1.)    Keep blue slips and colored pens on the night stand next to your bed.  You can then capture your random thoughts as soon as they occur even while half asleep.  Otherwise your insight may be lost forever.  I like the color blue because it reminds me of the blue sky and unimagined possibilities.

2.)    Create a loving mindset and assume the best in others.  You will then attract ideas and people into your universe who inspire you with new possibilities.  Lie in bed and think about those you love and their gifts that make them truly unique.

 3.)    Breathe deeply and relax.  Let go of your fears and anxieties.  This will allow creativity to flow through you.  As your thoughts float use the language of what is possible.  Think “I will ……….…….” you fill in the blank, smile, and then drift off to sleep.

4.)    With your eyes closed reflex about whatever it is that makes you feel gratitude.  When you feel gratitude, you create an inner life that attracts even more abundance into your life.  More gratitude leads to more creativity.  Breathe deeply and slowly.  Think and feel gratitude about what is going well in your life.   It can be about people or small events and things.  If you have difficulty thinking of something, then express gratitude because you are lying in a warm clean bed.

5.)    If something is troubling you, then think about something totally unrelated, it is helpful if you think of someone or something that makes you smile.  Now go to sleep, when you wake up in the morning you may find that you have some insight into that nagging problem because you distanced yourself from it.

6.)    When you awaken in the morning, stretch and express gratitude because you have another glorious day to be creative and to innovate as you move forward to face the challenges of this new and special day.

Creativity does begin in the bedroom.  Sleep makes you more creative.  What are you going to do when you get into bed tonight to become more creative?

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Since 1990, U.S. creativity has been in a downward spiral!Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have you ever thought about whether creativity could be measured?  It seems that in 1958 E. Paul Torrance designed a series of creativity tasks to measure creativity.  He administered his test to 400 children in Minneapolis. 

I would question how accurate this creativity index would be in predicting creativity for adults.  I read a recent Newsweek article, The Creativity Crisis, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.   Apparently, Jonathan Plucker of Indiana University, validated a more than three times correlation to lifetime creative accomplishment with Torrance’s creativity index as contrasted to childhood IQ.

This year, Kyung Hee Kim at the College of William & Mary did a follow up study where he analyzed almost 300,000 Torrance scores of children and adults.  It appears that creativity scores steadily rose, just like IQ scores until 1990 and then creativity scores nosedived.  The decline is most significant from kindergarten through sixth grade.

In my prior blog post, I wrote about the CEO Survey of 1,500 CEOs who unequivocally identified creativity as the most important leadership competency for success in the future.  

What does this mean for the United States in terms of maintaining our leadership position in the world?  Our leaders understand that creativity is essential; yet at the same time our creativity scores are plummeting!

Stop and think about where we currently need creative solutions.  We are crying out for new ideas to solve our ongoing economic crisis.  We need new ideas to solve the issues of sustainability.  We need new ideas to support our changing demographics.

Creativity includes not only generating great ideas, but it also means being open to the ideas of others.  Through creative thinking we can generate solutions for a health care system as well as new thinking for moving towards a more peaceful world. We need new ideas to make our country more competitive and to identify new ways to measure success. 

Do you think creativity is important?

I listened to a webinar sponsored by Harvard Business Review.  IBM’s Saul Berman and Peter J. Korsten shared some insights on standout companies in today’s ambiguous environment. 

As we come out of the worst recession in 50 years, the new economic environment is viewed as structurally different, with more complexity, more uncertainty, and more volatility.  However, standout companies (the top 25% ) are turning complexity to their advantage with creative leadership.

There are three different ways that standout companies achieve success and capitalize on complexity.  They embody creative leadership, they reinvent customer relationships, and they build operating dexterity. 

A speedy decision is valued over a correct decision.   There is a philosophy of correcting things as they move forward.

Creativity is the leading indicator of leadership quality.  Creative leadership drives the change needed in the organization to stay ahead of the market.  Creative leaders use different communication styles and tools.  

They are more open to experimentation with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media.  Standout companies break with the status quo of industry, enterprise, and revenue models.

Chief executives believe that to navigate an increasingly complex world will require creativity.  They will co-create with their clients.  They will globalize what is possible due to standardization and localize what is necessary and whatever needs local tuning.  Think “glocal.”

When creativity is implemented within an organization, then it is better prepared to deal with some of the massive shifts taking place such as new government regulations, changes in global economic power centers, accelerated industry transformation, growing volumes of data, and rapidly evolving customer preferences.

