you can’t help but notice that your doctor’s face is mounted on a 5 feet, 4 inch remote-controlled adult-sized robot on wheels weighing 215 lbs. On top of the computer monitor is a two-way video and 24-infrared sensors to navigate its travels. The screen rotates 340 degrees and pivots up and down creating personalized mechanical affectations. He views the patient and surroundings through a video camera located above the monitor, allowing live interactive communication. The robot’s body is covered by a physician’s smock complete with the traditional stethoscope. The more you look at it, the more it actually resembles your doctor … and verbally interacting with him, I mean it, seals the deal.

Your doctor is now able to dial up, connect, and see his patients whenever needed. Driving the robot into the room is more personal than a phone call from the doctor’s office. Dr. Rounder, as the robot is affectionately known by everyone in the hospital, also provides access to electronic patient files. The doctor can view vital signs, CT scans, blood tests and much of the technical data needed for patient care. Of course, when Dr. Rounder is visiting other patients, you continue to be monitored by the medical center’s Magnet award-winning nursing staff.

Sounds a bit far-fetched, wouldn’t you agree? This sophisticated mechanical physician is part of an initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care. Physician-to-patient communication is now possible regardless of whether a physician is out of town or out of the country for that matter.

This unique robot is remarkably personal, providing virtual communication, and patients seem to be very comfortable with him, er, it. In essence, the Hackensack University Medical Center is providing extra coverage patients might not ordinarily get. As you watch Dr. Rounder humming through the halls, you get a sense he’s become a familiar face around the medical center as staff passing by quickly greet the doctor currently on the screen as though he’s really there—physically that is!

What’s next? Only the limits of your imagination, creativity and innovation can make that determination!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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Now here’s something you’re more than likely to see much more of in the future. It really makes sense under current economic conditions. Consider how many people would love to get away from the many headaches we’re facing today. And what better get-away destination than a tropical island resort? Of course, many people couldn’t afford a trip like that in good times much less than in what we’re facing today.

Fear not—this problem has been solved!

A tropical island resort has been created about 30 miles outside of Berlin in Germany! This location, climate and visual environment isn’t exactly what comes to mind when you think of a tropical island paradise.

However, step inside this gigantic dome, and you’re immediately transported to the destination you’ve been dreaming of.

• The dome was originally built as an airplane hangar but has since been transformed into a tropical dream.
• The artificial exotic island environment includes a rain forest, beaches, artificial sunlight, palm trees, and orchids.
• The resort is kept at 77 degrees with 50% humidity year round.
• The resort can comfortably hold up to 7,000 guests.
• There are seven bars and restaurants and numerous spas.
• Guests can camp on the artificial beaches overnight if they wish.
• Admission to paradise is only $23!
• When you put a tropical destination 30 miles outside of Berlin and allow people to come and go 365 days a year, you are looking at a huge cash cow.
• Which, to my thinking, means you could place one of these gems in just about any major city in the nation and anticipate great success. It’s a win-win situation!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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One of the unique examples we share in our creativity seminars and keynote presentations reflects the benefits of bench marking, Japanese innovation, watermelon, and continuous learning.

Japanese designers and engineers will be the first to admit that they aren’t the most creative people on earth. However, they have long been known for their exceptional ability to improve upon products and processes invented by others. They’ve been doing just that very successfully for decades. In doing so, they’ve enhanced quality, saved time and space, made products more useful, and lowered prices … therefore making them more saleable and desirable.

Over the years they’ve done this with electronics, medicine, automobiles, optical products, and a variety of other products. They’ve become so good at innovating just about everything that they’ve apparently decided to challenge Mother Nature.

They’ve now developed a square watermelon! It’s rather interesting that those attending our seminar and keynotes more often ask “Why?” before they ask “How?” Both questions are relatively easy to answer. Let’s start with “Why?”

• There’s an obvious novelty value.
• They make a great gift—just add a ribbon and you have a home-grown gift box.
• On a more serious note, Japanese grocers have a serious space problem. They are a great deal smaller than their U.S. counterparts and must make every inch count.
• A fat, round watermelon similar to those in the U.S. takes up a lot of room in small Japanese refrigerators and often sits awkwardly on the shelf.
• The new shape allows more melons to be stacked and shipped by growers, providing greater cost-effectiveness.

As you can easily see, square watermelons make a lot of sense. Now let’s be honest. Most people, when confronted with the challenges mentioned above, would agree that square watermelons would be practical and solve a lot of problems. However, most of us would then point out that watermelons grow fat and round. End of discussion.

Apparently, the “innovative gene” within a few Japanese farmers allowed them to take a different approach. They reasoned that if grocers and shoppers wanted and need a square watermelon, they should find a way to create one. And they did.

After a great deal of research followed by much trial and error, they discovered that placing the young melons into square, tempered-glass cases while they were still on the vine forced them to take on the shape of the box. The square boxes allow sunlight to reach the melons and just happen to be the exact size of the typical Japanese refrigerator. This, of course, allows full-grown watermelons to fit conveniently and precisely onto refrigerator shelves.

Of course, there’s always a catch, and this is no exception. Each square watermelon costs about 10,000 yen—about $82 American. However, a regular watermelon in Japan will cost you anywhere from $15 to $25 each. It’s quite obvious, based on sales and continued demand, that many shoppers find this unique treat to be well worth the investment.

The lessons we can learn from this unique creation are many:

1. Never assume something can’t be accomplished. Many believed we’d never send a man into space much less land him on the moon. In fact, many people thought the Wright Brothers to to be out of their minds to consider the fact that man would ever even leave the ground. Think about it.
2. Question the things that we do on a regular basis simply because that’s the way they’ve always been done. If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we always got! … and that’s NOT what we’re looking for.
3. Think creatively. Everyone is creative, few realize it, and even fewer believe it. Research, benchmark, read, study, and ask in an effort to tap your creative juices. We have access to more information today than ever before. Place any word into Google and in a matter of seconds you will have access to more than a million references to that word. That’s just one of the many tools available to us. The catch is to use it.
4. The greatest minds throughout history have genuinely believed that there was a better way to do just about everything … and they were determined to find it. Can you say the same, or are you easily discouraged?

Ask yourself the following question: “What today is impossible to do in your business … but, if it could be done, would fundamentally change what you do? Remember that what is impossible TODAY may very well be the NORM of tomorrow. And don’t hesitate as those who think it cannot be done will find themselves getting out of the way of those who are doing it!

Napoleon Hill once said: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve!” I’m quite certain he was talking about square watermelon! Don’t you?

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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