The Creative Power of Thinking Outside Yourself

New research suggests we generate more creative ideas for other people than for ourselves.

The hackneyed expression “thinking outside the box” is thought to come “9 Dots” puzzle. The idea is to try and join up all the dots using four straight lines or fewer without taking your pen off the paper or tracing over the same line twice.

The ‘box’ that the expression refers to is the implicit one formed in your mind by the dots. To get the solution you have to ignore this implicit box: you have to, as it were, think outside it.

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Boost Creativity: 7 Unusual Techniques

Everyone is creative: we can all innovate given time, freedom, autonomy, experience to draw on, perhaps a role model to emulate and the motivation to get on with it.

But there are times when even the most creative person gets bored, starts going round in circles, or hits a cul-de-sac. So here are 7 unusual creativity boosters that research has shown will increase creativity.

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The Zeigarnik Effect

We’ve all heard the old adage “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

Many of us put things off indefinitely, especially the most onerous tasks. But often we find that if we just start the task it gets easier to continue and, once we continue, we can finish.

I thought this was just being lazy. But, my 16 year old daughter told me, “No, it’s the Zeigarnik Effect.”

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About Leadership: Working Through Influence

John D. Rockefeller modeled the organization of Standard Oil on the two models he knew to work: The United States Army and the Catholic Church. These are traditional hierarchical models, and hierarchy became the norm for company organizations for most of the 20th century. In this model, authority and accountability are everything. Ultimately, the chief executive has authority over all the employees of the company, and is accountable for all aspects of its performance.

The model sets aspiration for the individual. Having authority over a larger number of people is better than over a smaller number. Having a bigger budget is better than having a smaller one.

Dare we challenge this model?

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CFO Leadership with Business Analytics – Nature or Nurture?

What distinguishes strong from weak leaders?

Having all the knowledge means nothing without the right types of people. One person can make a big difference. They can be someone who somehow gets it altogether and changes the fabric of an organization’s culture not through mandating change but by engaging and motivating others.

[But] for some leaders irritating people is not only a sport but it is their personal entertainment.

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14 Lessons From Benjamin Franklin on How To Get Things Done

Benjamin Franklin was a man of action. Over his lifetime, his curiosity and passion fueled a diverse range of interests. He was a writer (often using a pseudonym), publisher, diplomat, inventor and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

His inventions included the lightning rod, bifocals and the Franklin stove. Franklin was responsible for establishing the first public library, organizing fire fighters in Philadelphia, was one of the early supporters of mutual insurance and crossed the Atlantic eight times. Self-development was a constant endeavor throughout his incredible life.

Benjamin Franklin was clearly a man who knew how to get things done.

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5 Top Tips to Own Your Next Negotiation

One of my favorite lines of all time comes from the movie Boiler Room. When Jim Young, a young, rich, and cocky senior stock broker, played by Ben Affleck tells a group of upcoming stock brokers : “And there is no such thing as a no sale call. A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can’t. Either way a sale is made, the only question is who is gonna close? You or him?”

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