Here Are Tips to Help Find Your Stories

There are two ways we remember our experiences: attached to emotions or attached to imagery. Therefore, we need to use both to recount what we know.

Start by drawing a timeline of your career. Plot the significant events (work and personal) and jot down next to the events how you remember feeling: excited, angry, pumped, disappointed.

When an event springs to mind recount it out loud to yourself, or even better, tell it to someone. Avoid writing these recollections down verbatim. Just right some rough notes. Otherwise, the temptation is to recount the experience the way you’ve written it which will sound unnatural.

You should have 4 or 5 stories now. Let’s switch to visual queues to remember some more. Head over to flickr or iStockphoto and select 30 images at random. Look at each one and see if any experiences spring to mind. Again, recount them and jot down some rough notes.

One of the best ways to remember your own stories is to hear others. Find a couple of colleagues, friends and just get reminisced about the good old days. Make notes about any anecdote that springs to mind about your own experiences at work focusing on the ones that set you apart.

In fact you should always carry a story notebook to jot them down because they often creep up on you by surprise and I will guarantee you will forget it instantly if you don’t either write it down of have the opportunity to tell the story a couple of times.

Practicing and improving your stories

Your first retellings will tend to be rambling and, quite frankly, boring. The rambling nature of the story, however, is often reduced by telling the story to people and watching their response.

Getting feedback in the form of their response to your story (facial expressions, comments – nothing formal) will tell you what to keep and what to jettison. But you can do more.

You can increase the impact of any story in three ways:

  1. be specific and avoid generalizations. Instead of saying, “I once worked for company that sold database software.” Say, “While the pre-sales manager at Oracle Systems …”
  • the story has to about a specific individual trying to achieve something, ideally with some obstacle that they eventually overcame. Avoid stories about companies, departments and even teams. Tell stories about people who have names.

Instead of saying, “In 2004 the risk assessment team was facing a problem …,” say “Charles Kleiner in risk assessment was facing a problem.” And of course you were instrumental in helping Charles overcome this obstacle.

  • help people visualize what’s happening. The best stories are ones that the listener can picture vividly in their mind’s eye. Instead of saying, “We drove up to the vineyard …,” say “We drove up to an adobe-style vineyard with acres of vines all around us …”

Every story we tell gives people an insight into who we are. They are quite revealing. So before you tell them to an interviewer it’s a good idea to tell your stories to a friend and ask them about the qualities they inferred about you based on the story. Is it resilience, courage, persistence, creativity etc.?

You will be surprised to find that a story which you thought, for example, was about persistence, comes across to the listener as arrogance. You will want to avoid those ones.

Speaking of things to avoid, no one wants to hear your life story. They can read that in your resume. They want to hear about the specific moments in your life where you made a difference. Use your stories.

Now you should have a dozen good stories to tell at the interview. Practice them whenever you can. In casual conversations, when the time is right, say something like, “Yes, that reminds me of …”

By practicing your stories in natural, conversational settings you will be in a better position to repeat your story in this natural way at the interview which will convey tremendous confidence.

Like this post? Find more good ones at digitalsparkmarking.com.

Learning Creativity,  Change, and Our Education System

Unless you walk out into the unknown, the odds of making a profound difference are pretty low.

–       Tom Peters

Have you ever done any reading about learning creativity or ways to improve our educational system?

One of the outside interests of this agency is learning creativity. We want to start this article with a very creative 3 minute video done by a young student. His subject?  The need for change in our education system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwYSMwrAczo    

We are ones that believe that not enough is being done to increase the learning of creativity in our schools. So therefore, we like to read and engage in discussions on ideas on learning reform and creativity in our schools.

Change and learning creativity.

Banks used to open and operate between 10 and 3. Now, who can bank between 10 and 3? The unemployed. They don’t need banks. They got no money in the banks.

Who created that business model? And it went on for decades. You know why? Because the banks didn’t care. It wasn’t about the customers. It was about banks. They created something that worked for them. How could you go to the bank when you were at work? It didn’t matter. And they don’t care whether or not a customer was upset he couldn’t go to the bank. Go find another bank. Yes and they all operate the same way, eh? 

