CREATIVITY: OVERRUSED BUZZWORD

OR BUSINESS LIFELINE?

Michael Kobrin, CPA, CA, CEC

President, The Kobrin Group

March 22, 2017

AGENDA

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My Creativity Journey My Creativity Journey

What is Creativity?

Why Is It Important?

Barriers and Enablers

Frameworks and Tools

CPA | Photographer | Leadership Coach | Designer | Facilitator

POLLING QUESTION #1

A. Yes

B. No

1. Do you consider yourself “creative”?

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

Creativity is the

process of bringing

something new into

being.

Rollo May

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

Just making

something.

It might be something

crummy or awkward or

not ready for prime

time. If you make

something, you are

creative.

Sonia Simone

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

Seeing the

intersection of

seemingly unrelated

topics and combining

them into something

new.

Brian Clark

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

GROWTH COMMUNICATION

CONNECTION DEVELOPMENT

PROCESS

NEW

BRING INTO EXISTENCE

PATTERNS

INTERSECTION

IMAGINE

IDEAS

INNOVATION COLLABORATION

SELF-EXPRESSION

PROBLEM-SOLVING

ART DESIGN

CURIOSITY

IMPORTANT DISTINCTIONS

Creativity vs. Innovation Creative vs. Artistic

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

* Source: Creative Education Foundation

1

Everyone is

creative in

some way*

2

Creative skills

can be learned

and enhanced*

3

Creativity can

be a deliberate

process

You can’t use up creativity.

The more you use, the more you have.

Maya Angelou

WHY IS CREATIVITY IMPORTANT?

Technology

& Innovation

Leadership Employee

Inspiration

WHY IS CREATIVITY IMPORTANT?

Source: Adobe State of Create: 2016 Survey

A business that invests in creativity is more likely to:

Foster

Innovation

Have Happier

Employees Be Competitive Be Financially

Successful

79% 73% 76%83%

WHY IS CREATIVITY IMPORTANT?

Top 10 Skills

In 2020 In 2015

1. Complex Problem-Solving

2. Critical Thinking

3. Creativity

4. People Management

5. Coordinating with Others

6. Emotional Intelligence

7. Judgement and Decision-Making

8. Service Orientation

9. Negotiation

10. Cognitive Flexibility

1. Complex Problem-Solving

2. Coordinating with Others

3. People Management

4. Critical Thinking

5. Negotiation

6. Quality Control

7. Service Orientation

8. Judgement and Decision-Making

9. Active Listening

10. Creativity

Source: Future of Jobs Report, World Economic Forum, 2016.

POLLING QUESTION #2

A. Yes

B. No

2. My boss actively encourages and supports creative

thinking and innovation.

CREATIVITY BARRIERS AND ENABLERS

• Self-limiting beliefs

• Comfort

• Lack of trust

• Judgement

• Following the rules

• Risk-aversion

• Fear of failure

Creativity Barriers

Painting by @madebyjimbob

CREATIVITY BARRIERS AND ENABLERS

• Trust and Safety

• Self-confidence

• Openness

• Curiosity

• Diversity

• Play

• Experimentation

Creativity Enablers

Failure is not

the opposite of

success, it’s part

of success.

Arianna Huffington

FRAMEWORKS & TOOLS

• Generate as many ideas and

options as possible

• Focus is on quantity rather

than quality

Divergent Thinking

• Take different ideas and

options and funnel them into

one specific solution or action

• Focus is on evaluation

Convergent Thinking

FRAMEWORKS & TOOLS

Creative Problem-Solving (CPS) Framework

Source: Creative Education Foundation (www.creativeeducationfoundation.org)

FRAMEWORKS & TOOLS

FourSight Thinking Profile Assessment

Source: FourSight website (foursightonline.com)

• Recognizes that everyone has a

different approach to creativity and

innovation

• Helps team members better

understand and communicate with

each other

FRAMEWORKS & TOOLS

Useful Tools & Techniques

Brainstorming

Brainwriting

5W1H (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How)

5 Whys

SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Other Use,

Eliminate, Rearrange)

Forced Connections

PPCO (Pluses, Potentials, Concerns, Overcoming Concerns)

Stormz Collaboration Software (stormz.co)

IDEATION TOOLS - EXAMPLE

• Think of a work problem

you are currently dealing

with

• Look at the image and

write down everything

that comes to mind

• Take a minute to note

any new insights or

thoughts you might have

Forced Connections

FRAMEWORKS & TOOLS

Ideation Tips

Create a safe and open environment

Change things up!

Separate idea generation from evaluation

Defer judgment and be curious

Adopt a “Yes, and..” vs. “No, but..” approach

Build on everyone’s ideas

Ask “What if….?” often

Focus on quantity

Encourage weird ideas

ACTION ITEMS

1. One thing from this webinar that

particularly resonated with you?

2. One thing you need to start or stop

doing to be more creative?

3. One thing you can do to encourage

creative-thinking within your team

and/or organization?

After the webinar, take a minute

to write-down:

We can't solve

problems by using

the same kind of

thinking we used

when we created

them.

Albert Einstein

CREATIVITY: OVERRUSED BUZZWORD

OR BUSINESS LIFELINE?

Questions?

This free webinar is part of the CPA Source Leadership and Management

webinar series. Visit our national career website CPA Source to view the

latest job postings available to CPAs as well as other useful career-related

resources.

Michael Kobrin, CPA, CA, CEC

michael@thekobringroup.com

www.thekobringroup.com

kobrinphotography.com

416.999.3987

SPEAKER CONTACT INFORMATION

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