We are what we repeatedly do. Which is why 85% of accountants are deemed to be analytical thinkers more so than creative problem solvers. In a world filled with a myriad of complex and diverse challenges, having a versatile set of thinking tools readily available is the key to discovering breakthrough solutions. As Abraham Maslow once wisely observed: relying solely on a hammer makes every problem look like a nail. An over-reliance on a single preferred approach delivers same old results. In today’s volatile, unpredictable business landscape, a one-size-fits-all strategy to solving vexatious challenges typically generates boring, uninspiring and invariably useless solutions.
Without the competence or confidence in your ability to think differently, you will not advance and prosper. And, according to The Harvard Business Review, “The idea that people can simply decide to think differently from the way they have in past is delusional. They need tools that bring new dimensions of insight.” This course will get you out of the uninspiring box of rational analysis and into the universe of “anything is possible.” Harness the power of your imagination, the force that identifies patterns beyond logic and generates unconventional solutions. The key is not to find ideas; they’re everywhere and abundant. Instead, discover how to select and nurture the ideas that will fuel organizational success and your professional growth.
Most barriers to problem solving are just self-perpetuated myths. As one attendee recently said, “I thought the tools were dumb until I actually tried them.” To power your career, you need to consider the advantages of changing the way you usually address your problems. Social conditioning and corporate cultures reinforce comfort zones and practices where creative thinking is blocked. With an arsenal of proven techniques, you can venture beyond ordinary, routine and mundane approaches, challenge what hinders corporate solution finding, break through conventional blinders, and harness the innate genius of groups or decide to go it alone.
The best problem solvers have the biggest toolboxes. They’re the ones others seek out when confronted by seemingly impossible or daunting challenges. Builders know that different tools are designed to accomplish different tasks and that the right tool at the right time gets the job done in the quickest, most effective way. Become the sought-after expert with an arsenal of tools for tackling either the simple or the complex obstacles that bedevil others. Show them how to design a brighter, more innovative and prosperous tomorrow. Brace yourself: this course has the potential to redefine your life and transform your workplace.
What’s in the toolbox? The curriculum for 2024:
❏ The simple, most common errors we make
❏ What is your dominant problem-solving style?
❏ The pros & cons of different CPS approaches
❏ Design, disciplined & probabilistic thinking modes
❏ Rooting out the dogma: How we became so analytical
❏ Linear, lateral, convergent & divergent thinking
❏ What we were not taught about solving problems
❏ Group techniques: Brainstorming alternatives
❏ The nominal grouping method & six thinking hats
❏ Collaboration: Idea sharing and forced relationships
❏ Morphology: De-constructing & reassembling ideas
❏ Life hacks: Simple things you can do to turbo-charge
❏ Attention management: Heuristics, analogies & synectics
❏ Making lemonade: The power & discipline of focus
❏ De Bono’s CoRT thinking tools & thought experiments
❏ Visualization: From doodling to strategic mind-mapping
❏ Future forecasting & realistic scenario planning/building
❏ 17 other ways to improve creative problem solving skills
❏ Closing thoughts: How to begin your creative emancipation
The course includes an 34-page pre-course workbook of tasks and supplemental readings.