Think Out of the Frame

Many people get stuck in their way of doing things. You work hard to become more efficient, but this is not enough.

To be truly successful, you need to find innovative ways of doing things that are radically different from others. Only in this way can you achieve success in your endeavours.


You are and can be creative

People have an in-built creative faculty. Roger Sperry, who won the Nobel Prize for his simplified model of left and right brain functions, says that the right brain helps you with intuition and to think creatively. The left brain deals with logic and language.

The reason you tend to think more logically than creatively is because many traditional education systems place an emphasis on fact-based learning.

Another reason is because that people are creatures of habit. You tend to do what you have done before because this produces a predictable result. Yet another reason is the fear of ridicule if you were to try something new and you fail. 

Here are three techniques to help you overcome these mental blocks and generate new ideas:

1. Brainstorming and fantasy

Fantasy has no limits and allowing the mind to go where it pleases can result in breakthrough ideas. A common activity using this technique is brainstorming. 

A shoe manufacturer was brainstorming to develop a new line of jogging shoes. Many ideas were thrown about, but the most ridiculous one came from a salesman who lived near an abattoir. 

He suggested sewing cow’s eyes at the front of the shoes so that they could see where they were going. Someone suggested that instead of the shoes being able to see where they were going, it would be better for other people to see where the shoes were going.

To this end, a proposal was made to add a reflector strip to the heel end of the shoe. Today, there are many styles of jogging shoes with luminous strips that glow in the dark so that the jogger can be easily spotted.

This has led to a whole new industry dealing with luminous strips on tracksuits, helmets and bicycle pedals.

2. Associations

The idea is to be able to see some patterns among different ideas and link them for a meaningful application.

The success story of the product “liquid paper” is a case of connecting painting to typing mistakes.

Ms Bette Nesmith worked as the executive secretary in a bank in Texas, in the United States, in the 1950s.  When the first electric typewriter came out into the market, her kind-hearted boss bought her one. 

She soon discovered that it was difficult to erase mistakes made by this typewriter model. She recalled painting holiday windows at the bank, and how she noticed that an artist never corrected an error by erasing, but by painting over it.

With the help of a chemistry teacher, Ms Nesmith developed an opaque white liquid which could be applied with a small paintbrush to cover up typing errors on paper.

She began marketing this fluid as “Mistake Out” in 1956. The name was later changed to “Liquid Paper”. In 1979, she sold the product to Gillette Corporation for a princely sum of US$ 47.5 million (S$58 million).

3. Breaking rules

Rules traditionally tie people down. Since breakthrough thinking is about coming up with something new and different, we sometimes need to break the rules.

A hotel was planning to upgrade its facilities, which included adding a new lift in the building. A group of professionals surveyed the ground floor, but could not find the most suitable spot to cut a hole through the ceiling to install the lift.

There were too many pipes and conduits occupying space above the ceilings. A janitor cleaning the floor overheard the discussion and became annoyed.

He reprimanded them, saying: “It is easy for you to drill holes, but I’m the one who has to clean up the mess. Why don’t you build your lift outside and let the passengers have a good view as well!”

The professionals found merit in this suggestion. Today, many tall buildings are fitted with external glass bubble lifts that offer their occupants a marvellous view.

Unleash creativity

There are several techniques that help us to awaken our innate creative potential and generate new ideas.

All we need to do to achieve breakthrough thinking is to reframe our minds to think differently each time we are faced with a challenge.  If we turn this activity into a habit, we are well on our way to achieving success in life.

Article by John Teo, senior consultant of Training Edge International. He brings his experience in management, business and magic to his Creativity and Innovation workshops. E-mail him at john.teo@trainingedgeasia.com or visit www.trainingedgeasia.com

Give Recognition Where It’s Due

A poll of employee attitudes in 14 countries has ranked Singapore bottom in terms of overall workplace happiness. The results place Singapore last in three major areas — Singaporeans least enjoy going to work, are the least loyal and have the least supportive workplaces.

Adding weight and significance to the last point, another recent poll on Singapore showed that of the top three things that people wanted at work, recognition and praise came in second, ahead of money and benefits.

