The Profile of Creativity’s Killer

June 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Actually there are multiple killers. I’m not saying that creativity has been wiped from the earth, but these are the types of people who will stop a good idea dead in its tracks. In a recent article from Fast Company, Andrew and Gaia Grant, authors of Who Killed Creativity? And How To Get It Back, introduce us to some insidious professional killers and recommend ways to stop them.

You need creativity in every aspect of your organization. Even your accountants get better results when they use a little creativity. Here are a few killers that I’ve seen first hand.

The Control Crew

This is the person who fears the possibility of independent thinking and seeks to oppress it. They force systems upon everyone so that they can be comfortable knowing how everything works and exactly what outcome to expect. In this scenario creativity is smothered and never has a chance to gain any sort of momentum.

The Pressure Pack

This killer suffocates creativity with a real or perceived expectations. Modern advances in technology and the need for increased speed have fueled the fire behind this lethal assassin. The increased pressure puts the creator in a constant crisis state which instills the fight or flight response, leaving no opportunities for creativity to make an appearance.

The Pessimism Posse

Seeing the worst in a situation, or an idea, keeps you from making any progress. It also brings blame into the game which then brings on guilt, which are both fast-acting poisons to creativity. This killer eventually creates a sense of self-doubt within the creator making it impossible for any creativity to make its way to the surface.

Click Here to read more about the different creativity killers and how to deal with them.

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Acknowledging The Best Ways To Fail

January 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I usually like to think of myself as an optimist but I think knowing what to look out for and what not to do is almost as important as knowing what to do. Here are 5 things that will most likely result in failure, and though I encourage everyone to embrace failure and lear from it, I think that it still pays to avoid it whenever possible.

1. Assume that something can’t be too easy – If its an opportunity that requires little effort it will most likely yield little reward.

2. Go against the grain blindfolded – It’s great if you want to do things differently but you need a plan.  Don’t try to reinvent the wheel just because you want to, reinvent it because the blockhead who made the first prototype used an oval.

3. Bank on your social media networks – Just because you have 1000 friends on Facebook doesn’t mean you have 1000 customers.  Your personal connections will probably want little to do with any kind of business promotion you start to push on them.

4. Assume that your idea is different – Someone has had the same idea as you before so don’t bank on that for success.  The way you execute your idea is what will help you succeed.

5. Confuse advice and knowledge – There is a big difference between what someone thinks you should do and what someone knows you should do.  Make sure you are taking the time to identify one or the other before you act on it.

Read More about why the right kind of failure isn’t always a bad thing.

What would you say usually leads to disaster? Share with the world in the comment box below. For more conversation, connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: How To Fail, office chair experts, office furniture experts, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Scary Mistakes No Manager Should Make

October 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

No manager is perfect and no one expects you to be, but there are a few things that you should NEVER do.  Allbusiness.com put out a great article called 5 Scary Small Business Mistakes and I am going to play off that one a bit today.

1. Don’t Think That Your Employees Consider You Family – Just because you spend the majority of your time together doesn’t mean they have the same loyalty to you as they do to say, their actual family.  Your employees don’t want camaraderie as much as they want a good job with raises and bonuses. Draw clear boundaries between work time and their time and don’t invade unless it’s a true emergency.

2. Don’t Fire The New Guy/Gal Just Because They’re New – If or when you have to let someone go, don’t do it based solely on seniority. Evaluate your employees by their talent and their contribution to the company, not how long they’ve been there.

3. Don’t Hire Your Friends and Family Because They’re Your Friends and Family – You trust them and you know them, what else is their to consider? Well there is the actual ability of that person to do the job you need them to do. Try not to overlook that little screening step when hiring for your company.

Full Article Here.

Don’t forget to connect with me on Facebook and  Twitter or share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Filed Under: How to be a better leader, Leadership, Management, Managing, office chair experts, office furniture experts, Running a Business

Is It Time To Change Your Strategy?

September 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You never want to give up before your plan has really had a chance to spring in to action. But, there is such a thing as waiting too long for a strategy that might not pan out. So how do you know when it’s time to switch gears?  There a few very extreme situations that are actually becoming more common, one of which was described and explained in this article from Inc Magazine.

Don’t forget to connect on Facebook and Twitter for more tips, articles and discussion.

Dear Norm,
Our small business provides government agencies and consulting firms with specialized computer models that simulate flooding. Sales have been very slow this year, and one of my partners thinks we should make the software available as a free download to anybody who wants it. That’s what our main competitor does, and a lot of people use its product even though it’s not as good as ours. My partner’s theory is that by getting our software into more hands, we would be able to sell more support subscriptions. My fear is that we would succeed only in losing a lot of revenue at the worst possible moment for our company. It would be one thing if price was the main reason we aren’t selling more software. But, in fact, price plays a small role in a customer’s buying decision. I’d love to hear your thoughts on what we should do.

—Reinaldo G.

Click Here for the expert response.

