Playing with Creative Change

PLAYING WITH CREATIVE CHANGE

Too often we see business owners working with what “already is”. Keep on doing much of the same. If it ain’t broke- don’t break it.

The norm is comfortable. Complacency is easy. Business and life is good. (?)

As consultants to SMEs we witness business owners falling into the well of doing what has worked in the past.  A business owner’s baby refusing to grow, with an owner too stubborn to change. As the well becomes ever so slippery and deep that grasping at the edges is an exercise of desperation –too little too late – owners see their dreams evaporate and their business quickly evaporating.

Business, and success within, does not have to be overly complicated (which owners tend to do), nor does it always require vast amounts of capital to move ahead.  Yet we witness time and again owners who try and do it all- are reluctant to allow others to help, advise, take the reins, and who then struggle with their ultimate incompetence in various areas of business operations and management only to say – “We tried, but failed”.

Really?

So aside from the entrepreneur’s dilemma of often thinking and believing (self righteously) they are the only ones who know the direction and path of their business- is the notion that thinking about, focusing on, driving …”change” can bring renewed vision, and sustainable growth to a languishing business.

Creative change.

Amazing how effective a new way of doing things, and active creative thinking can bring a business into a new level, or phase. Its “phase3” if you will. So how can one bring about change?

An exercise that may help is to begin by “thinking right.” Flexible, fluid thinking that looks at an object and lists alternative uses regardless of the possibility, the outcome, and the “it would never work” syndrome. Take a toothbrush.  Aside from oral hygiene and scrubbing tile grout, what other uses, no matter how wild or off the wall can one envision the use of a toothbrush?

A tire, pen, piece of string….anything really. In the pace of today’s connected world we often lack the time to award ourselves the freedom to simply…think. Differently without barriers. It is an area where creative change can thrive; in fact it is what is required to survive. By listing, and brainstorming alternative uses away from the obvious or norm one can begin to train and exercise thinking flexibility. Improvisation and intuitive thinking all forces change to the norm.

So, if you see your business in that stagnant, old and tired mold, try giving yourself the time and freedom to begin to force creative change into your daily life – or at least your business life.  

Once we can begin to train our thinking to become more flexible, and more creative we can then begin to help a business move 2Phase3.

And as quoted by Sir Richard Branson…”If it ain’t broke…break it!”