Why Your Team Needs a Banana Piano

When was the last time your team made something on their own? Eliminate the projects and assignments that you proposed. Consider the ideas proposed by others. The creatives over at JoyLabs had an idea that resulted in one very successful banana piano. Your team needs its own banana piano. Kickstarter just released a highlight reel of their 2012 campaigns.  They reported that over 2 million people donated some 319 million dollars for more than 18 thousand projects. If you are unfamiliar with kickstarter.com then consider an online portal where individuals can propose projects of any kind. These proposals are then adopted (or rejected) by citizens of the internet via monetary contributions. JoyLabs is a consortium of creatives determined to create "inventions kits" for the world. Their kickstarter funded project, The MaKey MaKey Kit, brings us back to the banana (piano). Their proposal for the kit was widely adopted last year and resulted in a crowd funded product.

Top down teams are less creative than those lead from the bottom up. Creative leadership is most fruitful when everyone is allowed to bring something to the table. The JoyLabs guys had a wacky idea. I dont imagine that many companies would approve a "invention kit" that may be used to create musical fruit. The idea just stinks. But the democratization of the internet has proven that the MaKey MaKey Kit has a chance at being commercially viable.

Kickstarter is a platform for crazy ideas. Your teams should have a space where crazy ideas can be brought out and given the time of day. Innovative companies, like Google, permit their employees to invest work hours into pet projects. These wacky ideas have resulted in some of the greatest hits by the online search giant. Imagine the trove of gems that may be hiding among your team members. You may be overdue for a banana piano yourself.