Look High for Clarity

10/15/2003

"There is a destiny that makes us brothers, no one goes his way alone; all that we send into the lives of others, comes back into our own." - Edwin Markham

LOOK HIGH FOR CLARITY

In his latest management book, Ready for Anything (New York: Viking Penguin, 2003), David Allen offers this advice on unleashing your creative thinking . . .

"Whenever thinking is murky, ambiguous, or off purpose, you must let go of the level you're focusing on and shift the horizon to another plane. If you're busy and unclear, stop and review your plans. If you're planning and unclear, get to a whiteboard or blank piece of paper and do a mental core dump to get the ideas and information you may be missing. If you're trying to free-range or get outside the box (brainstorm) and unclear, drop back and revisit the image of what success would look like, for more specificity. If your picture (vision) is too ill formed, return to your purpose—why you're doing the thing at all. Clarity is never found with something unclear. You must loosen your conceptual grip, let go, and lift your sights."

To help inspire the creativity of your staff, check out the popular Exchange workbook, The Anti-Ordinary Thinkbook: A stimulating tool for staff training and team-building," click here.

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