ADOPT A FLEXIBLE ATTITUDE ABOUT WORK
stop thinking of your work only as a source of livelihood.You spend more than half of your waking in it --it better give you something more than just livehood.
Enjoy your work and start having fun in it.
When you do so ,you begin to see it in a different light . Then you become more motivated to do a good job.As you resolve to do a better job ,you tend to find more creative ways to get the job done .
A flexible mind leads to a creative mind.
DON`T FALL IN LOVE
with the way you`re doing things. In fact ,believe that ther`s always a better way of doing things. This is difficult for some who have fallen in love with the way they`ve been doing the same things for the past several years. When people feel that they have experienced some success with their past and present ways,it will be difficult for them to accept new ideas,much less come up with the ways of doing things .If you want to succeed,be open to new ways of doing things .Technology today has improved processes a hundred fold. There`s no harm in adopting new ways of getting
things done .If you are not improving your work or using technology in your work, somebody out there is.
When being trained ask why
When you are new on the job there`s a new system or procedure being adopted,the natural tendency is to learn how. In fact ,your trainers will teach you how.Take every opportunity to ask why, not just how.When you focus on the how ,there`s a good chance that you will get stuck with that procedure till kingdom come.
There`s a possibility that it will become your new routine and you will lose creativity to do things differently or more effectively. Knowing the why aside from the how will give you a more open mind.
Find opportunities to express your ideas.
Ever wonder how many good ideas are killed everyday?
Perhaps millions ! Many people have good ideas in their head but they never had opportunity to let others know about these ideas. Here`s what happens when managers or chefs do not purposively extract good ideas from their employees:
employees just keep the ideas to themselves
employees simply forget about these ideas
employees give these ideas to those who are willing to listen and employees just cease to have new ideas.
If you want to make a difference,find the right opportunity to express your ideas.
If your boss does not give you the opportunity ,create one , such as during the open forum in staff meetings or when a subject related to your idea is being discussed. The more creative your ideas become .
Experiment.
If you have a good idea, experiment on it. That`s how great things start as ideas that experimented on .When experimenting on a new idea,make sure that you not disrupt the whole operation.If the experimentation is going to cost your company ,get permission and approval from the proper authorities.
But if it is something that you can do in your own area of responsibility without costing or disrupting the organization,just do it!
You `ll never know if your idea will work unless you see it work.
So experiment! take risks a mistake is just another another way of doing things. Do not be affraid to commit mistakes,as long as the mistakes you make are not crippling both to the organization and to your career.
Ask around for suggestions.
No one has the monopoly of knowledge.It pays to ask other people for suggestions on how best to do a good job.The best people to ask are the customers or the users of our output,the boss who gives the directions,and the peers or teammates with whom we share responsibility for the job.But don`t just ask,listen .
When the customers who pay for your products talk,you better listen,because the customer will continue to be the king for decades to come.
Don`t be afraid to ask.
it does not show that you do not know.It shows that you want to know.What you get from asking around helps build up your knowledge base and increases your chances of being able to use that knowledge more creatively.
Use your imagination.
One of the worst things that can happen to your job is when you have completely reduced everything you do to a fixed routine.Routine engenders monotony and boredom sets in when all we do is routine.
That signals that our job does not need humans but robots.
Look at your job and find ways to minimize,if not totally abolish ,the monotony and routine.
Rewiew the manner,the frequency,and the purpose for doing your job.
It pays to always use your imagination in doing your work.
It is what differentiates us from robots or from other humans.
Make several options
When implementing a new way of doing things ,make several options.
If you are going to do something important,don`t leave anything to chance.You must
have a clear plan with several options that are available to you.This is a way to be creative and the same time minimize your risks.
When one option fails, switch to the others until you are able to perfect your new idea.
Many great inventors did not succeed by trial and error but by having several options,one of which led them to resounding success. Don`t be boxed into one way. Get several options and you enhance your chances of success.
Go for little victories first
You don`t have have to have a big bang right away.Many successful persons started with little victories that propelled and motivated them to succeed more as they went on.
Once you succeed with a simple idea,you will get the feel of how it is to succeed.
Then you enhance your drive to try other bigger ideas.
That drive will spur your creativity as you develop a momentum and a mindset of creativity.
Nothing succeeds like success, no matter how small this success may seem.
Denis Hoffer
Executive Pastry Chef
