Be Creative on the Job

Implement Ideas, Creativity Techniques & Innovation, Agile Project Management & Communication, Solve Problems, Shape Change successfully, Overcome your Fears

Simone Janson, Simone Janson, Simone Janson

• Publisher: Best of HR – Berufebilder.de®
• Year: 2024
• ISBN:
  9783965960831
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: International Economics
• Index: Economics

In the 4th, completely revised edition of this groundbreaking guide, published by an award-winning publisher, renowned experts (overview in the book preview) combine their knowledge with interactive AI. This unique combination of decades of experience and state-of-the-art technology enables you to master challenges on a whole new level. Thanks to the innovative transfer of information, complemented by personal experiences of success, you can realize your goals and reach your full potential. Because everyone talks about innovation and creativity, in practice many new ideas fail, especially in the implementation of projects, because of a lack of willingness to change, exaggerated fears or simply good will, but often also because of wrong or missing communication of the managers. This book shows how best to deal with one's own creativity in everyday professional life, how to solve problems and conflicts in a creative way and thus achieve one's own goals. For its concept "Information as Desired, " the publisher won the Global Business Award as Publisher of the Year and received government funding. It is also a partner of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany. The goal to give you the best possible content on topics such as career, finance, management, recruiting, or psychology goes far beyond the static nature of traditional books: The interactive AI Extended Books not only provide AI-optimized content in several languages based on data analysis but also allow you to ask individual questions and receive advice tailored to your personal interests. Each book contains detailed information and examples for your successful use of AI. You can utilize AI software for free, download e-courses, collaborate with workbooks, or engage with an active community. So you gain valuable resources that enhance your knowledge, stimulate creativity, and make your personal and professional goals achievable and tangible. Expertise and technical innovation go hand in hand, as we take the responsibility to deliver well-researched and informed content seriously, honoring the trust you place in us. Due to the unique combination of human expertise and innovation, we can publish works that meet your requirements in every aspect. And furthermore, we want to offer you the opportunity to make your journey towards personal growth and success even more unforgettable. We understand that true change occurs not just in the mind but primarily through personal experiences and application. Therefore, we've conceptualized special success journey experiences tailored to each book for you. Be inspired to elevate your life to an entirely new level. By purchasing the books, you can also do good: The publisher dedicates about 5 percent of book sales revenue to socially relevant or sustainable projects. We provide scholarships, support innovative ideas, and contribute to climate protection initiatives. Publisher Simone Janson is also a bestselling author and one of the top 10 influential German bloggers according to the Blogger Relevance Index. Additionally, she has been a columnist and author for renowned media outlets such as WELT, Wirtschaftswoche, or ZEIT - more about her can be found, among other places, on Wikipedia.

Making Careers With Innovative Ideas: 10's Best Creativity Techniques
// By Simone Janson

A good education and diligence are no longer the guarantors for a career today. What is needed above all is creativity, which ensures the survival of a company even in difficult situations. We'll tell you how to use simple means to boost your creativity.

Make a career through creativity

The department of Peter B. wants to bring a new product on the market: The orders to the suppliers have been issued, PR and advertising already started - as the financing tilts. Now Peter B. has to turn things around and save the boat from capsizing: ideas for a new financing must come!

The example shows: Especially when problems arise, companies need new ways of thinking and creative solutions! Therefore, the result of a study by the consulting firm Sterling MacGregor does not surprise: 382 executives from Germany, Austria and Switzerland see great potential in the creativity of employees for the company. Björn Bloching, Partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants GmbH, Munich, says eg

"Being creative also means opening up new business areas. I have gained new customers in an unusual area, namely football, and thus positioned myself optimally in the company."

The fact is: Especially in difficult situations, as a leader, you can use new ideas to show what is in you. If you take advantage of these opportunities, then creativity turns out to be a real career springboard.

Why you have to become active yourself

However, the study by Sterling MacGregor also shows that companies are less and less often helping their employees to train their creativity. So if you want to move forward, you have to do it yourself. Say goodbye to a common misconception: not only certain departments in your company or individual talented geniuses are creative, but every human being.

Learn to improve your own creativity with simple methods - not just by moving your own brain cells, but also by learning how to use the creative potential of your employees as a leader.

Checklist: Which think tanks are hindering your creativity?

• Creativity is something for children!
• Creatives are only geniuses and inventors!
• I do not dare to think of any meaningful ideas.
• If I try something new, what should the others think of me?
• I often do not have the time to think.
• I just can not think creatively in my office!
• I pass a lot of thoughts back and forth, but do not get a clear idea.
• I often have to produce ideas under time pressure and need simple creative techniques that I can apply immediately.
• There are many small problems in the company - how can you solve them?
• Many of my employees have good ideas - how do I use this potential systematically?
• If my customers would tell me what you imagine ...
• How do I experience what my clients are imagining?

If you know only one or more of these situations, then you should read this post.

4 methods that make you creative

Creativity is not an easy process: it comes when you look at what you already know from a different angle. But you have to break with your habits - with your own, but also with those in your department. Of course, that requires courage, because you violate conventions, but it's worth it, because innovation creates creativity. Oliver Handlos, manager of Scholz and Friends, Hamburg, says:

With common stereotypes one should break regularly. I am filled with knowledge for every assignment. If the product is about margarine, I will become a margarine expert. Then I write down all the clichés with which one commonly associates Magarine - and then deliberately break with it. This sharpens the view of the product and leads to new ideas.

Creative processes in the brain

Behind it are complex processes in the brain: In the search for new ideas you have to practically outsmart yourself. Because your brain does not want to be creative. It automatically searches for the simplest solution to a problem: something new is always related to something already known. If, however, something unexpected happens and the brain can not connect the thing with the familiar, then creativity is created.