Clearly creativity is the new leadership differentiator for standout companies.   You must ask yourself, what tools are you providing to your organization to unleash the creativity of your employees?

Permission to use graphic granted by IBM.

I am reading Tim Brown’s book, Change by Design, How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation.  IDEO is ranked among the ten most innovative companies in the world.  Tim is the CEO of IDEO. 

I was intrigued by the concepts of divergent and convergent thinking.  To experience design thinking, you must understand the difference between divergent and convergent thinking and how they can work together. 

With convergent thinking you are looking at a set of available choices in an existing world.  Divergent thinking is about creating new choices and seeing possibilities that no one else has seen.

When you begin with divergent thinking, you can maximize your choices.  As you increase the number of choices, your life will have become more complex.  However, as Tim Brown comments, “Divergent thinking is the route, not the obstacle, to innovation.”

With divergent thinking you multiply your options as you create choices.  You have more choices in regard to how you understand and apply consumer behavior in creating new products or new experiences. 

With convergent thinking, you head towards a solution.  In the convergent piece you eliminate options and focus on making the choices you wish to implement.

Why does understanding the difference between divergence and convergent thinking matter?  Westerners are taught to take inputs, analyze them against predefined criteria, and then converge upon a single answer.  Convergent thinking is not a good way to probe into the future and create new possibilities.  It is about finding the most expedient answer versus the right answer. 

Divergent thinking opens your mind to many possibilities.  These are two different phases that go together.  If you apply divergent thinking, you can create choices that have not existed before.  When you go into the convergent phase, you are well prepared to find the right answer.

I often use iMindMapping software and techniques to achieve divergent thinking.  What process or tools do you use to stimulate your mind to create new choices for your future?

Susan T. Blake, U.S. Country Facilitator

Imagine a world where organization development practitioners can access a global platform and find the tools they need to be effective and to maximize an organization’s performance. Imagine a place where you could develop your own creativity and leverage this new found knowledge with clients in your OD consulting practice. Imagine an innovative virtual community built exclusively for those in OD.

I recently spoke with the CEO of Susan T. Blake Consulting, who is also the United States Country Facilitator with Sedaa’s Global Brain Trust. I asked Susan about the value she has obtained working across borders with other country facilitators in a virtual environment. I was also curious about how she came to be selected as the U.S. Country Facilitator.

Susan responded, “I found Sedaa’s Global Brain Trust through two different friends, who each recommended that I join the group. I was pleased to be invited to join this exclusive community for senior practitioners of OD. I was selected to be the U.S. Country Facilitator because I was fully engaged within the community. It was a good fit because I had a background in OD, I had a little bit of a sales background, and a variety of skills – all of which I call upon in this role.”

When I asked her to outline some of the highlights of being a U.S. Country Facilitator, she mentioned several, “I have learned about OD in other countries and I am expanding my global network exponentially. This experience has given me the opportunity to use and develop a variety of skills including OD, team management, dealing with change, as well as sales and marketing. Being a country facilitator has given me an opportunity to use and develop every skill I possess.

I am learning to be creative while I build global relationships and put together the appropriate tools for each individual situation. We have a terrific bunch of creative people who are solving the challenges of building a new virtual organization specifically for those in OD.”

I wondered, “How can someone become a country facilitator?” Susan responded, “As we build our OD community, we are going to be adding country facilitators from every country. It is a tremendous opportunity!”

Susan then issued an invitation, “Just come visit our web site and let us know if you have an interest in becoming part of Sedaa’s Global Brain Trust.”

When you think about it, OD has the potential to be a hot-bed of creativity. OD practitioners are in a position to help their clients by developing their creativity and innovation. They also use their own creativity every day while selecting the right tools and taking the best approaches to finding solutions for their clients. Creativity is all about putting yourself in a place of maximum potential and then maximizing the potential of the organization.

What tools do you need to promote the development of a creative economy?  Why do we even want a creative economy?   Think about our economic slowdown, our failed schools and our need to build a sustainable community.   

As you have witnessed over the past year, there has been a seismic shift in the skill set needed to be productive and successful during a recession.  You must develop your imagination and empathy to deal with all the surprises that an uncertain future brings to you.  

John J. Cimino, Jr., the founding president and CEO of  Creative Leaps International, made me aware of a proposed bold new investment in culture.  It is called “Art and the Public Purpose:  A New Framework.”   It offers five concepts as the key to our national recovery as well as our cultural recovery.

1.)    Use creativity for the common good.

2.)    Engage all of us.

3.)    Build on all of us.