Now, one day, some crazy banker had an idea. Maybe they should keep the bank open when people come home from work. They might like that. What about a Saturday? What about introducing new technology?

And  so technology can contribute to change. Things can change. Yet not in education. Not even with the introduction of technology. Why? 

Poor kids lose ground in the summertime. The system decides you can’t run schools in the summer. Why?

You know, I always wonder, who makes up these rules?  Did we ever do it? Well it just turns out in the 1840s we did have, schools were open all year. They were open all year, because we had a lot of folks who had to work all day. They didn’t have any place for their kids to go. It was a perfect place to have year round schools. So this is not something that is ordained from the education gods.

So why don’t we?  

Educators and those who want to contribute, there’s some stuff  we can do. And we’ve got to do better. We have to start with kids earlier, we have to make sure that we provide the support to young people. We have got to try new things much more often. We’ve got to be creative and we have to let the students be creative to learn creativity. We’ve got to give them all of these opportunities. 

Here is another short 2 minute video we would like to share. It is  about the next generation learning in our education system. Also done by children. Even younger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0pZE8WW_Ro&feature=youtu.be

Kids bring to the curriculum vast differences – differences in gender, maturity, personality, interests, hopes, dreams, abilities, life experiences, situation, family, peers, language, ethnicity, social class, culture, probable and possible futures, and certain indefinable qualities, all combined in dynamic, continuously evolving ways so complex they lie beyond ordinary understanding.

Today’s reformers seem unable or unwilling to grasp the instructional implications of those differences and that complexity. They treat kids as a given, undifferentiated except by grade level, with the core curriculum the lone operative variable.

It’s dumping creativity on the street.

So here is the thing. Our students recognize the problem. Why can’t education leaders?

Remember … we can truly understand facts about learning only in contrast to other facts.

Please share some of your ideas on improving student learning and education with this community.

Like this short blog? Follow Digital Spark Marketing on LinkedIn or add us to your circles for 3-4 short, interesting blogs, stories per week.

Read more from Digital Spark Marketing’s blog library:

Aware of These Amazing Facts on Innovation?

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Creative Collaboration is the Solution for the Toughest Business Problems

Want To Improve Your Creativity? Develop These Five Skills

Are you looking to improve your breakthrough thinking? Don’t believe you are creative? Creativity is often defined as the ability to connect ideas that are seemingly unconnectable. Connecting ideas are how new ideas originate … it is the basis to improve your creativity.

Contrary to what most people believe, creativity is not limited to the gifted ones of the population. It can be taught, nurtured, and enhanced. So what are the skills you need to acquire and/or develop to improve your creativity?  Consider these five:

Observing

Carefully watch things around you to help gain insights into, and ideas for, new ways of doing things. Pay particular attention to areas outside you natural areas of interest.

Pick a business you admire to observe and follow. Learn all you can about the what and the how.

What ideas can you transfer and enhance?

Questioning

Ask questions to understand how things really are, why they are that way, and how they might be changed or disrupted.

Brainstorm questions about the problem.

Create a list of 50 questions and pick the best 10 to explore further.

Associating

Connect seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas from different fields.

Imagine how someone from a different industry would look at your challenge from an entirely new perspective. What is different?

Experimenting

Constantly visit new places, try new things, seek new information and understanding, and learn from new experiences.

Join new social / professional activities beyond your normal groups and spheres of influence.

Networking

Go out of your way to meet people with vastly different backgrounds and perspectives from your own. Examine different views as a means to expand your knowledge and stretch your thinking.

Go to breakfast or lunch with someone new every week.

Look for ways to combine these skills in new and different ways. Don’t be afraid to fail … stretch yourself and your thinking.

Practice often.

Do you have learning experiences that you would like to share?

How to Improve Your Critical Thinking

I recently helped my 9-year-old son to complete a homework project for his class that had him analyzing a news article, answering questions, and then translating it into a different language. The purpose was to know what’s happening in another part of the world and then write about it in the language of the people affected. This was all about intoducing the concept of critical thinking for the students.

