Finding new opportunities within your business can require a new perspective. But looking for that perspective may not require attaching suction caps to your feet and walking on the ceiling but it will require you to think a little creatively.
Injecting newfound ideas through creativity sounds like a big task, and it is, especially if most of your staff are use to the way things are, or are not naturally creative. That's why it's important to start with yourself and lead by example before rolling out new proceedures that might come as a shock to your company culture.
Personal creative development can aid in many aspects of running your company big or small. Equipped with specific creative techniques, and a general creative attitude you'll be turning yourself into a walking talking problem solver.
Change your general creative outlook:
- Try to be more observant of your surroundings. Especially of things that DO NOT interest you, you'll find answers to totally unrelated problems.
- Keep a notebook of every idea you have, no matter how mundane. Look back through the book regularly.
- Change your routine i.e. take the long way to work for a change. You really don't know what could be around the corner..
- Take a shower. (this is my personal favourite). When in the shower you are bombarded with Negative Ions (from the water in the air), which enhance your well-being and promote a positive attitude. But more important than the touchy feely well being stuff, it enhances your ability to think, and specifically think creatively. - Have you ever noticed that you think alot in the shower? It's not because showering is boring, but because your brain is in TOP GEAR.
Introducing specific tecniques for promoting creativity and better solutions:
The next step is to use specific tecniques when developing ideas and solving problems. There are many sources that you can find new 'creative' ways to do things. New and improved methods for meetings and for problem solving. Creativity can even included rennovating an old method like Brainstorming.
Recommended sources for adopting specific creative techniques:
- Edward de Bono- 6 thinking hats, 6 action shoes, 'po', and the specific techniques in the book 'Serious Creativity.' www.edwarddebono.com
- A great site with free and pay information www.mindtools.com
- Here's a great random idea generator, use it when you need some completely new ideas, then apply them to your problem- http://www.brainstormingatwork.com/autoall1.html
- Here's some scientific information on the benefits of Negative Ions - If you have a strong interest I suggest doing a search as there are many articles available on the subject the vast majority of which support the ideas in the below link. http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/65/72756.htm?pagenumber=1
I don't use all of the tecniques in the above resources, and there are plenty more that I do that are not listed. The point to the listing is to give you a starting point to the process of introducing specific tecniques, and to understand that success comes from intentional use.
Becoming more creative doesn't necessarily mean you need to be a one person powerhouse, but if you become one in the process then great. Business is about results, and getting the best creative solution for your problem may not be something you can do immediately, so there's no harm in buying in that creativity. They key to the results is to recognize good solutions and use them.
The most well kown arena for creativity in business is the advertising world. Where most of the work is done by an agency but the power that you hold is in be able to regognize good creativity and good solutions and inplementing them into your business.
So, go and have a nice long shower, and if you can't come up with your own ideas I'm always here to help :)
Mike Biggs