Businesswoman Mary Kay Ash summarised the situation perfectly: “There are two things people want more than sex and money — recognition and praise.”

Recognition and praise are indeed high-octane fuel. When you receive a genuine compliment, it makes you want to go the extra mile for the person who bestowed the compliment.

If this were not important to you, you would not treasure all the mementos of awards, plaques, appreciative notes and e-mails that you have received over the years.

Here are tips on how to make people feel more appreciated:

Pay attention to people with common courtesy. Say “Good morning”. Ask people how their weekend turned out. Ask about other people’s children.

Listen to what your co-workers, peers and staff members have to say. Give your full attention to the person seeking your attention. You make people feel special when you listen to them without being distracted.

Use powerful, positive language in your interaction with others. Say “please” and “thank you” and “you're doing a good job”. Say “We couldn’t have accomplished the goal without you”. Powerful, positive recognition makes people feel important.

Put praise in writing. A “thank you” note to the employee magnifies the impact of the recognition.

Keep your commitments to staff members. Never promise that which you may not be able to deliver. Don’t do it unless you know you can keep your promise.

Give employees public credit for contributions. The rule is “praise in public; criticise in private”.

Genuine appreciation is a key factor in your relationship with your staff yet many well-meaning and otherwise caring managers are reluctant to express their appreciation of others’ talents and contributions.

Some people find giving praise a very difficult thing to do publicly and even harder privately. If you have difficulty praising others, analyse the root causes.

Sometimes, withholding praise is simply due to a lack of time. Praise has a limited “best before” date. Don’t delay its expression or wait until performance review time — when you see something that is worthy of applauding, do so promptly.

Make your words memorable being specific about the achievement. Not many people remember the perfunctory “job well done”, but they would remember someone who tells them “this was pure genius” or “I would have missed this if you hadn't picked it up”. The praise does not have to be elaborate; it just needs to be genuine.

Practise these three steps to give praise and recognition successfully:

Describe specifically the achievement or improvement. The employee needs to know exactly what he is being praised for. Avoid vague phrases like “You’ve made a lot of progress”.

Instead, say: “Since our meeting last month about filing your reports, I have seen that you’ve cleared the backlog and are up to date at the end of each day.”

Explain why this is important to you, the team or the company. This emphasises the value of what the employee has done and makes the praise more effective.

Give appropriate praise or recognition and thank the person. This may be a simple “Thank you”, or in the form of further recognition such as a note in the file or a commendation.

These simple steps all contribute in their own way to building a more supportive workplace that employees value so highly.

Things Will Get Better

TODAY’S turbulent business environment demands that individuals and organisations perform at higher levels and respond with greater speed than at any time in the past.

Organisational leaders and team members alike must place new emphasis on learning and harnessing individual and collective creativity.

The challenging global environment is increasing the degree of complexity for organisations operating anywhere in the world.

With this arises the need for a different kind of inquiry in the organisation. The requirement for greater openness to uncertainty will challenge the sense of purpose, identity and self-efficacy of leaders and the people working for them.

Restore confidence

In today’s unpredictable business environment, clear leadership is needed more than ever.

To be a successful leader, you need the right set of skills and, in particular, a process approach to your task of steering a team or your organisation.

An uncertain outlook brings with it the higher possibility of having to deal with turbulence in the workplace as well.

Today’s leaders have the tough job of restoring confidence in and respect for leadership and business in the face of a recessionary global economy and in a climate of cynicism and mistrust.

They are being called upon to set an example and to show the organisations and people they lead the way forward.

Practise self-reflection and emotional mastery

A successful leader ensures that his people are aligned with the organisation by engaging them effectively.

He does this by generating awareness and promoting understanding of the differences between individuals in the way they prefer to work and the way they make decisions or manage relationships.

By creating a common understanding and a common sense of purpose, a shared commitment to action evolves.

Perhaps the most important thing a leader can do when there is turbulence is to be calm and maintain a sense of optimism. He must have the discipline and focus to remain steady within himself, and the emotional maturity to calm followers and keep the organisation functioning effectively when the ride gets bumpy.

