Think/Be/Do Creatively – How the Early in Career Network is Thinking Creatively
2 min read
“Great idea, guys. How did you come up with it?”
Space to think. Time to build out ideas together.
Our More Together Week saw the first ‘CiscoHack’ event, where Phil Smith and a panel of Cisco leaders challenged employees to solve their biggest problems in Cisco today.
Powered by the Early Career Network (ECN), the CiscoHack gave its participants 60 minutes to turn off phone/email and focus on problem solving for the business. Space to think. Time to build out ideas together.
Selling successfully to a customer, solving a business problem, or inventing a new way of working at Cisco – it all requires imagination.
So how do you combat the creative brick wall that we can all face?
To find about more ways to think/be/do creatively, I asked my own social and work community what made their creative juices flow. Some real gems in there…
Top Tips for Creativity:
“Keep changing where you hang out. Make an effort to keep building new connections with new people.”
– David, Musician
“You don’t need to be a ‘Creative Person’. It’s not a binary thing. Just have a go!”
– Alice, Teacher
“Know your ‘governing thought’.”
– David, Sales Manager
“If you wait until you feel creative, you’ll never create anything”
– Jude, Writer
“Don’t worry if your idea doesn’t fit into a clear category or label. If you’re doing something totally new, it probably won’t have a label yet! Being unable to articulate your new idea right away doesn’t delegitimize it”.
– Jen, Recruitment Officer
“Keep a note pad by your bed side. My best ideas come just before sleep.”
– Liz, Account Manager
“Meet with people who share the same passion for mutual inspiration. Take a week or so to pursue a particular passion as sometimes ‘getting in the zone’ takes some time.”
– Sarah, Charity Worker
“Make space in your life and your head. I go for a walk once a week for a couple of hours to think and daydream. Modern day life can be so crammed with Facebook updates, TV, to-do lists etc and we need to be intentional about giving our minds space to breath.”
– Rachel, Advocacy Manager
“Pick up at least one new skill a year.”
– Jean, Head Teacher
“Ask someone in a totally different industry to you how they solve problems or their approach to working with people – can give you a new look at an old problem. And that brilliant quote from Socrates: ‘the secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but building the new’.”
– Chrissy, Associate Director
“Stay alert to/intrigued by your surroundings. Inspiration can come from anywhere.”
– Andrea, Recruitment Consultant
So there you have it. The main message is that we can all be creative, you just need to understand what inspires you to create.
Good (creative) selling!
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