Here's how you can enhance your creative problem-solving skills: a comprehensive guide for executives.

In my experience, unlocking creative problem-solving potential starts with nurturing a sense of curiosity. At TPC Sourcing, I actively seek out new information, ask probing questions, and delve into the 'why' behind existing processes and solutions. This approach helps uncover hidden assumptions and challenge the status quo. By fostering an environment that encourages curiosity, we often discover innovative solutions. Every question we ask opens a new avenue for creative thinking, enabling us to stay ahead in our dynamic industry.

Some ways to get started include: - Become a subject matter expert; build a thorough understanding of the device or application you are troubleshooting. Knowledge in this case increases curiosity and helps to build intelligent curiosity; as opposed to curiosity with no direction. - Active listening also helps us to create curiosity. By active listening we stop making assumptions based on prior knowledge. This is another way to build up our knowledge about the product we're supporting and helps us to understand what may and may not be unexpected behavior. -Lastly, spend time using the device or software that you're troubleshooting. This helps us to see ways the device or application can respond during daily use. Curiosity will follow.

Curiosity fosters interest, nurturing it further may help an individual to be more capable & confident to tackle any challenge. Its certainly very critical, to be curious, show interest, probe & thus strategise the possible solutions to achieve the targetted outcomes.

Enhance your creative problem-solving skills with these strategies: Embrace Diverse Perspectives: Foster a culture of inclusion to harness varied viewpoints. Encourage Curiosity: Ask questions and explore new areas to stimulate innovative thinking. Mindfulness Practices: Implement mindfulness to improve focus and open-mindedness. Collaborative Environment: Promote teamwork and brainstorming sessions. Continuous Learning: Stay updated with industry trends and new technologies. Experiment and Iterate: Encourage trial and error to find unique solutions. Balance Analysis with Intuition: Use data-driven decisions and trust your instincts. Cultivate these habits to drive creativity and solve complex challenges effectively.

> identify and incorporate diverse perspectives, not just in terms of demographics, but also cognitive styles > when brainstorming solutions, alternate between imposing strict constraints and removing all limitations to force the mind to explore unconventional paths > build a database of biological strategies and consult it regularly when facing challenges to apply nature-inspired solutions to business problems > find hidden opportunities and potential long-term consequences by viewing problems from a variety of time horizons – immediate, short-term, long-term, and multigenerational > reverse all assumptions related to a problem, then explore their implications for finding innovative solutions.

Over the course of my career, I have learnt something from everyone I’ve met. It could either be how to do things really well and improve your existing work or how not to do things! 😂 Either way, it’s always good to brainstorm and discuss things with people who have diverse perspectives. Some may even be conflicting to yours, which is alright. There may be a eureka moment after getting to understand varied perspectives of people from different walks of life.

In my experience, bringing diverse perspectives to the table has been a powerful catalyst for creativity. For instance, while leading a project to redesign our company’s employee benefits program, I collaborated with team members from various departments, including HR, finance, and operations, as well as employees from different cultural backgrounds. Each person brought a unique viewpoint and set of experiences, which led to innovative ideas and solutions that we hadn’t previously considered. This collaborative approach not only enriched the final design but also addressed a broader range of employee needs and preferences, ultimately resulting in a more effective and well-received benefits program.

Problem-solving skills, much like any form of exercise, require regular practice to improve. It's equally important to consistently share your insights and learn from others' breakthroughs to broaden your perspective. There are many curated newsletters, such as The Hustle, that highlight examples of companies' creative solutions. Additionally, you should present your internal solutions to other departments or divisions through planned sharing activities. By role-modeling knowledge sharing, you encourage employees to stay curious and continuously seek out creative problem-solving techniques from the news, their work, and even their personal lives. They will quickly bring this discipline into their problem solving process.

When you think about diversity, be sure to consider various elements to that: individuals from different parts of the company, from different functions, from different levels. Be sure to create an environment where all voices are at the same "value" so you can clearly hear from everyone. Sometimes, depending on what I'm doing, I will purposefully choose a nay-sayer, someone who's hard to please as they can help show you what you might need to address and push the creativity to a level you didn't expect. And then you also may be a great advocate / champion!

Perspectivas diversas são fundamentais para impulsionar a inovação e a criatividade no ambiente de trabalho. Quando um executivo prioriza a inclusão de indivíduos com diferentes origens, culturas e áreas de especialização, ele está, na verdade, ampliando o leque de possibilidades e soluções disponíveis. Cada pessoa traz consigo uma bagagem única de conhecimentos e experiências que, quando combinadas, podem gerar insights inovadores e abordagens pouco convencionais para problemas existentes.