 

Filed Under: Changing Your Business Strategy, office chair experts, office furniture experts, Opportunity, Running a Business, The Economy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

10 Solutions For Your Productivity Problems

September 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you are sitting if your office reading this right now, chances are you could probably be more productive. According to a recent survey done by Salary.com the average employee admits to wasting about 2 hours of their 8 hour workday, and that’s not including lunch or breaks. Instead of living a jumbled mix of work/life it is better to separate the two, so here are a few tips to help make that a little easier.

Beware Multitasking

Sounds counterintuitive, right? Truth is, we’d all be more productive if we checked e-mail only a few times a day rather than every time we notice we have a new message.  No reasonable person on this planet is going to be upset if they have to wait an hour before they get a response.

Tame Your In-box

Technology is a wonderful servant but a terrible master. If you can quickly reply to an e-mail, do it!  If it is going to take a considerable amount of thought and time mark it and save it for later when you have the necessary resources available.

Clear Your Mind

You don’t need to sit in the lotus position and chant, but you should take a few minutes, several times a day, to calm and clear your mind. Walking around the block or just stepping away from your computer screen can help you stay much more mentally fresh and focused.

Read More Here.

Filed Under: How To Be More Productive, office chair experts, office furniture experts Tagged With: , , , , ,

High Tech Marketing Brilliance

September 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Technology is moving as fast as word of mouth and it’s not slowing down any time soon.  You may feel overwhelmed and confused and not know which way is up, but there is good news.  All of this new technology can be used to your advantage. I found a great article from Inc. Magazine that explains the different ways all of technology is being used for marketing.

Facial Recognition
Giving away free product is a great way to build your brand, right?

Unilever, the company that makes things like Lipton soup and Suave shampoo also makes ice cream and figured it would use some of it to get customers to smile—literally. It worked with the high-tech marketing company SapientNitro in Londonto make a vending machine called “Share Happy” that uses facial recognition to give people ice cream bars for smiling.

Full Article

What new technology have you seen being used in marketing?  Share with the world in the comment box below. For more conversation, connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: office chair experts, office furniture experts, Technology and Marketing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Are You A Thought Leader?

September 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Are you offering your expertise to the world?  Better yet, are you a thought leader?  This infographic does a great job of demonstrating how you can use your resources to create a solid content marketing strategy.

Share your thoughts in the comment box below and connect with me on Facebook and Twitter for more discussion.

 

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3 Opportunities Your Business Is Missing Part: 3

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You may have built the company from the ground up or you may have been there since before it was even close to being the company is today, but I bet there are a few hidden treasures in your company that you didn’t know about. Not hiding in the boiler room or the basement, but right in front of you, in fact you probably greet half of these treasures on a daily basis.  Pay attention and you will catch on quickly.

This is post 3 of 3 in this series.  The other opportunities you’re missing are just as important so click for Part 1 or Part 2.

There are things you could be doing to be a better boss. No one is going to come right out and say it, except for your boss and that’s not the perspective you want to get.  One of the biggest challenges we face is separating how we see ourselves from how our employees see us.  Your leadership could mean an increase in productivity, sales and better customer service, but you have no idea you’re doing anything wrong or at least not doing what you need to be doing right.  This means that you need to open up a better channel of communication with your employees.  If you let them know that you care enough to improve in your position, it might just motivate them to improve in theirs.  If you show them that you are really trying to make their jobs easier, it might just inspire them to make yours easier as well. This will also make it a lot easier for your employees to come to you right away instead of letting stress, resentment and anger build.

    If you haven’t caught on yet, all of the good ideas you need are within your reach, you just have to know where to look.  You should know something about all of the jobs in your company but your employees should know everything about their job and even a little more.  Letting your employees get away with just doing their job is like letting someone walk out the door with all of your secrets and ideas.  I recommend you take full advantage of the expertise and experience of your employees and I promise that you won’t regret it.

     

    Filed Under: office chair experts, office furniture experts, Running a Business Tagged With: , , , , , ,

    3 Opportunities Your Business Is Missing Part: 2

    September 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

    You may have built the company from the ground up or you may have been there since before it was even close to being the company is today, but I bet there are a few hidden treasures in your company that you didn’t know about. Not hiding in the boiler room or the basement, but right in front of you, in fact you probably greet half of these treasures on a daily basis.  Pay attention and you will catch on quickly.

    Last week I posted Part 1 of this series meant to help you get the most out of your business and employees.  For more tips and ideas connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

    There are more ways for you to make money.  Your salespeople and even your employees in customer service have ideas floating around in their heads that could help your business step up to the next level, the bad news is they don’t know they are there.  These are the people who spend the most time with the customers and the people who know their needs best.  Your customer may be practically begging for something that you’re perfectly capable of supplying, but your salespeople don’t know that, and your customer service people don’t know that.  Make it a point for all of your employees who communicate with your customers to take notes on the customer’s complaints, requests, and side comments.  Set up meetings on a regular basis so that your different teams can bounce ideas off of the management and hopefully recognize some big opportunities for your company.

     

    Filed Under: office chair experts, office furniture experts Tagged With: , , , ,
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