Hi. I’m your right brain.
Challenges in business require innovative solutions. Creativity is the BEDROCK of innovation.
Adaptability is critical. Creativity is vital.
A while back someone asked me if I was "skeptical". The telling answer to that question was in that, I didn't know how to answer the question until I had more information.
You see, until that point...I had always thought of a skeptical person being a pessimist jerk who always thought they knew the right answer or needed to prove someone wrong in a display of power or simply in fear that someone else might outshine them (see my arrogant leadership blog post for more on that).
After a good amount of research and an internal inventory of my personality traits, I determined that I AM skeptical; it just didn't carry the same meaning that I associated with it.
My Skeptiscm became a badge of honor.
I don't conform easily to an assumption based on conjecture. That is what makes me a sound problem-solver, and it is also why my natural creativity plays such a critical role in my business career.
There is no doubt that I am a creative person; it makes me seem "good" at a lot of things. I don't think it's my ability to know how to do all of those things, but rather my ability to find the variables and disrupt them to figure it out.
If you want to be a truly innovative thinker, you can't just rely on conjecture. You need to be able to back up your ideas with facts and have a clear understanding of the processes involved. This is where optimistic skeptics thrive. They're able to see potential in every challenge and work to find the best possible solution.
Creatives are often identified with visual or artistic talent; not often thought of as business leaders. Creativity actually requires both hemispheres of the brain (but we will talk more about brains later).
If you want to be an innovative problem-solver, you need to be (among other things)...
SKEPTICAL (not skeptical like the pecker-wad in the boardroom who just challenges every idea for attention, but rather the continual question of "face value" to distinguish facts).
CREATIVE (the ability to disrupt and re-write the story).
LOGICAL (the ability to make sure the idea is useful).
Let's talk for a moment about how challenging it is to continually question the face-value of processes. But these are the people who will be able to identify and disrupt, to create space for something new, novel, AND useful. We're not afraid of change - we embrace it.
To be an innovative thinker, you need to be able to see the world in a different way. You need to be skeptical of everything and be willing to challenge the status quo. This can be difficult for people who are used to following the rules and sticking to conventional wisdom. But it's essential for anyone who wants to be truly successful in business.
The best way to become an innovative thinker is to surround yourself with creative people (call me!). They'll inspire you and challenge you to think in new ways. And they'll help you see the potential in every problem that you encounter. So if you're looking for a competitive edge, don't underestimate the power of optimistically skeptical people. You don’t need someone who is “well-versed” in your industry, sometimes it's even better when they are not. You are a master in your industry, they don’t need to be. They are there for creative problem-solving, to spot things that you have become to immersed in to identify; but you DO have to be humble enough to allow those ideas to flow openly and keep your industry ego in check.
The magic of problem-solving and innovation lies in the story. The story formed the opinion or conclusion. The conclusion guided the original path.
LETS DISRUPT THAT PATH.
