The Deliberate Creative

If you want to be creative, you have to be deliberate. Setting goals is an important part of being more creative. Many people claim they want to be creative, but don't actually do anything about it. In this episode, learn Dr. Amy Climer's process for how she sets and achieves her goals. Learn what didn't work for her and how she fixed that problem.

What You'll Learn

• The importance of writing down your goals
• Barriers Amy faced in previous years and how she overcame them
• A process for making your goals more visual so you can remember and achieve them

Resources

• The yearly, quarterly, and weekly goal setting posters Amy uses
• Episode 8: FourSight Thinking Profile with Blair Miller
• Bullet Journaling

Weekly Challenge

Download the goal setting posters. Spend some time writing down 3-5 yearly goals. Then, write down 3 goals for this quarter and for this week to help you meet those goals. What is one step you can take today to get started on those goals?

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? The transcript will be available in a few days.

Note: The links on this page may be affiliate links. That means I get a small commission of your sale, at no cost to you. However, I only share links to products that I or my guests believe in. Enjoy them!

Hollis Chatelain is a textile artist and humanitarian. She also teaches creativity. In this episode, she shares exercises and techniques she teaches her students to help them tap into the creativity that is already within.

What You'll Learn

• New exercises to help you get new ideas
• Why and how to embrace boredom
• Why journaling might not be the best way to foster your creativity

[powerpress]

About Hollis Chatelain

Hollis Chatelain has inspired people around the globe with her award-winning scenes of multicultural life. She first went to Africa with the PeaceCorps in 1980.

Influenced by the 12 years she lived in West Africa working with humanitarian organizations, her work has always reflected her dedication to social and environmental issues.

Hollis has worked as a professional artist for over 40 years creating textile paintings that convey the untold stories of women, children and the environment.

Resources

• Hollis Chatelain's website
• Hollis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Weekly Challenge

Go sit in a place where you feel relaxed. Just sit and daydream. Be in the moment. What do you see, hear, smell? Tap into your senses and what's going on around you. It's not emptying your brain as in meditation, it's about noticing and being bored. Do this for 15 minutes. Can you do it for 7 days? What did you notice? Do you start looking forward to it?

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? The transcript will be available in a few days.

Note: The links on this page may be affiliate links. That means I get a small commission of your sale, at no cost to you. However, I only share links to products that I or my guests believe in. Enjoy them!

Toxic employees cause significant harm to organizations and decrease creativity. Dr. Mitch Kusy is an expert in everyday civility and has studied toxic personalities in organizations for years. In this episode, he explains how toxic employees hurt organizations financially and otherwise. He discusses why managers don't deal with them and why they need to. He offers advice and strategies for dealing with people with toxic personalities.

What You'll Learn

• The financial impact of toxic employees and why you shouldn't ignore them
• Strategies for dealing with toxic employees to improve your organization and increase creativity

[powerpress]

About Mitch Kusy

Dr. Mitchell Kusy, a 2005 Fulbright Scholar in Organization Development, is a full professor in the Graduate School of Leadership & Change at Antioch University. A registered organization development consultant, Mitch has consulted with hundreds of organizations nationally and internationally; he has been a keynote speaker around the globe.

Mitch has helped create organizational communities of respectful engagement, facilitated large-scale systems to successful change, and engaged teams through assessment and team-designed actions—all with a focus on improving organizational culture and long-term return on investment. He previously headed organization development for HealthPartners and the leadership development area for American Express Financial Advisors. Before his leadership in national and international organizations, Mitch was a full professor at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, where he co-designed the doctoral program in organization development. Previous to Why I Don't Work Here Anymore, Mitch co-authored five business books. In 1998, he received the Minnesota Organization Development Practitioner of the Year Award. He resides in Minneapolis, MN and Palm Springs, CA and may be contacted at [email protected].

Resources

• Mitch Kusy's Website (email Mitch for a free copy of the Kusy Toxic Cost Worksheet)
• Mitch's new book: Why I don't Work Here Anymore: A Leader's Guide to Offset the Financial and Emotional Costs of Toxic Employees
• Book: Toxic Workplace!: Managing Toxic Personalities and Their Systems of Power by Mitch Kusy and Elizabeth Holloway

Weekly Challenge

Apply one of the strategies that Mitch outlined in the podcast episode! He offered these three strategies specifically:

1. Conduct the Cost-Benefit Analysis of the situation - Is this going to backfire? Has feedback failed previously? What is my intention giving feedback?
2. Look at your own performance management system - Are the values spelled out?
3. If you decide to give feedback, look at the nuances in how you can approach it as described by Mitch.

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? The transcript will be available in a few days.

Note: The links on this page may be affiliate links. That means I get a small commission of your sale, at no cost to you. However, I only share links to products that I or my guests believe in. Enjoy them!

Jessica Pettitt is a diversity and social justice educator. She talks about her new book Good Enough Now and how teams can learn to collaborate at a deeper level, embrace diversity, and get real with each other.

