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In the Information Age, ideas are arguably the most valuable of assets. The challenge is finding the best ideas — the kind that can boost careers, change organizations, and improve lives. Carroll School of Management Dean Andy Boynton has co-authored a new book that challenges many of the assumptions about how great ideas are discovered.
Citing examples from a number of successful innovators, executives and entrepreneurs in The Idea Hunter: How to Find the Best Ideas and Make Them Happen, Boynton and co-author Bill Fischer show that great ideas come to those who are in the habit of looking for them — all the time.
“Idea hunters are voraciously curious and are interested in ideas found in the world around them,” says Boynton, a 1978 Carroll School graduate who returned as dean six years ago.
“They understand innovation is not about originality and that the best ideas are often combinations of existing ideas that are creatively repurposed and combined to solve problems or address new opportunities. They also realize the hunt for great ideas is a byproduct of their everyday lives and that great ideas are out there for the taking and are, essentially, free.”
These people — their stories and secrets — are highlighted in The Idea Hunter. The authors present a number of well-known idea hunters, ranging from Thomas Edison and Walt Disney to Warren Buffett and the Boston Beer Company’s Jim Koch. The idea for the book grew out of the long-time collaboration between Boynton and Fischer, former colleagues at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland, who previously co-authored the book Virtuoso Teams: Lessons From Teams That Changed Their Worlds.
“Bill and I taught executives from around the world for a decade and realized that the most effective leaders and managers were those who were passionately curious and were effective at finding and working with ideas to propel their organizations forward,” Boynton says. “We’ve written this book for managers and leaders in a way that links their overall performance to the value of the ideas they have. We prescribe how they can better meet their goals and objectives by strengthening their ability to hunt for ideas.”
The Idea Hunter unveils a strategy for unearthing new ideas in any industry or organization. That strategy is “The Hunt,” which has to be fueled by the hunter’s own personal and professional passions. Boynton says that advice works for CEOs, as well as BC students and soon-to-be graduates entering the working world.
“Figure out what you are passionate about and make that the center of your professional life,” says Boynton. “That provides the filter for your hunt for ideas. After that, it’s game on. Never stop learning. Never stop reading. Never stop listening and visiting diverse places. Always be curious about the world around you. Realize that you will never get much further in life based on what you already know. Be an idea hunter.”
And, he adds, start hunting for ideas and talking about them from day one.
“Being an idea hunter regardless of where you are on the corporate ladder is a way to differentiate yourself,” says Boynton. “You can’t start idea hunting once you get to the top of the ladder. Idea hunting is what gets you up the ladder.”
Many of the tools and tactics described in the books are part of Boynton’s management style at the Carroll School, where he brings together diverse teams to launch new initiatives. He points to examples such as the school’s innovative freshman ethics course, Portico, as well as efforts to create a vital research culture among faculty and students.
Asked about the best idea he’s ever had, Boynton cites a pair of personal examples. First, marrying his wife, Jane (Murphy) '78, the year they graduated.
“Second, I had the idea I should attend Boston College in 1974. Those two ideas went a long way to shape my life.”