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5 Steps to Creative Thinking

Carl Robinson PhD

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Recently, with the downturn in the economy precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve observed a corresponding downturn in business peoples’ ability to think creatively. Ironically, right at the time when more creativity is most needed.

Creative thinking is the economy’s fuel — discovery, invention, and entrepreneurism.

Geniuses produce because they think fluently and flexibly.

Michael Michalko in “Cracking Creativity

Fluency of thought demands the generation of large quantities of ideas. A key characteristic of genius is immense productivity. Thomas Edison held 1093 patents. Einstein published 248 papers. Darwin wrote 119 papers besides his theory of evolution. Therefore, if you want more creative and innovative thinking in your organization, you must encourage the generation of “quantities of ideas.”

However, you can quickly stifle creative thinking by sending subtle or not so subtle messages. If you spend your time doing things the same old way, simply because they worked, then you’ll never find a better, more efficient method. Meanwhile, your innovative risk-taking competitor will!
That’s how Microsoft climbed passed IBM and why they continue to invest mega-millions in R&D. You must encourage people to think creatively and take risks.

Flexibility in thought means looking for

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Carl Robinson PhD

Carl is a business psychologist and leadership development expert who focuses on the development of high performance leaders. www.leadershipconsulting.com