# Ideation 理念 Domain: 🟩 Strategic Thinking ### Signature Theme Description You are fascinated by ideas. What is an idea? An idea is a concept, the best explanation of the most events. You are delighted when you discover beneath the complex surface an elegantly simple concept to explain why things are the way they are. An idea is a connection. Yours is the kind of mind that is always looking for connections, and so you are intrigued when seemingly disparate phenomena can be linked by an obscure connection. An idea is a new perspective on familiar challenges. You revel in taking the world we all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange but strangely enlightening angle. You love all these ideas because they are profound, because they are novel, because they are clarifying, because they are contrary, because they are bizarre. For all these reasons you derive a jolt of energy whenever a new idea occurs to you. Others may label you creative or original or conceptual or even smart. Perhaps you are all of these. Who can be sure? What you are sure of is that ideas are thrilling. And on most days this is enough. ### Shared Theme Description People exceptionally talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. You are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena. ### Additional Notes I see three aspects to Ideation: Creativity, Complexity, and Connectivity. - Ideation can be very creative, and the creativity can take two forms. One is a blue-sky, blank-canvas approach. Some with Ideation high are at their best creating something out of nothing. The other form of creativity is reacting to and improving/changing that which already exists -- looking at something and thinking, "What if we did this, or changed this? What would it look like if we turned it around this way?" - Ideation loves complexity, often just for the sheer sake of the intricacy of it all. One individual with Ideation in his Top 5 is fascinated with Medieval European history -- not because he has Context, but because that era of history is so complex and variated. Ideation also loves to make the complex simple and find the common thread. - The connectivity of Ideation comes from the ability to see and find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena or ideas. Finding the connection is a particular thrill for those high in Ideation. (source: 2) Individual with high Ideation can find themselves getting lost in thought; not necessarily deep thought (which tends to be associated more with the Intellection theme) but plentiful thought. (source: 3) "What if …?" is a favorite expression of Ideation, and if you want the best of someone high in Ideation, ask them to come up with a new process, a new product, or a new perspective, or to find a way to do something that has never been done before. (source: 3) Example from Jim Collison she'll come to me and say, I need 5 ideas on this. Go! And literally, I just start rolling through them, and she'll count them off, and at 5, she's done. And she's realized -- you want to see that role. I think people will ask you, they'll they'll realize, you'll become a trusted or a valued resource for like, "Hey, I need to shake some things up a little bit. Can you give me some kind of some new ideas on that?" She also knows, for me, she needs to limit it. So, like, because I'll give her ideas all day long. So she's like, 5 ideas. (source: 4) Your Ideation person can also be your problem-solver, or they can be a solution-suggester. They don't need the commitment to which strategy is deployed as much as they do the space to come up with potential solutions. (source: 4) So imagine just saying, wow, you know, I've been slogging away on this exact same thing over and over again, I just need, you know, a shot of caffeine to the brain. Someone with Ideation can be that shot. So just say, Hey, I need to take a breath and get a different perspective. Someone with Ideation can also open your mind to possibilities that you hadn't considered. And they can quickly offer different approaches without having to take ownership of the approach itself, or of whether or not you accept their ideas. (source: 4) So the drive for Ideation, or the motivation behind Ideation, is not commonality. But commonality across different ideas leads to links and connections. And those connections lead to new and creative ways of understanding and, and different ways of thinking. And the thinking, the idea generating, the creative "drop zone" -- that is the drive for Ideation. (source: 5) ### Raw and Mature Raw ideation throws every idea out and sees what sticks, it can be overwhelming for others. Mature Ideation looks for fertile soil first and discerns which audience is open to new ideas. It is patient, understanding that not everyone creates at the speed they do - and that not everyone is comfortable with the "not yet proven." People with Ideation need to create a safe space for ideas, letting people know they are brainstorming versus making a decision. ### Helps and Hinders _**Helps**_ - With your natural ability to consider issues from multiple perspectives, you can find solutions to problems that may vex others. This solution-finding perspective makes you a valuable member on the team - You are creative and can generate ideas around nearly any topic. Your ideas can become plans for addressing inefficiencies, creating new processes or developing inspirational team goals. - You see the bigger picture, and because you see connections where others may not, you can explain initiatives and decisions. You can help others see the "why." - You are drawn to complexity -- in part because of your desire to see and understand the simplicity in the midst of complexity. You can help others see a way forward, making sense of what appears to them to be nothing short of chaos. (source: 3) _**Hinders**_ - You tend not to be satisfied with the status quo. This can create friction and misunderstanding. Help others see the logic of your push for change. - Sometimes the sheer multiplicity of the ideas you generate can be overwhelming -- both to you and to others. It might help you and those you work with if you create a system and process for prioritizing the value of your many ideas. - By nature you tend not to be the most practical of humans on the planet. That's OK, but there are times when you need a reality check. Find a partner who can keep you grounded. - For you, the ideating is the thrill -- not necessarily putting the idea into action. This can lead to your having a reputation of a dreamer, not a doer. Find someone with whom you can partner to turn your best ideas into reality. (source: 3) ### With other Themes: #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Futuristic🟩 • **Futuristic** has more of a timeline to it. So Futuristic thinks in that forward-leaning timeline, or even starting in the future and coming back. Creative ideas might show up for people with Futuristic because they're thinking about what might be possible. • Whereas **Ideation** is thinking in all directions, not so much with a timeline. and creative ideas happen there because they're thinking, What could happen here and now? Not what might happen in