Jay shri krishna
LKrishna THINKING
HOW TO DISCOVER THE JOY OF CREATIVE THINKING
At this point you may be saying, “Okay, I’m convinced that creative thinking
is important. But how do I find the creativity within me? How do I discover the
joy of creative thought?” Here are five ways to do it:
Remove Creativity Killers
Economics professor and humor author Stephen Leacock said, “Personally, I
would sooner have written Alice in Wonderland than the whole Encyclopedia
Britannica.” He valued the warmth of creativity over cold facts. If you do too,
then you need to eliminate attitudes that devalue creative thinking.
Take a look at the following phrases. They are almost guaranteed to kill
creative thinking any time you hear (or think) them:
1. I’m Not a Creative Person
2. Follow the Rules
3. Don’t Ask Questions
4. Don’t Be Different
5. Stay Within the Lines
6. There Is Only One Way
7. Don’t Be Foolish
8. Be Practical
9. Be Serious
10. Think of Your Image
11. That’s Not Logical
12. It’s Not Practical
13. It’s Never Been Done
14. It Can’t Be Done
15. It Didn’t Work for Them
16. We Tried That Before
17. It’s Too Much Work
18. We Can’t Afford to Make a Mistake
19. It Will Be Too Hard to Administer
20. We Don’t Have the Time
21. We Don’t Have the Money
22. Yes, But…
23. Play Is Frivolous
24. Failure Is Final
25. If you think you have a great idea, don’t let anyone talk you out of it even if it
The foolish idea is not to subject yourself or anyone else to creativity killers.
After all, if you force yourself to live you can't do anything new and exciting
In the same old rut. not now
Think Creatively by AskiThink Creatively by Asking the Right Questions
Creativity is largely a matter of asking the right questions. Management
trainer Sir Antony Jay said, “The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it
takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions.” Wrong questions shut down the
process of creative thinking. They direct thinkers down the same old path, or
they chide them into believing that thinking isn’t necessary at all. To stimulate
creative thinking, ask yourself questions such as…
1. Why must it be done this way?
2. What is the root problem?
3. What are the underlying issues?
4. What does this remind me of?
5. What is the opposite?
6. What metaphor or symbol helps to explain it?
7. Why is it important?
8. What’s the hardest or most expensive way to do it?
9. Who has a different perspective on this?
10. What happens if we don’t do it at all?
11. You get the idea—and you can probably come up with better questions
12. yourself. Physicist Tom Hirschfield observed, “If you don’t ask, ‘Why this?’
13. often enough, somebody will ask, ‘Why you?’” If you want to think creatively,
14. you must ask good questions. You must challenge the process.
Develop a Creative Environment
Charlie Brower said, “A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a
yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on
the right man’s brow.” Negative environments kill thousands of great ideas every
minute.
A creative environment, on the other hand, becomes like a greenhouse where
ideas get seeded, sprout up, and flourish. A creative environment:
Encourages Creativity: David Hills says, “Studies of creativity suggest
that the biggest single variable of whether or not employees will be creative
is whether they perceive they have permission.” When innovation and good
thinking are openly encouraged and rewarded, then people see that they
have permission to be creative.
Places a High Value on Trust among Team Members and Individuality:
Creativity always risks failure. That’s why trust is so important to creative
people. In the creative process, trust comes from people working together,
from knowing that people on the team have experience launching
successful, creative ideas, and from the assurance that creative ideas won’t
go to waste, because they will be implemented.
Embraces Those Who Are Creative: Creative people celebrate the
offbeat. How should creative people be treated? I take the advice of Tom
Peters: “Weed out the dullards—nurture the nuts!” I do that by spending
time with them, which I enjoy anyway. I especially like to pull people into
brainstorming sessions. People look forward to an invitation to such
meetings because the time will be filled with energy, ideas, and laughter.
And the odds are high that a new project, seminar, or business strategy will
result. When that happens, they also know a party’s coming!
Focuses on Innovation, Not Just Invention: Sam Weston, creator of the
popular action figure GI Joe, said, “Truly groundbreaking ideas are rare, but
you don’t necessarily need one to make a career out of creativity. My
definition of creativity is the logical combination of two or more existing
elements that result in a new concept. The best way to make a living with
your imagination is to develop innovative applications, not imagine
completely new concepts.” Creative people say, “Give me a good idea andI’ll give you a better idea!”
Is Willing to Let People Go Outside the Lines: Most people
automatically stay within lines, even if those lines have been arbitrarily
drawn or are terribly out of date. Remember, most limitations we face are
not imposed on us by others; we place them on ourselves. Lack of creativity
often falls into that category. If you want to be more creative, challenge
boundaries. Inventor Charles Ket-tering said, “All human development, no
matter what form it takes, must be outside the rules; otherwise, we would
never have anything new.” A creative environment takes that into account.
Appreciates the Power of a Dream: A creative environment promotes the
freedom of a dream. A creative environment encourages the use of a blank
sheet of paper and the question, “If we could draw a picture of what we
want to accomplish, what would that look like?” A creative environment
allowed Martin Luther King, Jr., to speak with passion and declare to
millions, “I have a dream,” not “I have a goal.” Goals may give focus, but
dreams give power. Dreams expand the world. That is why James Allen
suggested that “dreamers are the saviors of the world.”
The more creativity-friendly you can make your environment, the more
potential it has to become creative.
Spend Time with Other Creative People
What if the place you work has an environment hostile to creativity, and you
possess little ability to change it? One possibility is to change jobs. But what if
you desire to keep working there despite the negative environment? Your best
option is to find a way to spend time with other creative people.
Creativity is contagious. Have you ever noticed what happens during a good
brainstorming session? One person throws out an idea. Another person uses it as
a springboard to discover another idea. Someone else takes it in yet another,
even better direction. Then somebody grabs hold of it and takes it to a whole
new level. The interplay of ideas can be electric.
I have a strong group of creative individuals in my life. I make sure to spend
regular time with them. When I leave them, I always feel energized, I’m full of
ideas, and I see things differently. They truly are indispensable to my life.
It’s a fact that you begin to think like the people you spend a lot of time with.
The more time you can spend with creative people engaging in creative
activities, the more creative you will become.
Get Out of Your Box
Actress Katharine Hepburn remarked, “If you obey all the rules… you will
miss all the fun.” While I don’t think it’s necessary to break all the rules (many
are in place to protect us), I do think it’s unwise to allow self-imposed
limitations to hinder us. Creative thinkers know that they must repeatedly break
out of the “box” of their own history and personal limitations in order to
experience creative breakthroughs.
The most effective way to help yourself get out of the box is to expose
yourself to new paradigms. One way you can do that is by traveling to new
places. Explore other cultures, countries, and traditions. Find out how people
very different from you live and think. Another is to read on new subjects. I’m
naturally curious and love to learn, but I still have a tendency to read books only
on my favorite subjects, such as leadership. I sometimes have to force myself to
read books that broaden my thinking, because I know it’s worth it. If you want to
break out of your own box, get into somebody’s else’s. Read broadly.
Many people mistakenly believe that if individuals aren’t born with
creativity, they will never be creative. But you can see from the many
strategies and examples I’ve given that creativity can be cultivated in the
right supportive environment.
Thinking Question
Am I working to break out of my “box” of limitations so that I explore
ideas and options to experience creative breakthroughs?
Jay shri krishna
LKrishna THINKING
Contact MAIL. lkrishna.htat@gmail.com
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