“My boss always wants the impossible,” sighed Trudi to her colleague over a coffee. “I’ll never pull this one off.”
“What’s that?” asked Tom.
“She says I have to be more creative in my work if I’m ever going to be promoted. I guess I better start looking for a job because there isn’t a creative bone in my body!”
How we think about creativity
Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! ~Dr. Seuss
Trudi isn’t alone thinking that being creative is out of her grasp. Many adults equate creativity with the arts – composing music, painting pictures, writing poetry, etc. However, creativity has much broader application than just the arts. Creativity was cited as the single most important leadership quality for success in a study of 1500 CEO’s completed by IBM in 2010.
In Human Motivation, Robert E. Franken defines creativity as
…the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others.
In short, seeing and connecting things in a new way.
In workshops, I hand out a piece of paper filled with 30 separate one-inch diameter circles. I ask participants to turn as many circles as possible into objects, things like a smiley face or the sun, in five minutes. It’s rare for someone to transform all 30 circles into objects. A more typical completion rate ranges from 5 to 15 circles.
A creativity study conducted by George Land, a general systems scientist, helps to explain the low circle transformation rate. Dr. Land’s results show that we’re naturally creative as children yet learn to be uncreative as we age.
1,600 children were first tested at age 5 and scored a 98% for creativity. Those same children were tested at age 10 and scored 30%; and when tested again at age 15, they scored just 12%. When adults were given the same test, they scored only 2%.
Creative thinking is not a talent; it is a skill that can be learned. ~Edward de Bono
To boost “creativity quotient” and see and connect things in a new way, try:
Play!
A study done by Mark Beeman, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University, revealed that shifting the brain into an open, playful state lowers the brain’s threshold for spotting isolated connections which allows people to decipher puzzles more effectively.
I used to keep a basket of small toys on the conference table in my office for people to play with during meetings (and they did some laying claim to a particular toy!).
Shake things up
Trying a new routine alters stuck brain patterns, creating the possibility of new associations. Jimi Hendrix played guitars made for right-handed people by playing them upside down. Just holding a guitar upside down forced his brain to create new patterns.
One day my team was brainstorming how to solve a tough business problem and was getting nowhere. I moved the meeting outside under a big tree and soon the solution was apparent!
Change your perspective
Thomas Edison invited prospective new hires to lunch. He watched to see if people salted their food before or after tasting it. Those who salted their food prior to tasting it weren’t hired.
It’s the classic if you think like a hammer, everything looks like a nail scenario. Many rules, practices and procedures outlive their usefulness and choke off creative thinking. People who challenge their assumptions and relook at a situation often discover new solutions.
BIG’s angle: it’s possible to tap into that creative spark we enjoyed as children and boost our “creativity quotient” – we just have to make the effort to do so! What do you think?Image source before quote: Gratisography
I love this fun tool for creating new connections: the idea lottery
http://www.ideachampions.com/idea_lottery_new.shtml
I’m also thinking about 30 ways to turn a circle into an object. Great post!
Anna —
As with many things in life, thinking you can — or can’t — do something, e.g., be creative, is the pivotal point or success, or not. Thanks for sharing your link – there’s lots of rich information there for people open to finding ways to be more creative.
Jane
I really enjoyed this post as well. It reminded me of a quote by Norman Vincent Peale – People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success. .
When people start to believe that they can come up with creative solutions, the ideas usually start to flow. Suddenly, a person who didn’t think themself creative at all is able to see the world in a whole new way. It all started with the believing.
David —
Love your quote! I often wonder what happens to us — what shuts off that personal belief that we can do something…like be creative. I see so many people with self-imposed limits, which makes me sad. I’m a big fan of the Ray Bradbury quote about jumping off the cliff and growing your wings on the way down!
Smiles,
Jane
Jane,
Love your research and encouragement that we can enhance our creativity.
Another way to be creative is to orient yourself toward a challenge from various viewpoints. For example, How would a retired person, single mother, teen, or short person address this situation.
Best,
Dan
Dan —
You offer another great option for tapping into creativity – seeing things through another’s perspective, which does indeed put a new spin on things.
Intentionally tapping into the other side of your brain
also is a nifty little trick, too!
With a smile,
Jane
Cool idea!
Very creative.
Anna – it’s a great exercise. I’ve always had great results with it!
Excellent post, Jane! I’m reading Daniel Pink’s book, “A Whole New Mind”, in which he makes a very convincing case that the left-brain dominated thinking that has ruled the world for several decades is no longer sufficient, and now needs to be balanced/blended with right-brain thinking. He presents a host of ideas to free up right-brain (creative) thinking. I recommend the book!
Thanks for your kind words, Heather! “A Whole New Mind” is one of my favorite books. Have you read Pink’s “Motivation”? Another great read!