Let us create a 3D eBook for you!
Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com

Creativity: Getting Out of the Box


Leadership, especially in times of change, depends increasingly on the ability of managers, professionals and even front line workers to think and do things differently. In other words, to get out of the box!

So, how do we get out of the box especially when most people are comfortable staying with the tried and true rather than exploring and championing new ideas? Here are tips to jolt your mind and start thinking more creatively.

Stretch your brain.
When a group meets to come up with new ideas, it is helpful to begin with a fun activity that starts the participants thinking in new directions and generating innovative ideas.

Example: Challenge your group to redesign panty hose for male consumers. Yes, you read it correctly. Distribute samples of conventional panty hose and ask such question as, "Who is our target market....How should the new product be packaged? What shall we call it?"

Transform your perspective.
A good way to come up with solutions to problems is to look at them from a perspective that you never considered before.

Example: Bank executives were asked to think of outrageous ways to make their customers very angry. One suggested closing down credit lines without informing customers---causing checks to bounce without any warning. (How would you like that to happen to you?) What they realized is that one of the bank's greatest assets is the perception of total reliability by the customer. They then focused on ways to ensure that reliability.

Dump your garbage.
Hanging on to old complaints or grievances prevents you from dealing with today's significant issues. Therefore everyone has to move on and 'get with the program.'

Example: Encourage workers to symbolically dispose of such obstacles by distributing index cards and asking them to write down all their complaints. The cards are torn up and are placed into a large garbage bag which is then thrown out. After this exercise, the workers may find it easier to forget about their old agendas and move forward. I have also seen this done even more dramatically. The torn pieces are put into a large ash tray or wastebasket and lit with a match. Everyone watches as all the complaints go up in smoke and are burned completely.

Ask the right questions.
Many poor decisions can be traced to asking the wrong questions and to inappropriate, incomplete or poorly framed questions. Good questions should be open enough for creative solutions but narrow enough to focus on solving a specific problem.

Example: A consumer products company was testing an idea for a household cleaner specially formulated for washing walls. Focus groups of consumers were asked to compare the new product's cleaning ability to that of general purpose cleaners. All participants agreed that the new product cleaned better. Armed with this information, the company put the new product into production, advertised extensively and waited for the orders to come pouring in. They waited and waited and waited. The product failed.

While the company was asking consumers how well the product cleaned, they did not ask the most important question: How often do you wash your walls? By the time they learned that most people do not spend time washing walls, they had spent millions of dollars.

Lesson: Before making important decisions, spend time thinking about the questions that you need to ask. Good questions lead to good decisions.

Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ­ to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going tohttp://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks ­ resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs ­ fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.


MORE RESOURCES:

Creativity - Google News

Creativity is key to CEOs - NetworkWorld.com


Creativity is key to CEOs
NetworkWorld.com
More than sustainability, operational effectiveness, or even dedication, creative leadership is an essential asset to permeate an enterprise. ...

and more »

Creativity, vision fuels her passion - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle


Creativity, vision fuels her passion
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
When you work in nonprofit it is fast-paced, mission-driven, has variety each day and allows creativity and vision to come to reality. ...

and more »

Sears Launches 'Crush Your Style' Competition for Tweens Who Can Show Their ... - PR Newswire (press release)


Sears Launches 'Crush Your Style' Competition for Tweens Who Can Show Their ...
PR Newswire (press release)
Just in time for back to school, the new Sears digital program aims to find the kids with the creativity, guts and style chops to be number one. ...

and more »

Social media-focused ad firms look to hire - Crain's New York Business


Social media-focused ad firms look to hire
Crain's New York Business
NYC-based digital marketing startups are on the prowl for young creative types conversant in Facebook and Twitter. When Dylan Harvey graduated from ...

and more »

A Half Hour of Exercise Can Boost Creativity for Hours - Lifehacker


A Half Hour of Exercise Can Boost Creativity for Hours
Lifehacker
Small lengths of exercise produce long lengths of boosted creativity. Many people who exercise attribute the change in scenery to their creative ...

and more »

Executive chef known for ice sculpture talent, creativity with gingerbread - The Exponent


Executive chef known for ice sculpture talent, creativity with gingerbread
The Exponent
The executive chef for Purdue Memorial Union is well-known for his cooking talent, but it's the gingerbread houses and ice carvings that ...

and more »

Demiurge: Creativity Is Key, But So Is Pragmatism - Gamasutra


Demiurge: Creativity Is Key, But So Is Pragmatism
Gamasutra
by Staff Albert Reed, studio head of Demiurge Studios, holds a view that while creativity is key in coming up with game concepts, so is honing those ...
Demiurge's Road To CreativityGamasutra

all 2 news articles »

DDB's Matt Eastwood Named Chief Creative Officer of DDB New York - PR Newswire (press release)


DDB's Matt Eastwood Named Chief Creative Officer of DDB New York
PR Newswire (press release)
NEW YORK, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- DDB New York announced today that it has appointed Matt Eastwood as Chief Creative Officer. Eastwood, who is currently the ...

and more »

Jif® Calls for Entries in Ninth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter ... - PR Newswire (press release)


Jif® Calls for Entries in Ninth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter ...
PR Newswire (press release)
ORRVILLE, Ohio, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Jif is now accepting entries in the Ninth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest. ...
Jif® Calls for Entries in Ninth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter ...Virtual Press Office (press release)

all 12 news articles »

Maker Faire puts the spotlight on creativity - Detroit Free Press


New York Times (blog)

Maker Faire puts the spotlight on creativity
Detroit Free Press
The two-day festival will showcase the creations of more than 260 inventors and other creative types from across the country this weekend at the Henry Ford ...
Maker Faire is coming, time to get your DIY on!AnnArbor.com

all 38 news articles »

Jumbuck Domain Is For Sale - $5,000 For Enquiries eMail Us

© www.Jumbuck.biz 2010

home | site map | links

 

eXTReMe Tracker