Sally Arnold, Director of Creating Encores and an award-winning international author and executive coach, discusses how business-focused professionals can tap into the benefits of creative thinking and use it to overcome challenges at work and beyond.
Creative Thinking is growing: Turn it into your most effective asset in 2019
Several years ago, when I was heading the Business Team of The Australian Ballet, groups of high level executives would come and watch rehearsals and performances. These men and women were leaders in their professions. Over the years I heard these words at least several times a month. Comments such as “I came here this morning/evening feeling stressed and exhausted from challenges I have been trying to solve. And during the performance I have found a solution. I did nothing” Some would repeat these words in hushed tones over a coffee or glass of wine. Adding “I feel embarrassed telling you this”. I knew what had happened in those hallowed rehearsal rooms or theatres.
As a former professional Flautist I knew what had happened. Corporate Sponsors had been immersed body and soul in the power of a creative performance. Similar to listening to a piece of music that you love. If stressed, you move out of that place into the music where life is great again. Global Neuroscientific researchers explain this solution-popping experience as being in FLOW, at one with the performance. Where you are cognitively absorbed and in basic terms, the critic in your brain is quickly shut down. We all know that part of ourselves. One who constantly tries to railroad new solutions. In that creative, popping moment with Music we find a new circuit internally. One that performing artists live with daily. And creates standing ovations which Creating Encores has translated into business language.
So, how do you take that experience and set it up in the real world? It’s not difficult and you do not have to go tip toeing along to watch ballerinas perform. It is simple. An organization whether global, national, solo needs specific creative thinking, models, programs, frameworks and execution to firstly stand out from competitors. And secondly and more importantly, a method to inspire their own personal creative way of living. By bringing the Music back into their life.
Recently I coached a client who realised that she had stayed stuck in her personal life, career path and Management of a national team. She was treading water and had done this for too long. Our first coaching session was The Creative Vision Mapping, using Music, (to by-pass the critical brain) followed by an Action plan to ignite and create new life in herself initially then her team and organisation. In this session a newfound purpose was found within her. She was revived. She had forgotten about her past wins, success and career passions. She had just got into a repetitive rut. This first step is being researched over 3 years with the Neuroscience department of one of Melbourne’s significant universities. It is hoped that the data will show substantial evidence of the solutions arising from using Creative thinking with music. By igniting new brain circuits and stopping time-wasting, problematic challenges.
Creativity in your life is one of the greatest gifts that you can give to all who work and live around. Imagine for a moment, watching a 3D movie without the specific glasses. You go into the movie and forget to put on the 3D glasses. After several minutes you realise you don’t have them on. Rapidly they go on, and splendid sight is restored. The screen takes on a world of possibilities, potential and new life. You are virtually part of the movie, and feel you can touch and taste much of what is on the screen. Use this experience as a metaphor in your business or career. This is a simple example of the power of creative thinking.
How would it be to see a new version of your career. Instead of doing the same old, same old each day. You discover a smart invigorating way of giving your career, team, organisation a “Makeover”. One that will last and keep contributing new blood and life to you, your clients and significant others. Creative thinking opens up new areas to excel that you have never imagined. It’s like going down into the cellar and dusting off the treasures there. Bringing them back to the surface and adding these pieces to enrich your home, or office. I bet that you cannot even imagine the new ideas, solutions and thinking that you could develop with creative thinking. Here are some ideas.
We all have the potential to add Creative thinking to our lives both personally and professionally. And the specific structure, framework and power of Creative thinking leveraged from the elite performing arts world brings an inner contentment, happiness and sense of innovation and inspiration to add new life to daily professional practice.
Sally Arnold enables clients to unlock their creative mindset to facilitate effective problem solving and career reinvigoration. She guides businesses, women and teams out of areas of challenge towards resolution and success. Sally is an award winning author, speaker and business coach who specialises in moving individuals and organisations out of stuckness. She is able to turn around challenges towards resolution and success through her innovative business Creating Encores. Sally began her professional life as a flautist in New Zealand. And worked globally. She settled back in Melbourne and launched her own successful gourmet cookware shop, and was then headhunted by a Melbourne store to reinvigorate their home wares department. Combining this business experience with her passion for the performing arts, she sought and won the coveted role of Head of Business Development at The Australian Ballet. Fascinated by the successful mindset techniques of high-performing artists, she became aware of how well they could be translated into the business world to bring creative solutions to business challenges. She has also trained as a psychotherapist. Sally’s personal journey through enormous highs and challenging lows has been woven into the structure and learning in her book “Creating Encores”, published in 2013. Today, Sally’s innovative and robust methodology underpins her coaching programs. She integrates her passion for performance excellence with her skills as a facilitator to unlock greater productivity and fast track success. Sally’s audiences and clients walk away feeling empowered, reinvigorated and inspired.
Contact Sally at sally@creatingencores.co or connect via LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter