In a post I made to this blog a few weeks ago, I discussed what consultants are really hired for. One of the things we are hired for is our creativity to help our clients address a specific business problem in our organization.
Shaun Loughney of Lytic presented a very insightful and engaging topic on creativity to our group of professionals in attendance. She helped us identify the barriers or stumbling blocks we sometimes, subconsciously, put in front of us when we are trying to apply creativity to a problem solving situation. The lesson learned was that if we can sharpen our skills to identify the stumbling blocks, not only in ourselves but in the people we serve, we can unlock a world of creativity just waiting to be tapped into. Above all, Shaun did a wonderful job illustrating that we are all creative whether we think of ourselves that way or not.
To validate that point, as I was getting ready for the workday it occurred to me that consultants in and of themselves are creative. Let's face it, we took the action needed to form our consulting businesses. We had ideas and we shaped them into something that creates value in the business community (at least we hope it does). Action is the key to putting creativity to good use. If you are unable to formulate a plan to implement your creative ideas, much of it will be lost. Shaun closed the meeting by giving us a worksheet we can use to create our own Creative Action Plans.
In the days ahead I will work with Shaun to select which materials she would like to share in our Resources section of the TVCNet website. As soon as they are posted I will let the membership know they are available.
Also, Shaun recommended a terrific book on creativity called What a Great Idea - 2.0
For those who attended, thank you. Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 25th at for our next TVCNet meeting as Jo Ann Bujarski will be presenting on Business Continuity Planning.
1 comment:
It was an engaging presentation, and helped me remember how important it is to give ourselves the time and "permission" to let ideas develop and cogitate before just diving into action. Makes the deliverable, or end result, so much richer.
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