I watched my son work, and realized he copied and pasted, ran things through Google translate, and submitted it.

Asking him what the article was about, his response was tell-tale. “I don’t know, I just answer the questions and then translate it. I don’t really think about it.  I need to finish it so I can get to the next task. Now sign here, so I can move on.” He pointed to a neat horizontal signature line.

Hold on a second, I said. I then proceeded to ask him questions that required real thinking and processing. He was stunned and reluctant. “You’re slowing me down.”

The next day, he came back heartbroken. “All that work, and I got points taken off, because it was on the wrong kind of paper.” What did my child learn? It’s more important to have the right paper than it is to think critically.

Do we inadvertently squelch critical thinking in their students? How can we look more toward critical thinking than teaching to the test? What strategies can we follow to to bring the best out of your student population? How would you train your teachers toward critical thinking?

Here are some thoughts:

1: Critical thinking has to be shouted from the rooftops. Not that it should replace and do away with factual learning (lower-order thinking), but students thinking critically on their own is the pinnacle of the accumulation of knowledge and experience.

This flies directly in the face of teaching to the test, but it’s important that we make the distinction. Give to the testers what is theirs, but give back to students their freedom to think.

2: Encourage project-based learning. Solving real-world problems gets kids out of the classroom and into the real world.

3: Encourage collaboration, if not just in your classroom with other students, but also with the surrounding community and all the interesting professionals that are at its heart.

Think about collaboration along the lines of using technology to reach out to the global community. Don’t just invest in technology. Remember the end game is students collaborating, thinking critically, and solving problems that are relevant to their world.

4: Teach the 6D’s of  solution thoughts as a process for working through a problem to its solution

  • Define  the driving question. Ask questions to clarify, focus and understand what the problem is.
  • Discover  all aspects of the problem. What’s being done currently? What exactly is the nature of the problem? Be observant.
  • Dream  and brainstorm directions to approach the solution. Imagine the problem through different points of view.
  • Design  the product. Create a blueprint of the ideas and workshop them thoroughly.
  • Deliver  the goods and put the solution to work in a practical application—that is, generate the product and test it out against the problem.
  • Debrief  and review the process and look realistically on the product or solution.

5. Whether you choose to use the language of design thinking or that of solution thoughts, take a look at step-by-step through planning incredible project-based learning experiences for your students. Play with it and plan your own professional development with it.

Do You Practice These Habits of the Highly Creative?

Creativity can be taught, nurtured, and enhanced. It is not genetically limited to the gifted ones of the population. Do you practice these habits? Are you looking to improve on your creative skills?  If so, consider these useful habits for your skill development

Refrain from adding … what is NOT absolutely necessary in the first place

Eliminate what doesn’t matter … to make more room for what does

Before taking action, look for naturally occurring patterns and rhythms …  construct ideas to fit them

Leave something to the imagination … by limiting information

Appreciate the beauty of natural imperfection … leave the door open for others to co-create with you

Learn to quiet your minddesignate a time and place for creative solitude

Re-energize your creativity …  by taking regular ‘timeouts’ every 90 minutes

Best way to improve?  Practice and nurture your creative skill strengths regularly.

Credit: Matthew E. May   the shibumi strategy

Digital Spark Marketing regularly runs workshops to facilitate both the development of both creativity skills and solutions. Call us today for a free consultation and discussion of your needs.

For more on Digital Spark Marketing’s innovation services, click here:   http://www.digitalsparkmarketing.com/services/services-adaptability-and-innovation/

3 Big Mistakes You Must Avoid in Innovation

In today’s economic climate the only way to grow your business is via Innovation. If you think otherwise you are either doomed or you have a large pile of cash to burn to see you through to better economic times. If the route you favor is Innovation then there are many pitfalls, however here are 3 of the big mistakes that you must avoid.

Innovation Mistake #1 Searching for the ‘Big Fix’

Many of us have done this. We sit with colleagues around a big table and try to find the one solution to all of our problems. This approach is not Innovation but is an extension of the current thinking within a business. Management want to try something new but also to minimize risk but in fact they are increasing this by being over confident in the one solution that they do have. What happens when this approach fails?

