You might not know the story behind Post-it Notes. The amazing glue that leaves no residue and allows Post-its to be used again and again, was developed 10 years before a use was discovered for it. As it happened, 3M employee Art Fry was struggling to keep his bookmark from falling out at church. He remembered that his coworker had invented an interesting adhesive and he gave it a try. Soon Art was putting the glue on small pieces of paper and sticking them to his filing cabinet. Years went by before 3M finally launched the product.
When I was putting IMAGINE Employee Assistance Program LLC together with my business partner, we were tossing several potential names around for the business. My 14 year old daughter was browsing through the list when “Imagine” grabbed her attention. She grabbed a pencil and started scribbling some ideas on a piece of paper (It was actually a purple Post-it and I'm now wondering how many business ideas have been jotted on Post-its). She was pretty excited when she presented me with the Acronym she had come up with.
Inside Many Achievements Great Ideas Need Exploring
I'm admitting now that at first I wasn't all that excited. The name didn't seem to fit with the employee assistance program we were launching, but I kept thinking about it none the less. It was catchy.
About a week later I set out to formalize my coaching practice which I had informally been doing for some time. I found myself again debating various different company names when “IMAGINE” hit me like a laser right between the eyes. That's what coaching is all about; exploring ideas and turning them into measurable achievements. I like the acronym and it's staying.
In a small way, the choosing of my company name is like the Post-it story. A small quirky idea that wasn't exactly right for one business idea, is entirely perfect for the other. The lesson is that no matter how silly an idea seems to start with, there is always the possibility that it can work if not immediately, at some other place or time.
During goal development and brainstorming sessions, ideas tend to pour out. I suggest to clients that they keep these notes and refer to them when they're stuck or in a rut. Items that were overlooked previously may be just the solution they're looking for.
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ReplyDeleteIn coming up with my tagline, Think it: Dream it: Live it!, I have the same type of connection. Most people would say that you dream first and then think about what it was about but in all actuality, you think it first. Take what you have achieved already and come up with more ideas within that to push yourself farther. Great posting Brandon!
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