What You'll Learn

• How to be Good Enough Now
• The three common response patterns and how to identify yours
• How your response patterns can help you collaborate at a deeper level

[powerpress]

About Jessica Pettitt

Jessica Pettitt, M.Ed., CSP, pulls together her stand up comedy years with 15+ years of diversity trainings in a wide range of organizations to serve groups to move from abstract fears to actionable habits that lead teams to want to work together. With a sense of belonging and understanding, colleagues take more risks with their ideation, conserve precious resources through collaboration, and maintain real connections with clients over time.

Resources

• Jessica Pettitt's website
• Book: Good Enough Now
• Freebies and handouts from Good Enough Now

Weekly Challenge

Take some time and create a list of your crucible moments in your life. Identify how your third rail showed up in each of them. What do you notice?

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? The transcript will be available in a few days.

Note: The links on this page may be affiliate links. That means I get a small commission of your sale, at no cost to you. However, I only share links to products that I or my guests believe in. Enjoy them!

At different points in the creative process we might come upon some anxiety related to creativity. In this episode, Amy Climer talks about three common factors which cause anxiety related to creativity and three tips so that you can move through the anxiety and start implementing your creative ideas.

What You'll Learn

• Three common factors which cause anxiety related to creativity
• Three tips to help manage and ease anxiety related to creativity

Weekly Challenge

Reflect on the ways in which you might be feeding your own anxiety related to creativity and give one of these tips a try. The world needs you and your creative ideas!

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? The transcript will be available in a few days.

Note: The links on this page may be affiliate links. That means I get a small commission of your sale, at no cost to you. However, I only share links to products that I or my guests believe in. Enjoy them!

In this episode we're flipping the script. Guest Will Wise is an expert at using questions to create connections. Today, he will be interviewing Amy Climer and demonstrating how to ask powerful questions. You'll learn how to ask better questions through an exciting live Q&A session.

What You'll Learn

• How to ask more powerful questions and create deeper connections with others
• How to build trust in your team
• One simple thing your team can do to be more creative today.
• The vision that drives Amy's focus on creativity - you are a part of it!

About Will Wise

Will Wise has over two decades of experience custom building leadership programs for corporate and nonprofit groups. He has earned a reputation as one who can transform groups and people into their best selves. Tens of thousands of people have been empowered with positive communication skills after spending some time with Will and We!™ Most recently, Will has also added author to his list of accomplishments with the release of his new book, Asking Powerful Questions.

Will lives in State College, PA with his amazing wife, Heather, and their three children.

Resources

• Will Wise's website
• Will's new book, Ask Powerful Questions
• Link to free ebook (through Oct 21, 2017) and other free resources (after Oct 21)
• Episode with Chad Littlefield about How to Ask Questions
• The Artist's Way
• Episodes 03 through 08: The Creative Problem Solving process

Weekly Challenge

Be aware of what you are curious about and ask questions about it. Ask questions beginning with a "how" or a "what", not a "why." Take the risk and then listen to see what shows up.

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? The transcript will be available in a few days.

Note: The links on this page may be affiliate links. That means I get a small commission of your sale, at no cost to you. However, I only share links to products that I or my guests believe in. Enjoy them!

Dr. Roger Firestien is a master facilitator of the Creative Problem Solving process. He has been using it, studying it, researching it, and teaching it for 40 years. In this episode he shares his thoughts on facilitating a well-crafted Creative Problem Solving session. He talks about how to get the best results for the clients, how to be an amazing facilitator, and some tips he has learned over the last four decades.

What You’ll Learn

* How one company saved $50,000/week after using Creative Problem Solving

* The tools Roger Firestien uses more than any others

* Three levels to strive for in your own facilitation practice

* How to design the physical space to achieve maximum results

About Roger Firestien

Dr. Roger Firestien has taught more people to lead the creative process than anyone else in the world.

By applying Roger’s work in creativity:

Clorox solved a 77-year-old problem in 15 minutes;

General Motors came up with a $1.50 solution that saved the company $50,000 a week;

Mead Paper developed a world-class line of products and saved $500,000 a year;

The Los Angeles Times set their vision for the future;

Buffalo, New York received One Billion dollars for economic development.

Called “The Gold Standard” of creativity training by his clients, he has presented programs in creativity to over 600 organizations nationally and internationally ranging from major fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, universities, associations and churches.  

Dr. Firestien is Associate Professor and the Senior Faculty member at the world renowned International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State.  He is the author and co-author of five books.

Roger’s expert views on creativity have been reported in Fast Company and The New York Times.

When Roger is not traveling, he lives in Buffalo, New York, and regularly works cattle on the SK Hereford Ranch near Medina, New York

Resources

* Roger Firestien’s website – here you will find the resources he mentioned, as well as the GM Story and other helpful examples.

* Climer Cards

Weekly Challenge

Take a look at how you show up as a facilitator. Remind yourself of your purpose to serve others.

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? Download the free transcript or read it below!

Transcript for Episode #078: Facilitating Creative Problem Solving with Roger Firestien

Amy Climer: Welcome to The Deliberate Creative Podcast Episode 78. Today’s episode is about Facilitating Creative Problem Solving. I have invited Dr. Roger Firestien and he is going to talk about facilitating. He has a ton of experience and has a lot of insight and wisdom to share. Before I introduce Roger Firestien, I wanted to share with you a new review that came in on iTunes. This review is from Hays67 and it is five stars, titled:  Highly Recommend for Everyone.