Useful (and fruitful) Innovation projects or programs will have ways of generating multiple ideas which may be tested, combined, modified or even thrown away. They maximize the possibility of creating something new (and successful) by exposing it to many different people, departments or customers. The one possible downside might be cost although even this is not excessive. Failure does not occur since the modification of ideas is part of the process. Many people talk of an Innovation funnel, however it is really a funnel with feedback, a recycling machine!

Innovation Mistake #2 Searching for the ‘Quick Fix’

There is nothing bad in having a ‘Quick Win’, an objective that can be quickly achieved to create confidence and demonstrate success but your Innovation program should not be a series of  Quick Wins.

Consider a business entering a marketplace for the first time. Competition may very well force the company to buy into (expensive) technology to get up to speed, or to talk to suppliers and customers that are also being courted by competitors. You are now no longer being innovative but have fallen foul of ‘me too’ behavior. Some blinkered souls may call this best practice but whilst it might earn you a living for a while it is not going to beat off the competition.

In order to beat the competition you need to understand the marketplace, the drivers of cost/technology/business models etc. If you have a new product or service, how long until it is ready to launch, how will you recoup your costs, will the competition be able to copy it? You must plan carefully hence a quick fix is not an option.

Innovation Mistake #3 Searching for the ‘Money Fix’

This does not sound quite right but I wanted 3 mistakes with the word ‘Fix’ in!

A common mistake is to throw money at a particular problem or project and hope that it will generate a winner. The problem is, if that were the case then all your competitors could spend their dollars in exactly the same way. The key thing to remember about Innovation is that depending on exactly the course you follow, you will create something that is not too easy for your competitors to copy.

If you created a new design for a product but manufactured it in a new (cheaper and faster) way then the competition may be able to copy the design but might be baffled as to why your price is cheaper and your quality higher. But how do we do this? Simple we rely more on the things that cannot be copied – the skills, attitudes and behaviors of your staff. So the most important areas to focus on are not securing funding (although you will need some) but securing, motivating and rewarding the right sta

Learning from Google’s Nine Principles of Innovation

Google is widely considered, by both the general public and business experts, to be one of the most innovative companies in the world. So how does Google promote a culture of innovation and ensure that principles of innovation are properly implemented, creating profitable new products that position the company for long-term success? Google’s “recipe” for driving innovation is no carefully guarded secret sauce. Rather, Google has openly shared this information with the public.

In 2013, Google codified a new set of “Nine Principles of Innovation,” which updated the version first unveiled by former Google executive Marissa Mayer in 2008.

The innovation book Robert’s Rules of Innovation II: The Art of Implementation discusses each of Google’s Nine Principles of Innovation and suggests that we all think about them, in the context of our own companies. Implementing relevant parts of Google’s Nine Principles of Innovation at your company is not “cheating”; but rather, it’s smart and efficient to use the Principles as a framework for fostering innovation in business—after all, innovation doesn’t have to be about reinventing the wheel.

This blog will cover the first four principles from Google’s Nine Principles of Innovation.

From the Mind of Google: Google’s Nine Principles of Innovation (Principles 1–4) Innovation comes from anywhere. 

At Google, this principle emphasizes that innovation is in nobody’s job title, but is everyone’s responsibility. Moreover, ideas can come from anyone in the organization, regardless if they are top-level executives, employees who work in roles or departments not typically associated with innovation, or employees on the “bottom” of the company’s totem pole

Focus on the user. A long-standing Google principle is that the company encourages its employees to build products with the user, not profits, in mind..”

Think 10x, not 10 percent

 This Google principle is about striving to improve something by a tenfold difference rather than just improving it by 10 percent. In other words, making a revolutionary change rather than an evolutionary change. This innovation driver comes from Google co-founder Larry Page’s preference for radical innovation over incremental innovation. 

Keep in mind that whereas this lofty think 10x principle may be appropriate for mega-companies such as Google, it’s not necessarily appropriate for all companies. Revolutionary innovation is a great thing to strive for, but it’s not the only successful type of innovation. As discussed in a previously published blog on this site, innovation doesn’t always have to be about reinventing the wheel, it can also be about simply improving the wheel. Incremental innovation—small-scale improvements that make a product better or more marketable—can drive successful, profitable innovation at your company.