Incidentally, the brain unconsciously works on the solution to the new problem and signals a feeling of well-being if successful. They therefore enjoy the "sudden" inspiration. Learn how to support this process with simple measures. In addition, you should create optimal conditions for creativity, practice creative techniques and be inspired by others.

Measure 1: Create a pleasant atmosphere as a prerequisite for creative processes

Before frantically practicing creative techniques or being indiscriminately inspired by others, you should have one important precondition: rest and relaxation. After all, your brain needs it to process and assign the many pieces of information that you receive every day. It is important that you feel well cared for at your place of work. Changing them often disrupts your creativity.

Your personal office

Create positive feelings in your office. Hang pictures that make you think of something beautiful, plant plants or other private items that will make you feel good. This will personalize the room and make it your personal anchor point. You should also be able to freely unfold and leave things lying around.

This is not laziness, but is a law of nature: your creative workplace must offer the opportunity for variability. When many different things happen to come together, it's easier to create something new that you just have to pick up on. There is something in the creative mess. But you should not sink into it, because that will rob you of your peace.

Relax and concentrate in the office too:

• Breathe in deeply, calmly and evenly.
• Move, for example, during a walk during the break. Get up often, change the posture or do gymnastics.
• If you can, do recreational sports like yoga, tai chi or pilates in the office too. Of course, you should attend a course beforehand.
• Think specifically of something beautiful, thereby you get positive feelings and can think better creatively.
• Many people work mainly with the left brain (responsible for language ability) and neglect the right (responsible for spatial perception). You will achieve optimal performance when both work together. This happens, for example, when you repaint this lying eight for a few minutes - with a pen or just with your eyes.

Encourage creativity in your department with calm

But not only for yourself, in your entire department you can actively promote creativity through relaxation: Make sure that tasks can be completed. Our brain is programmed to "do things" by nature. This is especially true for creative processes: If the (thinking) work is interrupted too early, that makes you restless.

Another possibility: treat yourself at least one hour a day without eMails, meetings or telephone. But that only works if your entire department joins in. For example, you can all concentrate on your work between 11 clock and 12 clock, by the way, for the biorhythm one of the best creative times. But you have to be sure that you will not be disturbed for once.

Measure 2: 13 classic creative techniques

Of course, with calm and relaxation you are not creative yet. Now you have to stimulate your brain too. A quick and efficient way to do this is to use classic creative techniques that you can do at any time, alone or with others, with little effort to solve problems. We introduce you the best techniques.

Try out which techniques you like. Then train them like a fitness program at least two to three times a week. Soon they will run the techniques automatically and can then retrieve them easily even in stressful situations. It is always important with these techniques that you write down or draw your thoughts to make them clearer.

Method:	How to proceed:
Mind Map: Goal: You get a structured overview of your thoughts.	write the topic in the middle of a large sheet of paper in capital letters; circle it. make multicolored branches - each branch a new keyword that comes to mind. From each keyword you form further branches (associations)
Brainstorming: Goal: Write down ideas, feelings and associations and think beyond the usual solutions. It's not about implementing ideas.	Timeframe: 15-30 minutes. Name your problem - Write down on a large piece of paper what you think about the subject, without judging or criticizing Once you have found a term, write down the next, and so on until you have approx. 20 to 50 words. Allow some time to elapse before finding a solution to each word Group Brainstorming: Everyone can develop the ideas of other participants, without valuing them. Solutions are discussed together
Brainwriting: Goal: The achievement of many proposed solutions (in the group technology are about 108) presented systematically and clearly, and then thought through, or can be discussed.	Create a table with three columns and three rows, write your basic ideas in the first row. In the next row you write a possible modification of the basic idea, in the last row variation of this modification. Evaluate the ideas: only after the writing phase: which is new, original, useful, useful or feasible? Group technique: For each participant a table with three columns and six rows (18 boxes) - Each person then writes an idea in the first row per box and hands on the sheet - several times depending on group size.
Combination technique: Goal: Dynamics and new associations, as everyone keeps changing his view of the problem.	Combining the previously mentioned methods, especially useful in groups: Stick large posters on the wall, in front of which all participants wander around and create one or more mind maps without a schedule.
Reverse Method: Goal: Shows how dependent our thinking is from our point of view. Whoever changes this, has new ideas.	Turn the problem over to its opposite Find solutions (eg brainstorming) - Turn these ideas back to their opposite and analyze the feasibility of your actual problem.
The 6 hat thinking: Goal: Also solve complex problems from different sides by taking and expressing different points of view.	As you like, put on one of six colored hats (as an individual in turn, alternately in the group). Each color stands for a particular mindset. Take the appropriate opinion and write it down. The color symbolism is: White: Objectivity, neutrality. Information is collected without rating. It only counts facts and numbers, no emotions, judgments and personal opinions. Red: personal feeling, subjective opinion. All positive and negative feelings are admitted; no justification! Black: Factual arguments that express doubts, concerns, risks, no feelings! Yellow: objective, positive qualities, ie chances, pluses, hopes and goals. Green: new ideas, alternatives, provocation and contradiction, no matter how crazy or impracticable the ideas are. No critic! Blue: Control and organization, keeping track, bringing results together.
Change of perspective: Goal: To reach a new perspective	Take yourself out. Instead of thinking about what you should do in a situation, think about what others would do.
Other players: Goal: Surprise yourself with grotesque thoughts	If there is a problem with people: Just replace them with a grotesque design, eg your boss by a magician or the customer by a child.
visualization: Goal: Imagine what you want as pictorially as possible and solve problems mentally.	Imagine the desired result in your t...