Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine October 2016 | Page 21

SOLUTIONS From Creative People Solutions Span, and Connect, Generations By Dion McInnis, Empowered Creativity Institute [email protected] Nowadays, they call them “hacks.” Considered to be brilliant, creative and crafty solutions, these methods of Translating Solutions From the Past improvisation are nothing new. Such are creative ideas. Listen and learn from the past, and then translate to today. Maybe it was from 100 years ago, or two years ago (the A quick review of online videos using the search term equivalent of a century in the technology world). Sales “hacks” will provide hours of viewing of usually great transactions, special events, cold calls, change transition, ideas. For each one you watch, you’ll probably think “I rapport development, team brainstorming … these are should have thought of that,” or you already have. Or, as old as civilization and commerce, too. In the solutions you heard about the idea from the past. Therein lies of the past are the solutions of today, though adapted to the magic. current technologies or conditions, for example. In the days of the Great Depression and on farms are great examples of being conservative with resources and recycling uses for things (hacks), or improvising solutions from available resources (hacks). Read the history of the pioneers’ way of life and you will find solutions on food preservation, traveling with a minimum of goods, emergency repairs on all types of things and much more. It is amazing how much can be done with little (consider the Apollo 13 rescue mission).The point is, the world of creative thought did not begin today, nor yesterday.Tapping into the wisdom of yore for creative solutions today – even if “yore” is only last month – requires two elements. Understanding How Things Work Understand how things work and you will never be without a solution to a problem.When you understand how things work, you are better able to see how things work together to create solutions. It doesn’t mean that you need to be a mechanical engineer, and this approach doesn’t only apply to devices. Sales transactions, special events, cold calls, change transition, rapport development, team brainstorming … understand how things work and you will know how to apply various solutions. A game that works for a kid’s birthday party may become a great activity for new team development or training once you understand how people learn with play. The list is endless, as are the solutions. Someone thought it would be a great idea to bring people together to come up with solutions. We know them as “mastermind groups.” Someone who read Ben Franklin’s autobiography would have seen the model he had centuries ago – the junto. This approach can be applied personally, or in teams. When a team faces a challenge, ask them if anyone has dealt with a problem similar to the current one at any time. Then ask if anyone has heard stories of someone facing a similar problem in the past. The latter question may open up conversations about stories from parents, grandparents, professors, colleagues or mentors. The objective is to help team members access more of the information that they have accumulated over the years and apply it in myriads of situations. While it seems that this approach is particularly suited for helping younger employees learn from more experienced members, the tactic works both ways across the generational bridge … and that connects the team creatively. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Empowered Creativity Institute with Dion McInnis offers a variety of services that connect, persuade, engage and inspire. Are you looking for the right words in your stories, sales letters, blog postings, web pages, etc. to connect, persuade, engage and inspire sales, loyalty and engagement? Contact Dion at Dion@ DionMcInnis.com MOMENTUM / October 2016 21