If we want your creativity to achieve anything, you have to overcome some obstacles …

1. The Creative Gorilla #6
If we want our creativity to achieve anything, we have to overcome some obstacles …
PIGS don’t fly…
"There are plenty of great ideas out there... but so few people actually do anything about them"
Speaker on “Woman’s Hour”
I have devised the acronym PIGS to categorise
these obstacles: Process, Individual, Group, and
Structure. [If anyone would like to fatten up the
idea, your thoughts are welcome!]
For this article, I will focus on individual obstacles
to being creative. These include:
Premature judgement ~ writing off your ideas
before they have a chance to flourish. Step back
Have you ever had a really great idea for work
from judgement, allow the ideas to flow and
or personal life but not taken it to fruition?
sleep on them
Read on…
Lack of belief ~ giving yourself "ten reasons why
The quote above came from a lady speaking on
my idea won't work". When you find yourself
the radio. She was seeking to sponsor a mature
doing this, sit down and list ten reasons why it
woman writer by offering an idyllic place for
will work
them to live and write rent free.
Lack of curiosity ~ accepting the first idea that
She believes that by giving them the chance to
comes in to your mind as the best one. It may not
get away from their frenetic home environment
be. Use creative techniques to generate more
they can be more creative and productive, that
ideas and then choose the best one
they can produce a book that gets published.
Lack of persistence ~ dropping the idea when you
Sadly I was half asleep at the time and didn't
hit the first obstacle. Be prepared to hit obstacles
catch her name, but she did set me thinking
and plan for how you might overcome them. If
about the variety of obstacles to creativity that
they are unexpected, step back and think how
exist within organisations but particularly within
you might go around them. Commit yourself to
us.
others so that it is harder to give up the idea
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2. The Creative Gorilla #6
Lack of persuasion ~ others don't accept your instead of just picking the hoof up, thinking other
idea with alacrity. To increase the chances of a people's tactics were better than my own, not
warm reception for your idea, look for all the getting advice on how to get a horse to raise its
benefits your idea will have for others and sell hoof, raising the first hoof and then giving up and
those. Look for all the possible objections and trying to build rapport again when its weight was
prepare answers to them on the next foot.
Too much curiosity ~ leaping from new idea to The horse was the perfect metaphor for why I
new idea without following through on each of sometimes don't follow through on ideas. It was
them. To counter this, prioritise and discipline with great satisfaction that I eventually picked up
yourself to tackle one idea at a time all four hooves (one at a time!) and realised I am
Do any of these seem familiar too you? perfectly capable of following through ideas if
So only I use the right strategy.
What great idea have you not followed through So can you!
on? Could your idea have worked if you had
more (but not too much!), curiosity or belief, I
John Brooker Loving Creativity in Business
persistence or persuasion? Yes! And...
Is a creative facilitation company.
Action
We work internationally with leaders in
Think of something in your life that you thought
medium to large organisations who must
was a great idea but came to nothing. Have
tackle an important challenge, opportunity or
another go at implementing it and see if you can
project, creatively. We facilitate their people
make it work.
to:
To Close Explore situations, create ideas and plan
action in outstanding meetings
By chance, I attended a course with a leadership
company last week. They use horses to help Develop skills to think flexibly, communicate
powerfully and act with agility
people understand leadership but also to help
Innovate in a structured and creative way
people with personal issues.
Imagine what we can do for your team…
My issue was why do I sometimes not push good
Contact John or Kate Brooker:
ideas through to fruition (now where have I
Speak: 020 8869 9990
heard that before)? The tutor asked me to pick
up the horses hooves for my exercise. Write: hi@yesand.co.uk
It was a real insight as I struggled, spending too View: www.yesand.biz
long trying to build rapport with the horse
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