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…take
2 minutes to unlock your potential
Issue 2 – Innovation and Creativity
 Walt
Disney said, "If you can dream it, you can do it." How much time do you spend
dreaming about changes you would like to make in your world?
The
challenge for most of us is moving from dreaming to doing. You probably won't
have a big budget to spend on this great dream of yours, but that's where innovation
and creativity can play their part.
One
client of ours, a leader in a public sector organisation, took an innovative and
creative approach to getting approval from his CEO to enable colleague leaders
to participate in our workshops. Aware that the usual type of approach would have
resulted in a negative response, he decided to create a CD with music and the
key points for the CEO to play in his car on the way home. The sense of fun, intrigue
and sheer differentness clinched the deal! That was 5 years ago and we are still
getting the CEO's support.
Innovation
and creativity can open new doors and you can really make it happen, as our client
did, by embracing fully the vita-brevis 7 themes:
•
Learning from different perspectives
•
Innovation and creativity
•
Opening minds and changing mindsets
•
Building trust
•
Stretching comfort zones
•
Risk-taking
•
Living with uncertainty
Enjoy
this issue of Time 2 … and remember that it is not just having the good
ideas that counts, great leadership is about trying them out.
Please
forward Time 2 … to any of your colleagues who would be interested. They
can register to receive it regularly by clicking here to contact us >>
Anne Lonsdale
NEVER MIND THE BUZZWORDS
Innovation
and creativity are often obscured by a blanket of buzzwords that hide the simple
fact that everyone is capable of thinking differently.
FT
readers are regularly treated to the emailed wisdom of fictional creative guru
Martin Lukes. One of Martin's proudest achievements has been the concept of "creovation",
which is "50 per cent creativity and 50 percent innovation." It is, he would say,
"more blue sky, outside the box than innovation but more actionable than creativity."
It is of course, utter nonsense! Click here to read Martin's latest pearls of
wisdom. >>
Lucy
Kellaway, who created the character, has just launched a book published by Viking,
called "Martin Lukes: Who Moved My Blackberry?" Read it and laugh!
Remember
that there is no mystery to innovation and creativity, human beings are naturally
creative.
5 THINGS YOU COULD DO RIGHT NOW TO HELP BRING
FRESHNESS TO YOUR THINKING
- Drink a glass of water
- Go for a walk outside
- Put on some music (click here
>>
to read about The Mozart Effect)
- Discuss your challenge with someone
who has a very different job from you (go on, ask that
tattoo artist what he thinks - you might be surprised!)
- Do something before the end of
today that you have never done before
WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU?
Tell us and win a copy of "Martin
Lukes: Who Moved My Blackberry?"
Everyone has their own techniques
for coming up with ideas and we would love to know what works best for you. Let
us know your top tips for creative thinking and we will send a copy of the book
to the person who emails us the most innovative suggestion. Click here >>
LOOKING
THROUGH THE WINDOW OF CREATIVITY
Alistair Pilkington was washing dishes when he observed grease forming
on the dish water. He connected this to a problem that he had been thinking about:
how to make plate glass smooth. He made an absurd wish: "I wish I could make plate
glass by pouring it on water so that it could be perfectly flat." The technique
he developed - of pouring molten glass onto liquid tin - revolutionized the glass
industry and is now used worldwide.
Never be afraid to say "I wish
...", because serendipity has a way of rewarding ambitious thinkers!
WHERE
DO GREAT IDEAS HAPPEN?
Sony Ericsson have carried out
extensive research into entrepreneurs working in "progressive" industries such
as IT, to try to understand where our flashes of inspiration occur and to explore
whether or not they can be invoked at will. The research shows that most great
ideas occur out of the office - in the car, in bed and in the bath. So much for
brainstorming! Click here to read a recent Guardian article that will help you
surf your creative wave: >>
GREAT IDEAS ALSO HAPPEN AT...
InnoTown® - The business conference
that makes you go WOW!
 The
aim of InnoTown is to move people's minds, both rationally and emotionally; to
inspire and enhance innovation and creativity; to help motivate people to think
new thoughts and dare to fail; to succeed. Click here >>
Do let us know if you decide
to go!
BOOK REVIEW
Power of Creative Intelligence
- Tony Buzan
At the heart of creative thinking,
lies your power to produce ideas that are both unique and unusual. Using his famous
Mind Mapping technique, Tony Buzan explores how great creative geniuses approached
idea generation. Using games and practical exercises, he shows how you can use
similar approaches to help your organization develop its thinking and push good
ideas to their limits. This is a great read and a book that will quickly have
you exploring new and innovative ways of working. Click here to buy the download
>>
If you are interested in accelerated
learning techniques click here >>
to visit X10 Consulting UK Ltd who run ThinkFast, a next generation mind-mapping
course developed by Lex McKee, formerly Lead Master Trainer for Buzan Centre's
trainer-training in Europe.
Time
2 ... STEP ON TO THE LEADERSHIP PATH
There are just 2 places left
on this year's vita-brevis Leadership Development Path - the 6 month programme
for leaders who want to unlock their potential to be inspirational.
Click here to find out more and
to read what previous participants experienced >>
NEXT ISSUE
Issue 3 of Time 2 … will
focus on the vita-brevis theme: Opening minds and changing mindsets
CONTACT US:
Tel: +44 (0)1250 884721 or email
us by clicking here: >>
To visit our website where you
will find archived issues of Time 2 ... as well as information on our unique
approach to leadership development, click here
>>
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