InnoWoman attended the Foo Fighters concert at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts last Saturday. It was a magical night weather-wise. Women’s hair looked phenomenal (humidity was low).

Just as InnoWoman was about to tune out and try to shut down her overactive crown chakra (at times), she remembered that she had to take stock of the “Inno” all around her to share with you. While examples of Inno were everywhere, this post focuses on the lead singer of the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, and his display of Inno in action.

As we know from previous posts and InnoWoman’s handy glossary, before a person can create and be fully present to receive and share their most effective ideas and solutions with the world, it is best if they develop their Inno. Here’s some examples of Inno in action from the Foo Fighters concert at Fenway Park and questions for you to reflect on to better flex your Inno muscles.

Inno=INTEGRITY-NO-NONSENSE-OPTIMISTIC-OPPORTUNIST

• Integrity- Be Honest!

During the show, Grohl recounted the story of how he broke his leg while performing in Sweden last month. He had no intention of canceling his shows but unfortunately he did have to cancel some of them. What did Grohl do when he found out he had to cancel some of his shows? He featured an open letter to his fans in Rolling Stone Magazine apologizing for not being able to keep his word. Integrity is not simply doing what you say you are going to do; it is also about knowing what you are going to do in advance when and if you can’t keep your word. Grohl was honest and transparent with his fans as soon as he knew that he couldn’t perform. Monkey wrenches happen. By being honest and open, his fans did not have to do guess work.

What do you do when you can’t keep your word?

• No-Nonsense-Be authentic and show gratitude for people who help you share your gifts with the world.

Dave Grohl is no-nonsense in communicating his music to the world. He is authentic and comfortable in his skin. He makes no excuses about playing cover songs and explains that they are good at it so why not do it? He also acknowledges and shows gratitude for the people behind him-bandmates, doctors, his children. You name it. Part of being no-nonsense involves acknowledging the people who have helped you bring your work to light. From deceased musicians to the people in his band, Grohl makes it known that he is co-creating his message with others.

Do you bring your authentic self to your workplace, home, and community? Are you grateful to people in your support system for the work that they do to help you bring your message to the world?

• Optimistic: Show enthusiasm!

Grohl shows intense passion and energy for his vocation. He explained the joy he gets out of performing for people. He made the audience feel welcome and at ease. There’s nothing quite like stumbling upon people in Boston who truly love their jobs and tell you how much they want to help you. Just by saying these simple statements, you are telling the people that you serve that you care about them.

When you are at work or at home, how do people genuinely feel about you? Do you make them feel welcome, at ease, enthusiastic that they chose your line to wait in your line for 2 hours?

• Opportunist: If you can’t walk, build yourself a throne.

Grohl is an opportunist who is always ready to put new ideas into the world. When he learned that his leg was broken, he had to figure out how to perform on stage. Grohl showed the audience that he never lets an opportunity to show his creativity pass by him. He decided to work with a team to design a throne so that he could continue with the tour. Instead of choosing to cancel or postpone the tour, Grohl used this as an opportunity to do something unique like build himself a throne to perform on.

When something goes wrong in your life, do you try to turn it into an opportunity to be creative? What can you do to turn difficult circumstances into opportunities to showcase your creativity and problem-solving skills?

Got Inno?  I’d love to hear your examples of Inno in action!

InnoWoman