In the book, The Magic of Thinking Big, Dr. David Schwartz lays out six ways for you to improve your ability to think creatively:
- Believe it can be done.
- Don't let tradition paralyze your mind.
- Ask yourself, "How can I do better?"
- Ask yourself, "How can I do more?"
- Ask questions, and really listen to people.
- Stretch your mind. Listen to people who think different than you.
In this article, I will say something about each of these. To go deeper into any one, I encourage you to read the book and really think through each one on their own.
Believe it can be done.
Belief is where it all starts. If you don't believe something can be done you won't put any effort into figuring out how it can be done. If you don't believe there could be a better way to do something, you won't look for better ways to do it. This probably seems obvious and like common sense, but most people don't think this way. Unfortunately, most people that you work with and meet every day have a fixed-mindset. They don't believe what I just wrote. They believe "It is what it is." They don't believe they can ever get better, that there might be a better way to do things, or that their life will ever be more than it is right now.
Do you see how both the fixed-mindset and the open-mindset begin with belief? The only people who attempt to do anything are the people who believe that something can be done. They are the ones who truly believe their ideas can be turned into reality. If you want to accomplish anything in life, first you must believe that it can be done, and you are the one to do it.
Don't let tradition paralyze your mind.
This is a big roadblock for a lot of people and organizations. The bigger the institution the more likely you are to hear, "This is the way we've always done it," or "This is just the way we do it here."
Phrases like this kill creativity. This attitude is a deadly symptom of a fixed-mindset. The real danger of allowing a fixed-mindset to settle into your organization is that it quickly goes from a Leadership culture to a Management culture. The fixed-mindset of Command-and-Control Management is the death knell of creativity and productivity. When this sets in it sucks to be a part of your organization. Work becomes exhausting and drudgery.
The way you avoid this disease is by making available a Leadership Development program to everyone in the organization. The highest amount of creative genius in your organization exists at the lowest levels of the org chart- the people who actually do the work that makes your organization what it is. These are the people who actually drive your business system. If you don't believe that, give them all the next two weeks off, paid, so they come back when you realize the reality of your situation. Leadership matters. Developing leadership at every level of your organization matters even more.
I will never understand why every organization doesn't hire everyone at their entry level with the idea of moving them up through the ranks as they desire and are capable. This is how you build an organization from the ground up, but it takes a strong commitment to leadership development. If you're okay with mediocrity, just keep doing it the way you've always done it. Don't worry about creativity and competing in the market place, you won't be in it for much longer.
Ask yourself, "How can I do better?"
This is an important question. It puts all the focus on you and what you need to do to get better. I would encourage you to ask yourself this question every day and give it serious thought.
How can you do better? What are some areas that you can improve in? What are some areas that you need to improve in?
The importance of this question is that it keeps you from blaming others. It helps you avoid the temptation to place "should's" on others: They should do this, or they should do that. Why didn't they...?
By asking yourself this question, you take responsibility to be the one the to grow and improve. In the long run this attitude and exercise will be a huge blessing to you, and not just professionally but in every aspect your life. Anytime you want something in your life to get better, ask yourself this question and work on getting better.
Ask yourself, "How can I do more?"
I'm sure you can see how this ties directly into the previous question. The success principle from The Magic of Thinking Big is: "Do what you do better. Do more of what you do." Once you start doing what you do better, doing more of it is what compounds your efforts. This should happen naturally once you get better at what you do. Being better at what you do doesn't just mean being more competent, it also means being more efficient. It is this combination, competence and efficiency, that empowers you to do more. This is what truly makes you stand out among your peers. It's both. It's doing what you do better, and doing more of what you do.
These first four principles tie together and address your thinking. They are really attitudes, how you approach your life and your work. The last two hit more on the how, what are some ways you can actually start implementing these ideas?
Ask questions and really listen to people.
This is tough for a lot of people. First, to ask someone a question you either have to be interested in them as a person, or you have to acknowledge that they know something that you don't. If you have a tough time asking people questions, you need to get over yourself. This is a sign of low self-esteem. Get over yourself.
Even if you already know the answer or how to do something, give someone the opportunity to show you what they know. This is a key part of being a leader. You need to empower people to solve problems and contribute their ideas. If you want to improve your creative thinking and empower others to think more creatively, asking others questions is essential. Make this a daily habit. When you have a project that you are working on ask someone how they would approach it. Even if you already know how you're going to do it this may give you some ideas down the road if you get stuck on something.
Humility is required to do this. Humility helps you recognize that other people have value and they have something to contribute. If they don't, why are they working for you?
Stretch your mind. Listen to people who think different you.
This is the ultimate test of an open-mindset. Can you listen to, and take ideas from someone who thinks different than you? This isn't necessarily referring to someone who believes different than you, but it can mean listening to someone who sees things differently than you when it comes to your organization. Maybe it's someone who has a different idea about the direction the organization should be going. This could mean someone who believes different than you politically or religiously, but it doesn't have to. Just think of someone who thinks different than you, whatever that means for your situation, and have a conversation with them. Not a debate. Not an argument. Have an actual conversation with the. Ask them questions and then listen to their thoughts and ideas. Your beliefs and thoughts don't have to conform to theirs, but you need to respect them enough to at least listen to them so you better understand them, and why they think the way they do.
This is not liberalist tolerance and inclusion training. This is leadership. If you want to lead people you have to care about people, even the ones you don't naturally connect with or see eye-to-eye with. This is how you care about people, respect them, and give yourself the best opportunity to influence them in areas where their thinking is flat out wrong.
If someone's thinking is hurting them, or holding them back, wouldn't you like to be able to help them overcome that blind spot. This is a big step in that direction. It allows you to be a blessing in their life, and helps you recognize that they are a blessing in your life.
I hope this is helpful for your leadership journey. I encourage you to get the book and study the entire thing.
God bless
Jason Fredrick
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