Also, incremental innovation—as opposed to revolutionary innovation and massive step-change innovation—makes the idea of innovation considerably less daunting and more accessible to a wider range of people.

Bet on technical insights

Every organization has its unique insights—and betting on these unique insights can lead to major innovation. It was Google—not the automotive industry—that came up with the idea of the self-driving car. Google was able to make this major innovation because they already had the unique insights and building blocks in place to engineer a self-driving car. Google was able to tie its various information assets (data gleaned from its existing Google Maps, Google Earth, and Street View cars programs) to create the all new product entity of the self-driving car. At your business, think about whether your business has any unique insights or information assets that can be used and combined to innovate something new.

Ship and iterate

This innovation principle is the updated version of former Google executive Marissa Mayer’s 2008 “innovation, not instant perfection” innovation principle. “Ship and iterate” means to ship your products out to market early and often rather than waiting until they are absolutely perfect to take them to market. Your product’s users will help you “iterate” it by providing you with feedback to make the product better. Google first launched its Internet browser Chrome in 2008 and then every six weeks, launched improved versions of Chrome based on user feedback. “Today, using that approach, Chrome is the Number One browser in many countries,” said Gopi Kallayil, Google’s Chief Evangelist for Brand Marketing,

Twenty percent time

Twenty percent time refers to Google’s long-standing principle where employees are encouraged to spend 20 percent of their work time pursuing projects they are passionate about, even if these projects are outside the scope of their job description or the company’s core mission. If you give your employees this twenty percent time, Kallayil promises that “They will delight you with their creative thinking.”

At Google, the results of their “20 percent time” program include Google News, Google Alerts, and off-road Google Maps Street View.

While your company may not be able to offer its employees Google’s “20 percent time”, it should strive to offer employees more freedom to choose projects that interest them and do what they love as well as more autonomy to experiment and make decisions.

Default to open

Back in 2008, it was Marissa Mayer’s original goal to promote innovation at Google by sharing information on Google’s intranet and facilitate collaboration among Google employees. Now, the updated version of this principle incorporates Google pulling ideas from the general public. As Kallayil said, “There are seven billion people…. The smartest people will always be outside Google.

Fail well

Google believes that there should be no negativity or stigma attached with failing. According to Kallayil, failure at Google is a “badge of honor.” Moreover, Kallayil said, “There is a belief in the company that if you don’t fail often enough, you’re not trying hard enough. Once we realize a product is not working out, we kill it, but the thing with products is they morph—we take all the best ideas and redeploy them.”

Have a mission that matters This new principle for Google is, according to Kallayil, “the most important one.” Kallayil says, “Everybody at Google has a very strong sense of mission and purpose. We seriously believe that the work we do has a huge impact on millions of people in a positive way.” What is your company’s mission? Is everyone on the same page? Do your employees care about the mission?

How Bloggers Should Leverage Instagram

Instagram is one of the relatively new ‘visual’ platforms that, for those focusing on the written word, is a bit challenging to make headway on. We don’t have gorgeous products or interesting scenery… we have blog posts, that leverage Insragram, right?

But Instagram, like every other social network, does have potential for certain bloggers who want to make a little effort to leverage it. And I’m going to tell you exactly how.

And the good news is, while we’ll be reviewing quite a number of techniques and processes, the amount of time required to promote an individual post to Instagram is relatively minor… likely a few extra minutes. Is that worth it? Let’s discuss that.

Why Should Bloggers Include Instagram?

Now, bear in mind that how each individual uses and experiences Instagram depends in large part on who they’ve chosen to follow. That said, most of us probably have Instagram feeds filled with selfies and family photos and food porn. With its tight integration with Facebook and fun filters, it’s incredibly easy to snap a fun, candid photo, edit it a bit, and then share it with your friends.

But suppose for a moment that, instead of connecting with friends and family, you instead used Instagram to connect with peers and colleagues, influencers and readers.

