CHAMPIONING STUDENTS: BOOSTING CREATIVENESS & ENHANCING PRODUCTIVITY

[continuation from the Last Post ~ in connection with the recent launch of a series of new programs intended for parents as well as their school-going kids/teens, under the auspices of 'The House of Creative Brains'.]


The '2010 IBM CEO's Survey' has revealed that "Creativity is the most important leadership competency".

Likewise, the 13th Annual Global Survey 2010 by PriceWaterhouse has also revealed that "Innovation... is the cornerstone for future positioning."

Interestingly, the recent 2010 IBM Global Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) Study has highlighted three critical workforce imperatives:

1) cultivating creative leaders;
2) mobilising for speed & flexibility;
3) capitalising on collective intelligence;

Creativity & innovation have become more important than ever before for solving real-world challenges & staying competitive in the global economy.

I am sure many readers have seen the insightful TED show on the net where Sir Ken Robinson has made an entertaining & profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity.

He has challenged the way we are educating our children, & has championed a radical rethink of our school system, to cultivate & acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

[If you haven't yet seen it, here's the link.

I really like the way he has elucidated "creativity" ~ "coming out with something original, & of value, & it comes from many disciplinary ways of seeing things... if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original..."]

I am proud to say that creativity & innovation are the distinctive hallmarks in all Dilip's programs, as well as writings, irrespective of whether they are intended for the corporate or academic world.

Dilip holds the steadfast view that creativity is one quality which everyone of us is blessed with. It's our birthright, in fact. If you don't recognise this quality in yourself, you can immediately learn techniques for unleashing & leveraging your creative potential.

Although we believe that our schools are essential in helping our children learn these techniques, we think, right now, they are falling short of our expectations.

As parents, since we are our children's first teachers, we must ensure that our children do not lose their sense of wonder & sense of discovery as they transit the school system during their growing years.

Not only that, parents must also create & nurture a conducive environment in which our children feel safe to take risks & get things wrong. Also, help them develop the habit of looking for more than one right answer to everyday problems, including their own study problems.

As creativity consultant & also, author of 'The Creative Edge', among other wonderful books, Dr William Miller puts it:

"Creativity & productivity are closely linked; by definition & in human motivation. When we are most creative & expressive selves, we are also more productive."

With boosted creativity, it goes without saying that our children can become more productive in their academic as well as other pursuits.

Dilip, drawing from his strategic forte as a creativity & innovation consultant, will use many interesting games & stimulating exercises to bring out your innate creativity.

With creativity & ingenuity, irrespective of whether you are a student or working pro, you will always start to look at the world from a solution-focused, opportunity-sensing approach.

[to be continued in the Next Post.]

[For more information about the series of new programs under 'The House of Creative Brains', please get in touch with Ms. Faye Yeoh via her email faye_yeoh@yahoo.com]

SMART MOVES!

Dilip Mukerjea has written extensively about the significant aspect of "Smart Moves", when it comes to building brainpower & boosting creativeness.

Here are some of the links to his writings - & also my responses to them - in this weblog:

- "Movement is essential to efficient brain usage";

- "Movement is essential to brain development";

- "Get up & get moving";

- "Movement, the essence of creativity";

- "Smart Moves";

I just thought that the foregoing "cartoon" by the maestro himself is an apt illustration.

13 FUNDAMENTALS OF INNOVATIVE THINKING

I have taken the liberty of displaying the following thirteen action words from the InnovationIgniter Learning System, a creativity tool-kit from the InnovationNetwork.

Just play around with them, using each "action" as a fundamental kickstart process, & explore whether they can spur you to come up with novel & innovative solutions to your chosen problem.

By the way, they came apparently from the brains of 13 innovation experts, including Doug Hall & Roger von Oech!

- ENGAGE ENERGY;

- ASPIRE;

- CHOOSE;

- ACT;

- OBSERVE;

- QUESTION;

- SHOW;

- CONNECT THE UNCONNECTED;

- CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS;

- UNDERSTAND CUSTOMER ABCs;

- THINK 360;

- SOLICIT FEEDBACK;

- FIND & TELL STORIES;

Good Luck & Best Wishes!

WHAT IS CREATIVITY? A VIEW FROM THE MAESTRO

Creativity has been defined in numerous ways, but in essence, it exists in all domains and dimensions.