4.)    Put artists to work to support cultural recovery.

5.)    Stand for the expression, supporting democratic media.

These principles support our values of creativity, equality, responsiveness, hard work and freedom.  We have within our grasp the ability to become more resilient, resourceful and inspiring.

Culture and art are powerful economic drivers.  You can send a powerful message to President Obama and Congress.  It is time to develop a coherent cultural policy.  If you wish to be part of this wonderful movement, you now have the opportunity. 

When you look back, you will be able to smile with pride and say to your children, I helped to transform our country.  We have great schools, jobs are plentiful, and our communities are inspired.  You developed your creativity because you supported a movement to give you access to the right tools.  We were once ordinary and now we are extraordinary!

You should not delay, take action today, and sign the petition.  For more information click here “New Cultural Policy.” 

Now that you have signed it, tell your friends about it.  Thank you!

Bala Kanayson, Whole Mind Success

How often have you wished you could silence the constant talking that is going on in your head? You are trying to be an effective leader and grow your business, yet all of this chatter is interfering with your productivity. I recently heard Bala Kanayson address this issue. His solution includes developing your inner creativity.

How would you like to be able to learn proven methods to increase your creativity and productivity? Imagine being able to use your left and right brain, your conscious mind, and your subconscious mind in a deliberate manner.

Bala Kanayson uses Whole Mind Success as a unique method of using the whole mind in both our business and personal lives. He uses recent developments in neuroscience and psychology, combined with methods of silencing the mind to reduce the constant “noise” in our heads.

Extensive neurological research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) demonstrates how you can actually change the internal structure of your brain. Bala Kanayson uses proven scientific techniques to build new neuronal circuits that enhance creativity and develop new skills.

I asked Bala, “Now what kinds of skills do you mean?” He outlined some of the crucial skills we all need to be exceptional performers in our lives such as:

• Becoming a more effective leader.
• Reducing stress in your life.
• Finding new ways to solve difficult problems.
• Using both sides of the brain for maximum productivity and creativity.
• Mastering the art of silencing your mind.
• Setting goals and empowering yourself to achieve them.
• Communicating effectively with others.
• Defining your path for success and achieving it.

I was astounded. It seems you can overcome decades of social conditioning and preconceptions. The outcome results in a more complete transformation of each individual’s thinking and behavior.

I asked Bala, “Do you mean I can have increased self-esteem, improved study skills, and become more effective with my business decision making ability?

“Absolutely, you are correct!” Bala responded.

Now think about the significance of the impact upon your life if you decide to develop your creative thinking by using both sides of the brain for maximum productivity and creativity! If you are an engineer you could create new engineering designs. If you are an artist you could develop more creative artwork. If you are an athlete you could improve your performance in sports.

Now, you must go to to listen to Paul Lawrence Vann’s interview of Bala Kanayson on The Wealthy Speaker Show on blogtalkradio.  You will be pleased you followed my recommendation.

Author: Kirpal Singh

Back in the 1950’s, when I grew up in a tiny rural community in Texas we pretended we were all one skin color, we all spoke English and we all went to the local Christian church on Sunday.  Ours was a society that valued homogeneity.

Our world has changed dramatically since then. Our ability to travel and do business globally has significantly increased the likelihood that we will meet people from other cultures. Sometimes, we are confused by their assumptions and their behavior. It is unavoidable; we now live in a pluralistic society.

Imagine if you lost a $25 million business deal because you failed to research the cultural expectations of your potential business partner. This is a true story relayed by Kirpal Singh who spoke to the (CSTC) Creative Skills Training Council about the impact multiculturalism has on business and other aspects of our life.

Professor Kirpal Singh, the author of THINKING HATS & COLOURED TURBANS: Creativity Across Cultures, works with governments, non-profits and multinationals, on the issues and challenges surrounding the sensitive arena of cross/intercultural engagements. He is internationally renowned as a creativity guru and futurist.

Since 9-11, there is a new urgency to gain better understanding and knowledge about other cultures. We all have choices to make on how to interact with other cultures. We can demonize those who are different from us or perhaps we can invite them for a cup of tea, get to know them, and understand their perspective.

We are all invaluable as human beings; we bring many gifts from our respective cultures. We can create a world where we value multiculturalism, we can take pride in acquiring knowledge about other cultures, and we can make the choice to celebrate our differences and to live in harmony.

Kirpal Singh speaks about Creativity and Innovation – The Cross-Cultural Dimension. If you listen and learn, you may save your next multimillion dollar business deal.