And suppose that you regularly posted an image associated with your latest blog post, inviting your followers to read it?

Oh but wait, you can’t include working links within image descriptions. So this must all be a waste of time.

The Devoted Instagram Follower

Here’s where Instagram gets really interesting.

Yes, you cannot include links within individual image descriptions. That means that, in order for someone to get to your site or blog or post, they’re going to need to use the link within your Bio.

That’s right. Someone that sees an image you’ve shared and is interested in reading the corresponding blog post is going to have to read the description, tap on your Name to get to your Bio, tap on the link in your Bio, and then find your blog post and tap the title to open it up on their mobile device.

Who’s crazy or bored enough to do all that!

Quite a few people, it turns out.

While actual numbers will vary of course with the blogger and blog post, bloggers who have tried to leverage Instagram have been pleasantly surprised. While the referral traffic won’t rival other social networks, what’s interesting is how interested those readers really are.

I mean, think about it. If they were willing to jump through three hoops just to get to your content, they must really want to read it, right?

And the metrics back this up.

When one compares the traffic from Instagram to the traffic from other sources and campaigns, it’s clear that the Instagram users tend to read the entire article, spending more time on site than others. And they’re interested in clicking around to other content as well.

During a one-week test, I observed on my own blog that readers from Instagram spent twice as much time on site and were 40% less likely to bounce off the page. (Though to be fair, this low bounce rate is largely due to the fact that we’re sending followers to the Home page, and they need to tap another link to get the content they’re interested in.)

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How To Share Blog Posts To Instagram

I think the number one reason most bloggers don’t think to share posts to Instagram is the simple lack of a share button, right there on the blog, staring us in the face and asking, “Why, Mike? Why haven’t you shared to me lately?”

Ok, maybe that’s just me.

But really, just as followers on Instagram have to jump through a few hoops to get to your post, likewise you need to jump through a few hoops to get that post on Instagram.

Step One: Get your blog image into your phone.

This in and of itself is probably not too challenging… just not easy to remember. You need to make this part of your Blog Promotion Checklist.

If your blog post already has a great image that’s suitable for sharing to Instagram, you can likely visit your blog on your phone once it’s published, tap and hold the image, and select Save Image to save it to your camera roll. (Specific steps may vary depending on your phone’s OS.)

Step Two: Share Your Image to Instagram

Now, simply open the Instagram app on your phone, tap the center button in the bottom row, and then tap the thumbnail image in the lower left. This will open up your camera roll and allow you to choose an image from your phone.

Tap Next and you’ll have an opportunity to apply filters and other image edits.

Tap Next and you can add a description, tag people, and even share to other social networks. The caption is where you must explain that this is a new blog post, and that followers can get to it through the link in your Bio. I also avoid sharing these posts to Facebook or Twitter, since I’ve already shared the blog post there in a more optimal way. However, I do share these images to Flickr.

How Disney Innovates and Stays Relevant and Strong

Walt Disney certainly never worried about getting the old thoughts out of his mind, did he? He was always 3 steps ahead of just about all his competitors and would-be competitors. Very good at how disney innovates and spotting trends.

And once spotted, he certainly knew what action was required to take advantage of them. It is a very important skill and a factor in Disney’s innovation, even today. An important way to start the process of managing business change and adaptation.

Most businesses do not manage change. Change takes them by surprise. Not a good thing. What these businesses do best is manage the conflict wrought by change.

Reacting does not equate to anticipating … you must improve your trend watching and anticipating skills so you can change before you have to. A good thing.

Let’s get back to Walt Disney and his abilities in trend spotting and rifts. Rift … what is a rift you may ask? A rift is a big tear in the rules we live by. Not a small tear, a fundamental change in the game type of tear. One that creates a small number of BIG, new winners, and bunches of losers who were sticking steadfastly to the old rules.

Walt was a three-time rifter. Can’t think of any others in that category. He was one of the few people who have successfully managed to find a rift in the continuum of business life, to bet everything he had on it, and to then make great profit in doing it. And, amazingly, he did it three times. Let’s examine these rifts as a way to learn about spotting trends and acting on them.

