BECOME SIMPLY CURIOUS
Q: Coming up with new and better ideas is a big challenge for me. Unlike my colleagues who get their inspiration so easily, I struggle and yet cannot generate anything worth shouting about. My boss calls me an ordinary executive as I lag behind many of them when it comes to creativity and innovation. This is why my career is not progressing as well as I want it to be. My strong ambition is not sufficient to help me get to the top because I have severe limitations. Why am I like this and how can I overcome this problem?
A: Your issue may lie in the conventional perspective you take on the happenings around you. We consider such people as having a “fixed mindset” as they do not venture out of their comfort zone to see or experience new things. This rigidity can create a wall around them that makes them judgmental, opinionated, and strong-willed, which weakens their imagination and blocks them from thinking differently. It stops their flow of ideas as they are no longer open, curious, and adventurous.
You need to be both a “vertical” and a “lateral” thinker if you want to be creative. You become more curious and exploratory when you can make this shift, which will increase your appetite for new ideas and new ways of doing things. An easy way of doing this is to be “positively dissatisfied” with yourself where you always ask yourself challenging questions, such as “What else?”, “What more?”, “What’s another way?”, “What is even better than this one?”, and so on. Asking such questions often will soon make you natural in thinking out of the box.
POWERFUL QUESTIONS
• What goes on in your mind when working on ideas?
• What did you do in times when you came up with good ideas?
• How can you leverage on using this thinking method more?
• What else can you do to be even better?
Our ICF Coaching programs cover techniques to be curious; challenge you for broader perspectives to uncover potentials; and strengthen yourself resolve.
These coach training programs are the new leadership skills that every leader need to overcome life & professional challenges.