the future? ^2a04b2 #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Futuristic🟩 • Futuristic is about the progress that we're creating today and how that's going to take us somewhere better; • Ideation -- I'm not sure they're as excited about progress as they might be about the novelty that progress can provide. So they're drawn to creative solutions. They're not so much thinking about where that's going to get us into the future, just like Futuristic might be. (source: 5) ^934e4b #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Futuristic🟩 Ideation and Futuristic are quite likely to show up in an individual's Top 5, and they have very similar attributes. • **Ideation** loves coming up with something new; **Futuristic** loves the inspiration that comes from envisioning what can be. Both can be seen as impractical dreamers, yet both can lift the emotions of the team with the wonder of their ideas. Where they differ is in the focus of their imaginative thinking. • **Ideation** can be very "now" focused, thinking about the complexity of the current situation, thinking about the artist's creative process while looking at a painting, or, as noted above, trying to understand the complexity of medieval society. **Futuristic** imagination is about what the world may be like in 10 years, imagining what advances in technology and robotics will mean for humanity in the next 50 years, and how cool it will be when we eventually get jetpacks. (source: 2) ^7c38a1 #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Input🟩 If **Ideation** is the artist and **Intellection** the philosopher in our theoretical academic community, **Input** is the librarian -- the collector, archiver, and resource. • When **Ideation** says, "I've been fascinated with the Internet of Things recently," **Input** replies, "Ooh! I just read an article about that! Let me send you the link!" • There is a utilitarian nature to **Input** that gives practicality to its thinking and collecting -- this may be useful to someone someday. **Ideation** doesn't necessarily need practicality or utility to its thinking; thinking up something new is useful in and of itself. • When Ideation and Input are combined in someone's Top 5, the creative drive of Ideation is supplemented with the resource-finding of Input. (source: 2) #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Input🟩 • So **Ideation** is going to be creative and say, I came up with this, out of the blue, out of my own brain, all on my own. • **Input** is going to be able to say, I heard about this, and you didn't think it was relevant here. But I've done so much research, I've gathered so much stuff, that it feels creative. And it's still there, it just comes from a different kind of a preparation. #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Input🟩 Input gathers all the information in order to know and share something new, while Ideation can find links between the information to create something new. (source: Bev Shipley) #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Intellection🟩 While both **Ideation** and **Intellection** are energized with the activity of thinking about things, the approach to thinking that **Ideation** takes is more of that of an artist, while the approach **Intellection** takes is more of that of a philosopher. • **Ideation** loves novelty, while **Intellection** loves theory. • **Intellection** tends to do deep thinking about a particular subject, plumbing the depths and considering all the angles and theories. **Ideation** may also take a deep dive, but it is more likely to be about the possibilities and can spin off into many directions -- one thought leading to another and then another. • When individuals have both **Ideation** and **Intellection** as dominant themes, they are apt to come up with creative ideas, think them through, and develop a cohesive theory for implementation. (source: 2) ^8ad9f2 #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Learner🟩 ![[🟩 CS_Learner#^1cbbac]] ![[🟧 CS_Activator#^0408a4]] ![[🟦 CS_Connectedness#^d33778]] ![[🟧 CS_Maximizer#^52a915]] ![[🟩 CS_Learner#^b18d3e]] #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Strategic🟩 Ideation is a constant flow of new ideas. It's also connecting one thought to another in a creative or a new way. • **Ideation** might say, Hey, what's a new way to do this? • **Strategic** is that quickness, similar to Ideation, but what it's quick about is deciphering themes and options forward, kind of clustering ideas, and thinking about where does this take us? It's got more of a forward motion than Ideation does. • **Ideation** says, What's a new way to do this? **Strategic** might say, what's the best next step? Or what are our options? ![[🟩 CS_Strategic#^b04d7d]] ![[🟩 CS_Strategic#^d801d7]] ### Themes that Activate: Achiever, Activator, Restorative, Maximizer, Belief, Competition ### Themes that Clarify: Strategic, Intellection, Analytical, Discipline, Learner, Deliberative. ### Instagram posts: ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_1.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_2.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_3.png|220]] Helps and Hinders ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_HelpHinder_1.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_HelpHinder_2.png|220]] #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Activator🟧 ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Activator_1.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Activator_2.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Activator_3.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Activator_4.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Activator_5.png|220]] #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Futuristic🟩 ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Futuristic_1.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Futuristic_2.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Futuristic_3.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Futuristic_4.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Futuristic_5.png|220]] #CS/Ideation🟩 and #CS/Input🟩 ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Input_1.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Input_2.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Input_3.png|220]] ![[CliftonStrengths_Ideation_Input_4.png|220]] ----- ### Sources: 1. Theme Descriptions: Rath, Tom. _StrengthsFinder 2.0_. Gallup Press, 2007. 2. [Comparing and Contrasting CliftonStrengths Themes](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/250409/comparing-contrasting-cliftonstrengths-themes.aspx) 3. [The Ideation Theme: How You Can Productively Aim Your CliftonStrengths Talent](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/249674/ideation-theme-productively-aim-your-cliftonstrengths-talent.aspx) 4. [Ideation: Highlights From Your CliftonStrengths 34](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/267137/ideation-highlights-cliftonstrengths.aspx) 5. [CliftonStrengths Ideation Theme: Teams and Managers](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/321101/cliftonstrengths-ideation-theme-teams-managers.aspx)