Creative problem solving can be learned, says Mary Ann Gontin. By gathering information, taking time away from a problem to reflect and identifying the right resources, anyone can learn to do it well.
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To succeed managers have to treat employees as people not replaceable parts
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Bridge the Generational Gap for a More Productive, Harmonious Workplace: Baby Boomers can coach Gen Y/ Millennials effectively for more productive workplace Delete the scoop?
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The recent CDC report makes one thing very clear: We have a national crisis on our hands.
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Behind the numbers of unemployed are people who feel that they may never ever find meaningful work again. Boomers were raised to believe that working hard word lead the Amercian dream but instead they have found, like most others, that working hard means little while company profits skyrocket and CEO's take home big packages for failing. If you have a good job than thank God because there are still a lot of very talented people who are in despair because the future for them looks cloudy at best Delete the scoop?
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The iconic 111yearold retailer ditched nearly everything former CEO Ron Johnson attempted during his short stint in charge. Good call Delete the scoop?
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By Annette Richmond The recent release of Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In has rekindled the national debate about what holds women back in the workplace. Some have said it’s a lack of ambition. Many women, including me, don’t believe that. Delete the scoop?
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19,000 jobs lost in 18 months. ;
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Amazing that one person could cause such havoc but what is even more amazing that he leaves JC Penney with $150 million parachute Delete the scoop?
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Five reasons he failed. Delete the scoop?
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* Already faces one call for resignation * Expert suggests investors might toss out board * Shares tumble 10 percent By Ben Berkowitz April 9 (Reuters) - The board of J.C. Delete the scoop?
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Former JC Penney CEO Allen Questrom has been one of Ron Johnson's most outspoken critics, saying his discounting strategy had clearly failed back in August, More recently, after the company's disastrous fourth quarter, he said that the company "can't continue with the same leadership" if it wants to recover.
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What made anyone think that Johnson could be successful at JC Peeny because he had been successful at Apple? It's not the retail stores that sell Apple products it's the products themselves Delete the scoop?
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The bad news for prime-time television and consumer magazines: Pharma's direct-to-consumer advertising dropped by 11.5% last year, to $3.47 billion. The even worse news for digital venues: DTC spend fell by 33%. But, as the Pharma Marketing Blog reports, there's some consolation. Last year's decline isn't the worst ever, as some previous data suggested. The record decline was in 2008, when DTC spending dropped 17%. The biggest drop, percentage-wise, was in radio ads, which fell 34% to $23.1 million. Internet advertising came in a close second with a 33% drop, to $68.4 million. But compared with magazines and TV, those media are small potatoes for pharma ads, together accounting for just 3% of DTC spending. Delete the scoop?
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Employers are hiring at a restrained pace, as jitters about the economy linger. Delete the scoop?
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A new study shows that CEOs are doing a lousy job when it comes to people management. Delete the scoop?
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Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife When I wrote Steve Jobs: 6 Tried-And-True Business Tips, it was difficult to select from the hundreds of motivational comments Mr. Jobs shared with the media during his memorable career. Delete the scoop?
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These companies get it right. ; Delete the scoop?
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A good boss can make your career, but a bad boss can make your life miserable – and a new survey finds that plenty of Americans have learned that lesson the hard way. Delete the scoop?
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We're a culture of extremes. Delete the scoop?
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Why a janitor ends up with a higher tax rate than a millionaire, and seven more charts that show how the richest Americans beat the IRS. Delete the scoop?
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The pharma research firm ranked the 10 biggest blockbuster duds. But it also turned up the 10 most underestimated products. Before you read on, you might make a note of your own guesses for each list. Heck, start a new office pool. Then you can peek at the top 5's below, and check out EvaluatePharma's site for the rest. Delete the scoop?
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Looking back, it's obvious that my lifestyle wasn't sustainable. But back then, I wore my workaholism like a badge of honor. The way I saw it, I had an awesome job and would work as hard as it took to do well. Delete the scoop?
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Not everyone can be Steve Jobs or Richard Branson.
Not to worry, says Mary Ann Gontin, managing partner at executive coaching firm OI Partners. “Many people have the misperception that you’re born creative or you’re not,” she says. But creative people aren’t born, they’re made.
“Creativity is mostly a consequence of intending to be creative,” says Gontin. “That’s often a relief to people.”
And creativity doesn’t have to mean painting a great canvas or inventing a new product from scratch. It can mean generating a few good ideas, or simply coming up with ways to improve a current system.
Gontin says that the ability solve problems creatively and collaboratively is a key skill for mid-level managers seeking to move up to the next level within their organizations.
She recommends that individuals and teams use a multi-step process to tackle a problem that needs to be solved. Her process is adapted from the 2012 book “Your Creative Brain,” by Shelley Carson (Gontin has no financial interest in the book).
Start out with a problem: Your boss has asked you to design a new sales strategy, or your staff has complained that the current system for sharing computer files is inefficient.
First, gather information – talk to people in other departments about how they’re handling a similar issue; go online and look for best practices; see what resources exist to help you address the problem.
Then, “enter your inner world,” says Gontin. Get up from your desk, take a walk, gaze out the window for a while. Think about ideas for solving the problem while you’re physically away from the problem and can think more expansively.
Then connect with other stakeholders for a brainstorming session.
If you’re a manager, your role may be less about generating solutions and more about facilitating other people’s brainstorming. “Brainstorming is usually not done correctly” because people are given too little time to think of ideas, says Gontin.
Typically, employees are called into a meeting and are asked to come up with some ideas, which are then written on a whiteboard and dissected. Not everyone can perform in that situation, she says.
Instead, let people know in advance that you’re seeking solutions to a problem and ask them to come in with two or three ideas written down – without their names on the paper. Then gather the ideas and discuss them one at a time. Because this part of the process is anonymous, teams can get away from the judgment and political gamesmanship that can make people self-conscious in these meetings.
Finally, in evaluating the potential solutions, consider what’s realistic given the resources available and the organization’s culture.
“You can’t become so invested in the brilliance of an idea that you shut out the question of whether it’s feasible,” she says.
Following these steps to create positive change in your company, she adds, can demonstrate impressive leadership to the boss, she says, by showing that “you can come up with ideas but you’re also politically in tune enough to know what can work.”