Creative Problem Solving
People tend to think that they either are creative, or they are not creative.
They seldom believe that they can become creative. And they are wrong.
They think that creativity is "magical." And they are right.
Creativity is magical but it is not magic. It can be practiced and developed.
Three Steps for More Creative Solutions
Gather information.
Resist the urge to filter as you secure as much information as possible. Use select jolt experiences to shift your perspective and retain objectivity.Ask "What do your customers need?"
Set aside a designated period where you can safely brainstorm answers to this question. Filter nothing out and provide plenty of jolt experiences. Then, do some purposeful sorting.Ask "How can you meet that need?"
Use a second period of safety to brainstorm ways to answer this new question. Use jolts to shake things up, then remove items you do not need before acting on the remaining solutions.
Follow those three steps and you can interject creative problem-solving into your solutions. The chart below shows each step visually.
Jolts work effectively within the three steps to deliver surprisingly effective solutions. A jolt is nothing more than an artificial construct that forces you to apply some form of temporary constraint against the current situation. The purpose of these jolts is to introduce a catalyst that allows you to look at information in a new way.