Epiphanies LLP
The Home of Profitable Thinking
  • Home
  • Services
  • Clients
  • People
  • Blog
  • News
July 11 2012

Breaking the Rules

epiphanieswp Innovation

Why is it when dining out, they never take the order for dessert at the same time as the starter and the main course? It’s a small but typical example of the ‘rules’ that govern our daily lives. I’m not talking about the laws of the land, but they may as well be. Rules such as these are everywhere; from the way business meetings are conducted, to having friends round. These rules seem to me to be one of the biggest constraints on creativity. They are so pernicious, we don’t even realise the impact they are having.

Bloom is a delightful restaurant in Malmo in Southern Sweden that I have had the pleasure of dining at on several occasions. Gone is the rule of dining that states you will be shown a menu or a wine list. Gone is the rule that asks you what you would like to eat. Instead, there is no choice over the menu or what to drink with it. It’s an amazingly liberating experience. No longer do you have to worry over whether you chose the right wine with the food, nor can you question whether you really would like the dish that’s being served. You only find out what it was after you have consumed it. By breaking the rules, they have created a unique and wonderful experience, which in the world of fine dining is quite an achievement.

By working out the rules of how business was conducted between supplier and customer, the team I was working with in the United States recently found themselves challenging some long held beliefs and instead opened the door on an amazing set of possibilities. It started by understanding the rules associated with consumption of a product, but the team broke my rules and instead focused on the way business was conducted.

So next time you find yourself ordering in a restaurant, break the rules, start with dessert and take it from there.

Dominic Irvine © Epiphanies LLP 2012 All rights asserted

If this has whetted your appetite, read about our ‘innovative’ experience with one of our clients, and more on creativity here.  Conduct your business meeting in a different way.

 

832 miles non-stop on a tandem (LEJOG 2012) Fail More!

Related Posts

Virtual presentation 2

Innovation

The Future Is Not The Past

Ahead of the curve

Innovation, Resilience

Covid-19 – Staying Ahead of the Curve

Potter making ceramic pot on the pottery wheel

Innovation, Management

It’ll never work

Search

Categories

  • Clients past (5)
  • Engagement (24)
  • Innovation (20)
  • Leadership (9)
  • Management (16)
  • Networking (5)
  • News (30)
  • Performance (54)
  • Resilience (9)
  • Sports (19)
  • Tandem record (2)
  • Team (20)
  • Uncategorized (1)

Archives

  • October 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (2)
  • March 2020 (8)
  • December 2019 (1)
  • November 2019 (1)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (2)
  • May 2019 (2)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (2)
  • December 2018 (3)
  • November 2018 (4)
  • September 2018 (1)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (5)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (2)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (1)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (2)
  • April 2016 (1)
  • March 2016 (1)
  • February 2016 (1)
  • January 2016 (1)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (1)
  • October 2015 (2)
  • September 2015 (1)
  • August 2015 (1)
  • July 2015 (1)
  • May 2015 (4)
  • April 2015 (3)
  • March 2015 (6)
  • February 2015 (3)
  • January 2015 (8)
  • December 2014 (5)
  • November 2014 (3)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (1)
  • August 2014 (4)
  • July 2014 (8)
  • May 2014 (3)
  • March 2014 (2)
  • February 2014 (1)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • November 2013 (1)
  • August 2013 (4)
  • July 2013 (3)
  • June 2013 (3)
  • April 2013 (1)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • December 2012 (2)
  • October 2012 (1)
  • July 2012 (2)
Epiphanies LLP
© Epiphanies LLP 2023
Powered by Themify WordPress Themes