Think Creatively

A great example of thinking creatively is the game Mirror's Edge, where you play a free-runner (in the parkour style) that can utilize virtually all aspects of the environment to help you get from one place to another. There is a time trial mode that will have you play out the same scenario over and over again.

The beauty of this game is that there are an infinite number of paths that can be taken to achieve the desired results. By thinking creatively, you may be able to discover a new route that can shave seconds off your time. By hooking up to the internet, you should be able to compete against other competitors' best times as well. The top time will appear as a phantom in your game (the bar to match or exceed, if you have the skills).

By playing in this mode, you may see a path that you never imagined would be usable. It's learning these tricks, techniques, and recognizing things to interact with that will help you overcome many obstacles and can easily be applied to real life situations as well.

Without new ideas, teams can't achieve the breakthroughs that generate real success. Creative thinking is a team responsibility in which everyone should participate. You can develop it in your team through training and practice.

Many people get trapped in thought and behavior patterns drawn from their past. To unlock your team's creativity, don't allow yourself or them to get typecast as "creative" or "non-creative." Everybody is capable of coming up with a new idea.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming sessions are designed to produce new ideas and creative solutions to problems. A session takes some organization and requires a moderator who can keep the team from losing focus and/or individuals from hijacking the session. Ideas should be recorded on a flip chart or whiteboard or big pieces of paper so everyone can see them.

The old saying "There's no such thing as a bad idea" will not only protect those who may be intimidated by other team members but also inject some humor into your session. The desired outcome is a list of ideas that can become the agenda for a more focused meeting and an opportunity for some great team building.

People have far more potential for creating ideas when working as a team than they do by themselves. Encourage open discussion and make sure that all suggestions are treated respectfully. There will be time later on to discard ideas that aren't practical.

Watch out for the person who grabs the marker from the moderator and tries to direct the session. (One way to avoid this is to give everyone a marker.) Be alert to people who interrupt others with "Here's a better way to do that..." or "I was talking to the VP of [department] the other day and she said..." or "When I was at my last job, we always did it this way..." It may be a bit like herding cats at first but eventually you'll be able to establish a procedure that gives everyone a chance to contribute.

Points to remember:

• Brainstorming is sometimes called "group action thinking".
• Criticism kills creativity. There are no "bad ideas" in a brainstorming session.
• All ideas should be recorded no matter how unconventional they are.
• The creative input in these sessions will always be higher than individuals can provide alone.
• Encourage people to get excited about new ideas but watch for veering tangents that will take the team too far a field of the goal.
• Make sure everyone participates. This is not a field trip to avoid working, but rather an exercise to create a more cohesive and productive team.