Introduction
Creativity is the most important skill for all kinds of industries. It is the foundation of new ideas and inventions. It is also a key to success in every aspect of life.
Creative thinking and problem solving are two abilities that are very important for creative professionals. They are also important for people in other professions such as doctors, engineers, or teachers. Creative thinkers and problem solvers come up with new ideas and solutions to the problems they face on a daily basis.
Situational analysis is a skill that helps you identify what's going on around you and how it can affect your work or life situation. It helps you come up with possible solutions to a given situation or problem by understanding the environment around you better.
Innovation:
The word innovation has been created by combining the words “new” and “innovation.” Innovation is a process of creating something new or novel that has value. It is the act of bringing about change in something established, especially by making improvements.
Innovation is not just limited to new technology or gadgets, it can also be applied to many other areas such as business, design and engineering. Innovation can be seen as a catalyst for change in society, which leads to new products, services and processes that improve quality of life.
Innovation is the process of generating, developing, and implementing new ideas. Innovation is a process that should be continuous and ongoing. It starts with an idea and it needs to be nurtured until it becomes a reality. It's not just about coming up with new ideas, but also about thinking of how they can be implemented in the real world.
Problem Solving:
Problem solving is a process of finding a solution to a problem. It starts with the observation and identification of the problem, followed by prioritizing the situation and looking for possible solutions. The next step is to take initiative and think of possible solutions, then test them out to find the best one that will work for the given situation.
The first step in problem solving is observing what is happening around you. You need to focus on all the information that you are receiving from your senses: what you see, hear, smell and feel. After this, prioritize what needs your attention most urgently; this will help you identify which problems are more important than others. Once you have identified the priority level of your problems, it’s time to start thinking about possible solutions for these problems. Brainstorm ideas and write down all potential options on paper or in a text editor.
Use the SWOT analysis to reach up to your potential solution, by identifying the strengths and weaknesses for the moment. You can have a conjugated model by working the quadrants by:
SO - Strengths that can are proportional to Opportunities,
ST - Strengths that could work as threats in a particular situation,
WO - Weaknesses that could be used as Opportunities,
WT - Weaknesses that could directly act as immediate threat.
Using the Projective SWOT helps in understanding the problem in a better way that enhances the quality of the solution found by enabling one with managing mental conflicts, analyzing critical issues, prioritizing on opportunities and working the threats to reduce them as much as possible.
Critical Thinking:
Critical thinking is the process of analyzing and evaluating arguments and ideas. We need to be able to think critically in order to make informed decisions. Critical thinking is a skill that is developed with practice and can be taught in schools. In order to develop critical thinking, we can work on some online games that are abundantly available. One can also develop these skills by real exposure such as going on hiking, cycling expeditions with groups. This not only enhances critical thinking but also nurtures creativity along with team bonding and social glue with the team members.
Critical thinking is often a skill thought to be used in crisis only, which is completely untrue. Critical thinking makes your efforts, ways of thinking and working completely distinct from others as this makes you unconventional and original. Hence, this skill is also targeted during interviews and psychometric tests during the appraisals, recruitment, training and development in many organizations. On the other hand, critical thinking is also attributed to several entrance examinations where one ought to have a fair level, as mediocrity is no longer welcomed.
Entrepreneurial Thinking:
Did we just read the word “entrepreneurial” ? Certainly. How would this complement a regular conventional working employee, as entrepreneurship has nothing to do with an employee. Entrepreneurial thinking simply means to work independently, identify appropriate resources, taking into account each of the aspects and decision making. Now, that’s called a competitive and dynamic set of traits expected to hire anyone for a highly responsible position. And each one of us wants to someday progress towards one such highly responsible position. So, why wait? Mold yourself from today itself in order to be worthy of such a position.
There are several people observing us, who judge us, who hold opinions about us. The one acts or thinks is well noted and observed either by the smart tech analytical tools we use or by people around us. Your productivity and smart work can certainly be fruitful if you are an independent thinker and executor. These are the entrepreneurial skills one is expected to have.
To cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, one can follow these:
Being capable enough to solve problems with those resources
Approaching the right person for assistance,
Practice empathy and be humane,
Seeking opportunities even in scarcity
Embracing failure as a stepping stone
Persistence and Prudence
Open to learn and inspiration
Being Optimistic yet a realist
Being humble
Being resourceful by networking wherever you go
Create your own opportunities:
Often the herd members wait for others to lead, that’s exactly what a leader or entrepreneur would never do. One is ought to lead and pave one’s own way, even though pinning a distinct destination for oneself. This means there are no known ways to do something, nobody to help around, nothing as a proven resource and nobody that has already succeeded accomplishing this goal.
Creating one’s destined road map by identifying one’s strengths to accomplish a purpose, that is what one wishes to fulfill. It is not necessary to be an entrepreneur each time for each task. It is simply again, the way one thinks and acts. Ultimately, it is the person’s totality of execution that makes him/her an independent and dynamic person. Now, does that remind you of typical job classifieds that say, we want a dynamic personality.
So, to succeed you now know what is to be done. However, spoiler alert - this ain’t easy as is written. Practicing and enduring needs prudence and discipline, as once learnt, sky's the limit.
Hope you found this article helpful. If you or your organization is interested to learn more about such attributes and behavioral skills at the workplace, feel free to get in touch with us at RGB Training Services!