I believe that we should learn how to use our senses, then incorporate them in different ways when ideating. Problem-solving and solution-finding exercises often demand that we constantly look out at challenges in new ways. By exposing ourselves to exercises and situations where we experience sensations from as many regions of our brain as possible, we improve in quantum leaps.

Remember, it is not age but usage that counts in developing our infinitely creative brain. the usage of mental gymnastics stimuli is one of many devices recommended for cultivating genius.

The world is becoming fiercely competitive. The lifespan of Fortune 500 companies has been drastically slashed. Those who survive, and thrive, are the ones who are continually creative and innovative. Societies are changing at a frightening exciting pace.

"Information anxiety" is increasingly acquiring victims in the corporate and educational ecosystems.

Can anyone learn to become more creative?

Yes, most definitely. Creative thinking techniques are designed to unlock your brain's infinite power. We have the capacity to be creative in as many fields of endeavour as we choose to be.

There are numerous ingredients that constitute our creative efforts. Imagination is essential, other than these prime elements:

NATURE: Many of our inventions, innovations, and patterns of behaviour, emerge from designs found in nature. We must learn to recognise that nature is the most logical playground for our ideas.

HUMOUR: A significant percentage of creativity arises from the world of humour. By not taking everything too seriously and remaining relaxed, we are able to accept ideas as they surface, without judgement.

KNOWLEDGE: All serendipitous discoveries involve a connection, in one way of another, with some form of prior knowledge. This does not mean that one need have knowledge specifically pertaining to a subject from which a creative idea was born. But by being generally well informed, and knowing that everything connects to everything else, we increase our capacity for generating ideas.

MEMORY: The conscious development of a good memory is invaluable for anyone. All organisations are guaranteed to benefit if the employees exhibit a memory that is well above the average expectation. You need to ask yourself, "How valuable is having a trained memory to your organisation?"

INTELLIGENCES: Research has identified several distinct types of human intelligence. Once we are aware of what these intelligences are, we can easily identify our strengths and weaknesses. The subsequent development of each intelligence will correspondingly boost our creative potential.

SKILLS: We are in the Age of Competitive Intelligence. What we know has a finite lifespan. By knowing how we know what we know, that is, by knowing how to learn, we immediately gain immensely in any domain of activity. All creative skills and techniques are designed to immediately arm you with the tools for navigating through the New Millennium. And it is vital to focus on the arts and sciences. The merging of these disciplines results in synergy, energy and power!

[Excerpted & adapted slightly from the book, 'Brain Symphony: Brain-blazing Practical Techniques in Creativity for Immediate Application', by Dilip Mukerjea]

WHICH BOOSTS CREATIVITY: LOVE OR LUST?

Here's the link to a fascinating article by Dr Scott Barry Kaufman, writing in his 'Beautiful Minds' weblog on Psychology Today.

He muses about 'Love, Lust, and Creativity'.

What has caught my initial curiosity to read the article are the two contrasting research findings:

"Love enhances global processing and creative thinking whereas sex enhances local processing and analytic thinking. Thus, contrary to the intuitive notion of creativity and analytical thought as fixed human capacities or stable personality traits, they can easily be changed by subtle cues in the environment or by mere thinking about certain situations."

"... when men are chatting with a female who is a stranger, their cognitive ability takes a nose dive. Not better, but worse."

Read on.

THE POWER OF ASKING 'WHY NOT? QUESTIONS

While taking the following digital snapshots at the underground pathway leading into the Tang's Plaza on Scotts Road/Orchard Road junction, a handful of apt quotes flashed through my mind:

"Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream."
~ Malcolm Muggeridge;

"If you want to succeed, you have to forge new paths & avoid borrowed ones."
~ John Rockefeller;

"What others apprise, the same you want to; what others avoid, the same you want to; that is why, you fail as others; how ridiculous it is!"
~ Lao Tzu;

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."
~ Coco Chanel;

To me, they epitomised the wonderful spirit as embodied in the power of asking 'why not?' questions in one's mind.

I realise from past experiences, that in the course of exploring options to a problem, asking 'Why Not?' questions often put our minds in a shifting perspective state.

In a nut shell,... to think differently; be different & make a difference!

In fact, asking 'Why Not?' questions often challenges our asumptions & beliefs about the world. They also provoke our status quo.

In strategic as well as tactical terms, they can ultimately help us to take the things we see everyday, & think about them in new ways, & explore unnoticed possibilities - or unintended implications - along the way.

Hence, I am gratified to know that the Singapore Design Festival is pursuing the same line of thought.