Rift 1 … Motion Pictures
The first rift, or trend, that Walt discovered was the motion picture. He noticed early on that movies would drastically change the world of entertainment. Anticipating that there would be a high demand for family-oriented entertainment, he pioneered the development of the animated movie. His first film perfecting the form was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. And the fantastic growth of the rift was launched.
But he was not one to rest on his success … not at all. He kept looking for another chance in the rules that would create further opportunities for his business enterprises.

Rift 2 … The automobile
The second rift was in the form of the automobile. Walt speculated that the car was going to change the way that families would get to entertainment. His vision was a strategically located, extravagantly designed theme park that could add a new leg to family entertainment and vacations. And take advantage of the new way of family travel rift. So, beginning with California’s Disneyland in 1955, he added a new business around this rift and it has dominated the theme park industry to this day.

Rift 3 … Television
He was now a giant in the entertainment business, but he was able to spot a third rift and opportunity: television. Many people regarded television simply as in-home movies. Walt, however, saw it as an entirely different medium. So with properties like the Mickey Mouse Club, he established a third business to produce a never-ending stream of content for this new market.
Walt Disney was a three-time winner, someone who had a great vision to not only spot important trends but also to see the opportunities that these trends created.

So what recommendations can we draw from Walt’s experiences? Here are three that we offer:

Culture of Revolution
An organization’s culture underlies its ability to adapt and times of dramatic change magnify culture’s importance. Work to create the culture of change of revolution. From this culture, you can spark a new paradigm for creative change from which your strategies will be derived.

Spotting trends and rifts
Innovation and competitive advantage hinge on your effectiveness in anticipating trends and identifying the next big thing. Invest energy and continuously work to improve your abilities to anticipate the important imminent changes. Filter through all the noise and chaos, cull out the trends and identify the opportunities that will be created. Focus your team’s creativity on the most important of these opportunities.

Adaptive innovation
Our government and the business world have invested billions of dollars and significant time and energy to perfect human creativity. Apply the best of these practices to jump-start your teams’ abilities in your own field focusing on the end state of new customer priorities.

How to Improve the Creativity Skill

Don’t fall prey to the myth that only some people have the creativity skill and you are not of the chosen few. We are all creative; it’s just a matter of figuring out in what way. So find things you’re curious about and are interesting to you, use your imagination a little, stay motivated and work at it, and surround yourself with others who are doing the same.

So how do you boost creativity? Here are 8 suggestions to improve your ability to exercise ideation:

Be a detective
Creatives and innovators always have enquiring minds. Are you asking enough questions to get deeper and understand the problem as much as you can?

Make quiet time
Most ordinary days of the average people include an enormous amount of multitasking. Multitasking is, of course, is very destructive to the time and space of good creative thinking. Set time aside for team members’ quiet time to stimulate and let the mind wander until ideas flow.

Challenge good
The phrases good enough, this has always worked, and this is all the time we have to devote to this problem, etc. are very destructive to team creativity. Avoid these at all costs as they are enemy #1 to the best results.

Foster Autonomy
We all prefer control over our environments. According to a 2008 study by Harvard University, there is a direct correlation between people who have the ability to call their own shots and the value of their creative output. An employee who has to run every tiny detail by her boss for approval will quickly become numb to the creative process.
The act of creativity is one of self-expression. Granting autonomy involves extending trust. By definition, your team may make decisions you would have made differently. The key is to provide a clear message of what results you are looking for or what problem you want the team to solve. From there, you need to extend trust and let them do their best work.

Divergent thinking
Try the quantity approach to new ideas. Use brainstorming to improve divergent thinking. Study and then connect ideas to get new ideas.

Add play to the equation
When looking for fresh new thinking to solve a problem, shake things up by adding some fun and play to the process. It always has the ability to shed stress and pressure on a team.

Avoid these myths: Myths on Creativity … 17 to Stop Telling Yourself Now

Explore new experiences
Open up your new idea thinking. Do things in new and untried ways. Avoid the set ways of solving problems.

Experiment
Do as much experimentation as you can. Don’t worry about failures and allow the team to question any and all assumptions and consider even the craziest ideas.