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Chapter 4: Understanding Individual Creativity

by Nelson Tan

Now, creativity in business context tends to come from conscious and purposeful searching for solutions to problems and for ways and means of capitalizing on opportunities to fulfill demands with supplies. This implies that changes in the environment do have an impact or influence on the curious mind. Once the human mind comprehends the impact, it begins to create ‘awareness’ in various forms:

1) Awareness of a problem or fault. A problem is a very obvious invitation to innovate ways to overcome it. The observation and recognition of a problem is the No. 1 stage before ideas and inventions.

2) Awareness of a process need. Without a workflow, no business can achieve its goals. The workflow comprises of a variety of jobs made up of a number of specific and sequential tasks or operations.

3) Awareness of an opportunity. An opportunity is a chance opening offered under a set of favorable circumstances leading to more sales, improved stature in the competition or genuinely approved innovations. An opportunity must be thoroughly evaluated.

4) Awareness of competitor activity. It is essential that every business methodically and consistently monitors what major competitors are doing and takes action to counter those moves. Any delays only serve to give them a longer lead time and stronger competitive advantage.

5) Awareness of trends. We recommend that businessmen and companies do their own research. Nonetheless, you may take note that ‘futurologists’ or ‘trend trackers’ are earning serious dollars from marketing their ideas about likely social, economic, lifestyle and consumption patterns in the years ahead.

Virtually everyday most people are confronted with situations in which it is possible to think about better ways of doing something or improving how things work. The starting point is to become curious and ask not "Why?" but "Hey, why not!" Question everything that is, and everything that is not what it should be.

Here is a list of ideas for exercising your creativity:

$ Keep looking for new ideas.

$ Keep an open mind. Don’t say, “It can’t be done,” “Silly,” or “Impossible.”

$ Keep your goals in mind.

$ Keep your mind alert and active.

$ Don’t always go it alone. Sharing a problem with someone else may throw up an unexpected solution.

$ When your mind says, “Enough”, take a break and get some fresh air.

$ When you reach a dead end, back up and try a new approach.

$ Break a problem down to logical parts. How do you eat an elephant? Bit by bit.

$ Work on the problem systematically. Don’t cut corners.

$ Write any useful ideas down when inspired and before you forget.

$ In the early stages, don’t commit yourself to a single idea.

$ Get into a ‘Mastermind’ group to generate many ideas for evaluation later.

Awareness → Problem → Mastermind → Solution

Take an active approach to solving problems and you will most definitely find a solution—a commercial one that can give you the ‘big break’ and a sales record. The challenge is: do you believe you are called to the right thing, and if so, can you persist to see the light of day at the end? Masterminding will not work the moment you waver in your faith towards the marketplace. You will only let yourself and your partners down if you even begin to think of changing directions.

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Nelson Tan is the architect behind Internet Mastery Center (http://www.internetmasterycenter.com): Create Your Online Profits with the RIGHT Products, Environment and Mindset!

(You may reprint this text as an individual article.)

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