Creativity and Innovation - Where do our best ideas come from

THE BOOK TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT TIPS BLOG TOOLS EVENTS ABOUT US Creativity and Innovation Greetings! Where are you when you get your best ideas? In the shower? Working out? Walking in nature? Sleeping? The likelihood is that you are not in front of your desk. So how do we expect ourselves and our employees to think innovatively and creatively when we spend our time clicking back and forth between browser windows, furiously answering emails, and sitting in meeting after meeting? By learning how to relax and intentionally quiet the mind, we can actually train creativity, just like a muscle. Find some great tips below for learning how to cultivate creativity in yourself and your employees. The Energy Project Team www.TheEnergyProject.com @energy_project facebook.com/theenergyproject PS. One of the best ways to be creative is to live like a sprinter. Vote for Tony's panel idea and help bring him to next year's South by Southwest conference: The 90-Minute Solution: Live Like a Sprinter! Six Secrets to Creating a Culture of Innovation Eighty percent of the CEOs said the business environment is growing so complex that it literally demands new ways of thinking. Less than 50 percent said they believed their organizations were equipped to deal effectively with this rising complexity. But are CEOs and senior leaders really willing to make the transformational moves necessary to foster cultures of real creativity and innovation? WATCH THIS VIDEO! Top Tips For Fostering Creativity Begin any creative process by immersing yourself in the known. Practice mindfulness. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon, stop and take a few moments to focus your breathing. Schedule at least one hour a week to brainstorm and strategize around some issue at work. UPCOMING EVENTS 09.01.10 Book Tour - Phoenix, AZ 09.14.10-09.15.10 Special Offer: Take 20% off! Public Workshop - Chicago, IL 09.15.10 Book Tour - Denver, CO 09.16.10 Book Tour - Indianapolis, IN 09.21.10 Book Tour - Los Angeles, CA See All Events > "I've learned that I definitely don't do my most creative thinking at the office. I need to be on my own, in a quiet place, undistracted. I can only make that happen when I give myself the time and space I need." Hannah Minghella, President, Sony Pictures Animation The Stages of Creativity First Insight: Big-Picture Zone Deep and intuitive thinking Saturation: Tactical Zone Immersing yourself in the known Incubation: Big Picture Zone Idea germinates and expands Illumination: Big Picture Zone The "Aha!" moment Verification: Tactical Zone Ideas accepted and supported scientifically