Engage your employees

To be a successful leader, you must set a clear, compelling direction that empowers your employees.

You hired these employees. Use their abilities and talents to engage in creating a positive future for your company.

Communicate openly and honestly. Keep your employees informed and updated, even if the news is not always good.

Continue to focus on growth and development. Provide your employees with opportunities to grow and develop. It does not have to cost you a lot of money. For instance, allow them to work on projects that will expand their skills or cross-train in other departments to expand their knowledge.

Recognise and reward high performance. Find creative ways to reward your top performers. Even if you do not have the budget for bonuses and perks, there are simple things you can do to let your employees know you appreciate them.

Look to the future

Effective leadership behaviours will provide a sense of psychological safety and emotional containment in organisations undergoing great uncertainty, instability and changes that are often painful.

Leaders can deal honestly with their people, convey genuine empathy and create a powerful sense of hope in the future.

Leaders who achieve this will help employees deal more effectively with difficult experiences and inspire tremendous loyalty and trust.

Article by Sattar Bawany, senior adviser of Training Edge International and International Professional Management Association. 



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Enhance or salvage your business reputation with these 10 resolutions

Reputations either open doors or slam them shut. If it is the latter, there is no better time than now to resolve to do things differently in future.

People make judgments about business and individuals in an instant. So it pays to have a positive reputation to keep as many doors open as possible.

However, there is a catch. Even though you have been brought up to believe that you can control your reputation, the reality is you can’t.

But you can, and should, influence your reputation to stack the odds in your favour and help people think well of you as much as possible.

There may have been times in the past when you have said or done something you know probably won’t make you or your business look as good as it could.

Do not worry, as the following 10 reputation resolutions will help you to create a new and reputation-enhancing future:

1. I resolve to think before I speak

I have two ears and one mouth and I aim to use them in that proportion.

2. I resolve to hold my tongue

I should count to three before responding to comments and situations that make me angry or defensive, online or off.

3. I resolve to never bad-mouth anyone

This applies to whether something is said in person or on the Internet.

4. I resolve to treat people positively

This involves being fair and gracious with my staff, clients and customers and valuing their contributions to our business successes.

5. I resolve to support the three Ps

These are the people, processes and partnerships operating within my business. I must ensure that they enhance, rather than damage, the business’ reputation.

6. I resolve to act with integrity

This involves being truthful and transparent in my dealings with people and creating a climate of mutual trust and respect

7. I resolve to keep promises I make to myself and others

This means avoiding over-promising and under-delivering.

8. I resolve to “pay-it-forward” when I can

I should do good with no thought of return, and enjoy the pleasure of giving without strings attached.

9. I resolve to accept responsibility for my actions

Avoid blaming others.

10. I resolve to avoid jumping to conclusions and labelling people

Rather, I resolve to accept people as they are and welcome the diversity that life brings.

If you focus on one or more that resonates with you, put them into practice, and you will find yourself attracting clients, customers and opportunities. You will be perceived as someone whom others are happy to be associated with and they will go on to recommend your services to others.

Even if you haven’t had much success making and keeping resolutions in the past, these reputation resolutions really could mean the difference between having a reputation you are proud of — and that opens doors wide — and one that makes it harder for you to achieve what you want to achieve because clients, customers and people around you have doubts about your integrity and ability to deliver.

No matter what has occurred in the past, it is easy enough to create a new, reputation-enhancing future.

Sometimes, actively “patching things up” with people around you may be required, and sometimes it’s more appropriate simply to “move on” to a more positive future without going over old ground.

Whatever choices you make, if you act with integrity, build trust and accept responsibility for your actions, the chances are you will move through the rest of the year and beyond with a reputation that opens doors and creates huge opportunities.

Stacking the reputational odds in your favour can help you increase your perceived value and worth, stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons and help create a winning reputation.

Article by Hannah Samuel, an international speaker with Training Edge International and an award-winning speaker, columnist and author. She speaks, writes and mentors worldwide on issues such as reputation, trust and integrity. 

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