Do you find yourself stuck in the proverbial box? Can’t figure out how to get out of it? Wish you were more creative, innovative, original?
I’ve often wished I were more intuitive and creative. I admire people who have intuition and creative ability. I marvel at their sense of originality. My sister is a very talented fine artist and compared to her I have always felt I had very little creativity. Oddly enough, she thinks I am very creative, but in a totally different sense. She in fine arts, I in finding solutions to business problems.
I don’t have any empirical research to back up my hunch, but I’d bet that one of the reasons we often have difficulty getting ‘out of our box’ is that we simply don’t slow down long enough to listen to the intuition we do possess. I know it is very easy for me to get caught up in the activity trap and not spend enough time in simple reflection.
Look what happens when we take the time to intentionally ‘get out of our box’. Here are three examples of how I’ve been able to tap into my creative side and take a non-traditional approach to an age-old dilemma. The age-old dilemma is how to get the business of a potential client or even get in the door. My ‘out of the box’ approach follows….and by the way, I got the business.
* I wanted to meet an influential person who was on a Board of Directors so I offered to design and facilitate the Board of Directors retreat on a pro bono basis.
Out of the Box Thinking – Find a creative way to meet those who make the decisions!
* I wanted to be the provider of choice for selected topics for programs offered through a community college so I made it a point to meet each of the members of the College Board of Directors.
Out of the Box Thinking – Figure out who has the power to influence the decisions!
* By inquiring about the typical work pattern at a potential client site, I figured out when the key Director I wanted to meet would most likely to be in the office. By dropping in at this opportune time, I was able to get an impromptu meeting with the Director I needed to see.
Out of the Box Thinking – Find out when the person you need to meet is most probably available.
I know if I stop and listen to my intuition, if I intentionally get out of my ‘activity-trap box’, I am just as creative as my fine-arts sister, but in a very different way. While she can take ordinary things and make them beautiful, I can take ordinary situations and turn them into business solutions. Try it, I’ll bet you can too! Let me know if these TIPS help you get out of your box.
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