A few weeks ago, we shared the story of our colleague Eneko, who had participated in the Quebrantahuesos cycling race (200 km). We reflected together on how that experience resembled the surveillance process: preparation, adaptation, and continuous learning.

Today we continue with this line of parallels and draw inspiration from another colleague, Andoni, whose great passion is surfing. And, surprisingly, surfing also has a lot in common, in this case, with the ideation phase of the surveillance and ideation process:

• Detecting the right wave → A surfer spends time observing the sea, reading the environment and choosing the board that best suits those waves. The same thing happens in ideation: after gathering information, we select those insights that can truly become opportunities for innovation according to strategic objectives.
• Choose and prioritise → Not all waves are worth surfing, just as not all ideas are equally valuable. The challenge lies in deciding which wave to ride in order to maximise the impact on our organisation.
• Surfing and developing → Once the wave has been prioritised and selected, it’s time to paddle, stand up and surf to the end. In ideation, this translates into shaping the idea, developing it and prototyping it so that it doesn’t remain on paper, but becomes action.

Ultimately, both surfing and the ideation phase share the same essence: observing, choosing, and prioritising learning through change.