Page 2 • Hometown News • Thursday, September 3, 2020
Hometown News 29442 120th St. Grey Eagle, MN 56336 Phone: 320-285-2323
Email: htnews@meltel.net
Website: www.hometownnews.biz www.facebook.com/hometownnews Published By John and Lori Young
The Hometown News is a weekly publication, which is published and distributed every Thursday.
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Scamper your way to creative solutions -By Harvey Mackay In the beginning it was the button. Then came the zipper. And then came velcro. How? The ubiquitous “touch fastener” was invented about 40 years ago by a Swiss engineer named George de Mestral, who based his idea on his observation of the way burrs stuck to the fur of his hunting dogs after a walk in the woods. Many good ideas have been discovered because someone poked around in an outside industry or discipline, and applied what they found to their own field. Dan Bricklin took the “spreadsheet” concept from accounting and turned it into VisiCalc, the program that helped create the microcomputer software industry. World War I military designers borrowed from the cubist art of Picasso and Braque to create more effective camouflage patterns for tanks and guns. Mathematician John von Neumann analyzed poker-table behavior and developed the “game theory” model of economics. The “unbreakable” U.S. military code used in World War II was based on the Navajo language. “I’ve known advertising people who got ideas from biology, software programmers who got inspiration from songwriters, and investors who spotted new opportunities by going to junkyards,” said Roger von Oech in his book “A Kick in the Seat of the Pants.” In my experience, listening to customers is a tremendous source of inspiration. Hearing what their specific needs are often turns out not to be exclusive to that customer, and can benefit other accounts that our company services. We’ve added products and features
because one customer needed a particular item. I’ve heard it said that there are no new ideas, just improvements on old ones. I’m not sure that’s true, but many of the great “inventions” have been a next generation or hybrid of a tried-and-true product or system. Some problems require fresh, innovative thinking. One way to search for creative solutions is to SCAMPER toward a better result: • Substitute. Replace an element that’s part of the problem. Use a different material, ingredient or person and see what happens. Try a variety of options to improve the process or product. • Combine. Put elements together. Do you have two departments working on related problems? Plan some joint sessions so they can brainstorm a better solution. By seeing the whole pizza instead of one slice of the pie, you create the potential for an exciting new recipe for success. • Adapt. Look outside the problem for something you can use to address it. Refer to the Velcro example: de Mestral wasn’t actively seeking a new fastener, but recognized the potential use of such an accidental discovery. Be open to possibilities. • Minimize/maximize. Make something smaller or larger. Instead of targeting the mass market with a new product, for example, maybe you can find a small niche to sell it to. Conversely, maybe a specialized tool has wider potential. Internet marketing is the ideal tool for specialized products. • Put things to a different purpose. Look for a different application. Are people in their most productive roles, or are they looking for other opportunities to shine? Encourage hidden talents to surface. • Eliminate. Look for elements you don’t need. Often we include steps in a process out of habit, for example, whether they still serve the original purpose or not. Analyze as you go along to see where you
could streamline or improve. • Rearrange. Put the elements in a different order or reverse them completely. It’s easier to spot what’s missing in a new arrangement. Take a chance on a new beginning and see if it leads to a better ending. I tend to agree with the wisdom of Carl Ally, founder of the Ally and Gargano ad agency, who said: “The creative person wants to be a know-it-all. He wants to know about all kinds of things: ancient history, nineteenth century mathematics, current manufacturing techniques, flower arranging and hog futures. Because he never knows when these ideas might come together to form a new idea. It may happen six minutes later or six months or six years down the road. But he has faith that it will happen.” Creativity goes hand in hand with being curious. It isn’t necessary to become an expert on opera or baseball or auto mechanics to be successful in business, but it will expand your horizons. You just might be amazed what you find at the edge of your universe. Mackay’s Moral: Creativity is a marathon that creates value in the long run. Reprinted with permission from nationally syndicated columnist Harvey Mackay, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” “We Got Fired!...And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us,” “The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World,” and “Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door.”
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Upcoming Events
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 • St. Rose of Lima Parish-St. Rosa: Quilt Auction & Raffle Drawing. See ad on page 8. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 • Melrose Legion Post & Auxiliary meeting at 7 p.m. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 • 14th Annual Hog Roast from 4:30-7 p.m. at the Grey Eagle United Methodist Church. ALBANY TOWNSHIP • Meets the fourth Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany City Hall. • Planning Commission meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany City Hall. BURNHAMVILLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Burtrum City Hall. BURTRUM CITY COUNCIL • Meets the first Monday of the month
at 7 p.m.
FEET FIRST CLINIC • Meets the 1st Tuesday of the month from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at Holdingford City Hall. FOOD DISTRIBUTION • Ruby’s Pantry Food Distribution first Saturday of the Month from 10-11 a.m. at River of Live Church, Sauk Centre. FREEPORT CITY COUNCIL • Meets the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. FREEPORT SENIOR MEETING • Meets the third Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. with cards/Bingo/coffee/dessert. GREY EAGLE CITY COUNCIL • Meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. GREY EAGLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the first Monday of the month at 8 p.m. STEARNS CO. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY • Meets at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Monday
of the month at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Albany. SUNSHINE CLUB • Meets every Monday, weigh in starts at 8; meeting at 8:30 a.m. at the Village View Apartments, Grey Eagle. ST. ROSA CITY COUNCIL • Meets the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Community Park building. SWANVILLE CITY COUNCIL • First Tuesday after the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. SWANVILLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the second Tuesday of the month at 8:30 p.m. at the Swanville Fire Hall. TODD COUNTY REPUBLICANS • Meets second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church, Clarissa. UPSALA CITY COUNCIL • Meets the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m.
If you have an upcoming event or meeting, please let us know by email: htnews@meltel.net or call 320-285-2323.
Temperatures Date
8/26 8/27 8/28 8/29 8/30 8/31 9/1
High 79 77 77 72 73 70 68
Low 70 64 59 54 52 52 50
Friday
Sunny. High: 72 Low: 49
Weekend Weather Saturday
Mostly sunny. High: 78 Low: 57
Sunday
Partly cloudy. High: 76 Low: 50
