Be Different:

Lateral Thinking

Creativity

How To Be More Creative: The Art, Science and Practice

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

– Albert Einstein

Creativity Defined

A "new" idea is a combination of old elements. Being able to devise new combinations depend on your ability to discern relationships between seemingly disparate items.⁸

'Creativity is the juxtaposition of ideas which were previously thought to be unrelated.' It is your ability to combine ideas in a unique way or to make useful associations among ideas.

"There is virtually no problem you cannot solve, no goal you cannot achieve, no obstacle you cannot overcome if you know how to apply the creative powers of your mind, like a laser beam, to cut through every difficulty in your life and your work."⁶

You Are Creative!

Creativity is not about inventing something totally new, it is about making new – synergistic! – connections. You don't have to be a special kind of person to be creative – everyone can do it. It's not about who you are, it's about what you do. You just need to start looking for multiple solutions rather than settling for just one, and give yourself permission to be playful and inquisitive, flexible and versatile.

Be Different and Make a Difference!

Psychologists call the activities associated with idea generation "loose associative thinking" processes. Associative thinking is not linear or sequential. It is jumpy. To invent new connections, the maintenance of uncertainty is important for a time. "Closure is a killer; it strangles associative thinking, in favor of arriving at "an answer". Early in the process, leveraging uncertainty, riding it, and valuing it are critical to developing robust ideas."⁴

An Important Pre-Condition

Although creative people come from varied backgrounds, they all seem to have one thing in common – they love what they are doing.

The Power of Passion

Practice Every Day

How often should you practice if you wish to win the World Tennis Cup: once a month? once a week? every day?

How often should you exercise your right brain's creative muscles if you wish to master your creative skills: once a month? once a week? every day?

Take a Different View

It was by taking a different view of a traditional business that major innovations were achieved.

To find a better creative solution to the current practice, force yourself to reframe the problem, to break down its components and assemble them in a different way.

Ask Searching Questions

Creativity requires an inquisitive mind. Unless you ask lots of "Why?" and "What If"? questions, you won't generate creative insights. "To avoid this most common of creative errors, be sure to peek under all carpets, including your own. Don't take anything for granted. Especially success. Try looking at the world through more inquisitive eyes; try getting ideas in motion; try asking the all-important: "Why?" See what happens!"⁷

Inspirational Leadership: 10 Roles

Inspirational leaders create an inspiring culture within their organization. They supply a shared vision and inspire people to achieve more than they may ever have dreamed possible. They are able to articulate a shared vision in a way that inspires others to act. They encourage entrepreneurial creativity and experimentation... More

References:

1. 1000 Things You Never Learned in Business School, William. N. Yeomans

2. Decision Making and Problem Solving, by John Adair

3. The NLP Coach, Ian McDermott and Wendy Jago

4. Radical Innovation, Harvard Business School

5. Lateral Thinking, Edward de Bono

6. Get Smart!, Brian Tracy

7. Creativity, Alexander Hiam

8. A Technique for Producing Ideas, James W. Young

9. Unlocking Your Creativity, Brian Tracy

10. ASIT Technique – Creativity and Inventive Thinking, Roni Horowitz

11. What Does Creativity Brings To Your Life?, Linda Dessau

12. The Leader's Guide To Lateral Thinking Skills, Paul Sloane

13. Creativity, Osho

14. Strategies of Genius, Volume One, Robert Dilts

15. ASIT – Advanced Systematic Inventive Thinking, Roni Horowitz