Hays67 says:

“Amy provides well-informed, well-educated and fully inspired discussions about creativity. She applies the language and principles of artist to business setting so that it’s broadly relatable. Amy makes creativity feel doable for those who wouldn’t consider themselves creative, and she validates those who do. More importantly, she gives a clear “why” behind what she discusses.”

Thank you so much, Hays67. I appreciate the feedback. If you are a listener and you have not yet left a review, please go over to

Dr. Roger Firestien is a master facilitator of the Creative Problem Solving process. He has been using it, studying it, researching it, and teaching it for 40 years. In this episode he shares his thoughts on facilitating a well-crafted Creative Problem Solving session. He talks about how to get the best results for the clients, how to be an amazing facilitator, and some tips he has learned over the last four decades.

What You'll Learn

• How one company saved $50,000/week after using Creative Problem Solving
• The tools Roger Firestien uses more than any others
• Three levels to strive for in your own facilitation practice
• How to design the physical space to achieve maximum results

About Roger Firestien

Dr. Roger Firestien has taught more people to lead the creative process than anyone else in the world.

By applying Roger's work in creativity:

• Clorox solved a 77-year-old problem in 15 minutes;
• General Motors came up with a $1.50 solution that saved the company $50,000 a week;
• Mead Paper developed a world-class line of products and saved $500,000 a year;
• The Los Angeles Times set their vision for the future;
• Buffalo, New York received One Billion dollars for economic development.

Called "The Gold Standard" of creativity training by his clients, he has presented programs in creativity to over 600 organizations nationally and internationally ranging from major fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, universities, associations and churches.

Dr. Firestien is Associate Professor and the Senior Faculty member at the world renowned International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State. He is the author and co-author of five books.

Roger's expert views on creativity have been reported in Fast Company and The New York Times.

When Roger is not traveling, he lives in Buffalo, New York, and regularly works cattle on the SK Hereford Ranch near Medina, New York

Resources

• Roger Firestien's website - here you will find the resources he mentioned, as well as the GM Story and other helpful examples.
• Climer Cards

Weekly Challenge

Take a look at how you show up as a facilitator. Remind yourself of your purpose to serve others.

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? The transcript will be available in a few days.

In this episode, Amy describes the five dysfunctions of a team as outlined in the book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni and provides ways that leaders might address each of these dysfunctions.

What You'll Learn

• The five common dysfunctions of a team
• What you might do as a team leader to overcome these dysfunctions

Resources

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

• Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone

• The Deliberate Creative Podcast Episode 8: FourSight with Blair Miller

Weekly Challenge

Download the cheat sheet for this episode below and rate your team on each of these levels. If your team is not at a 4 or 5, create a plan to address the dysfunction within your team.

Transcript

Feel like reading instead of listening? The transcript will be available in a few days.

Note: The links on this page may be affiliate links. That means I get a small commission of your sale, at no cost to you. However, I only share links to products that I or my guests believe in. Enjoy them!

In this episode, Michael Diettrich-Chastain explores the connection between making change and creativity. He explains seven elements needed to implement change in your life and how to use that to be more creative.

What You'll Learn

• The connection between change and creativity
• The CHANGES model and how you can use it to be more creative in your life
• How self-care can impact the bottom line

About Michael Diettrich-Chastain

Michael Diettrich-Chastain is the founder of an independent Organizational Consulting and Coaching firm – Arc Integrated.

Michael has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Spanish as well as a Master's Degree in Counseling. Michael is a Licensed Professional Counselor in North Carolina. In addition to his background and experience in psychology, Michael is also a Certified Communication Coach as well as a trained facilitator in the Advanced Insights Profile, Actualized Leadership Profile and Group Culture Profile.

As a leadership coach, Michael has helped organizational leaders and teams become more effective in recognizing how to inspire, engage, resolve conflict and communicate with others. Through coaching, Michael helps individuals recognize and develop strengths in order to become more effective in their careers and personal lives.

Michael has facilitated trainings on leadership, team building, communication, emotional intelligence, employee engagement, self-care and other topics. Michael has facilitated trainings nationally across the US. As a recipient of the Group Study Exchange Scholarship, through Rotary International, he has traveled internationally delivering trainings and education about his fields of work.

Michael has studied eastern martial arts for more than a decade. While this study is a passion for him personally, he often incorporates philosophies from his experience into his work with individuals and organizations. He has facilitated trainings on leadership, stress reduction, communication and conflict resolution while infusing concepts from his martial arts study and background.

Resources

• Michael's Website
• Free chapter of Michael's new book
• Article: Research reveals self-care improves healing experience
• Article: Seeing it both ways: Openness to experience and binocular rivalry suppression

Weekly Challenge

A daily practice is a key component of being more creative and effective in life. Michael challenges listeners to start doing something each morning that focuses on yourself. It could be mediating, walking, exercising, writing, etc. Developing ourselves helps us show up more present with our teams and in the work we do.