Failure is a word that many executives dread, but in reality, it's a vital component of creative problem-solving. When you embrace failure, you position yourself and your team to learn, innovate & ultimately succeed (in ways that others might miss).

Una idea que debemos cambiar es ese concepto de que los errores son malos, ya que las equivocaciones son parte importante del proceso de aprendizaje y del proceso madurez personal y profesional. Acepar los fallos o las equivocaciones es el primer paso certero para encontrar soluciones y consolidar los conocimientos. Claro está, existen fallos que son más graves que otros, por lo que siempre debes contar con el apoyo de todas las personas involucradas, para que cuando exista un caso así, tengas la ayuda necesaria. 😁👍

For all you over-achievers out there who equate imperfection with failure: One of the major dangers of creative problem solving is expecting perfect outcomes. Firstly, it is inherently a logical fallacy in it's own right; but it also will bury further exploration of good ideas and will calcify options and actions. As Votaire said, "Perfect is the enemy of good." You should treat the process as such.

One thing I've found is that we can learn lessons through failure. Failure has a way of helping us to pay attention to the what not to do's in life. Especially if we do not shut down after failing. Instead, it's the perfect time to take a pause and make sure that we have clear understanding of what happened. We can take time to reflect and take responsibility for our own actions, and here is the most important part. Taking responsibility for our own actions that lead to the failure will help to better in the future. This is the biggest reason and largest gain from embracing failure.

Creative problem-solving relies on embracing failure as a valuable learning experience. Recognizing that not every attempt will succeed frees you to take risks and explore unconventional ideas. This fearless approach opens up a wider range of potential solutions, leading to more innovative outcomes. Remember, many successes are built on the lessons learned from past failures, making every attempt a valuable step forward.

🌱 Lifelong Learning: Embrace continuous learning to stay innovative and keep your creative mindset sharp. Explore new skills, seek feedback, and stay updated with industry trends to fuel your creativity. I once enrolled in a graphic design ✍️ course to enhance my skills. The 🆕 techniques and perspectives I gained not only boosted my creativity but also brought fresh ideas 💭 to my projects, keeping my work dynamic and engaging. 🚀

Continuous learning often takes place within our own comfort zone. It is important to me to leave this comfort zone from time to time and to enter areas that may seem bold or absurd at first glance. Why? Because it shows me that I have some expectations or ideas that hinder me. In other areas, people often deal with the same issues in a completely different way. This opens up new perspectives and approaches for me.

El conocimiento debe estar en constante actualización, con ello adoptaremos las mejores practicas y con ello la ejecución más idónea para la resolución de problemas.

An element of reflection is determining not just what has worked, but what hasn't worked. You can "successfully fail" at a new initiative or opportunity, where you are open to the possibilities of identifying what didn't work as you expected and learn from it. If the "failure" is turned around to a new learning, new opportunity or new skill, then you have failed in a way that has created something successful. Many times we fear failure to the point that we want to ignore the negative input, which doesn't truly help us be creative in the long run.

I find it a great help to receive input from others that helps me reflect. I find people from my social circle (Colleagues, family members, specialist colleagues) who I trust and whose complementary strengths I know to be very helpful and valuable. This exchange is usually unexpectedly beneficial not only for me, but also for the person I am talking to.

Reflexionar con regularidad me resulta útil para desarrollar habilidades creativas, me permite cuestionar mis suposiciones y considerar diferentes perspectivas, lo que me lleva a soluciones creativas. Reflexionar de mis errores y fracasos me ayuda a aprender de ellos y encontrar formas creativas de superarlos. La reflexión fomenta en mi la curiosidad y el deseo de aprender, lo que es esencial para el crecimiento creativo, me ayuda a observar detalles que antes pasaba por alto, y me inspira a nuevas ideas. Considero que la reflexión es un proceso personal y debe adaptarse a las necesidades y estilo de vida de cada persona. Me funciona pasar tiempo a solas para reflexionar.

Creative problem-solving poses itself to be complex or require a complex set of skills but in reality it is something that requires the ability to think different. Problems that are encountered require either more thinking and less listening or more listening and less thinking to be solved. Often times the solution comes when the problem is written down, stared at it, said over and over again or being mentioned multiple times. Other times it’s more analytical were the facts has to be gathered, the root, recurring and leading causes and the previous solutions used. Analyzing these will give a better understanding of the problem and what the best solution can be. Many times the best creative problem solving is asking for support.

Detaching from the entire ecosystem completely is a powerful way to develop a deeper understanding of the problem. While developing the Anti-Financial Crime and Counter Terrorism Financing Supervisory Framework for the Central Bank of a country once, we hit a major roadblock in framing the required methodology that was to be the core/foundation for this framework. It was a weekend and I impulsively went to a store picked up a tent and some basic supplies, headed straight to the desert. Where I spent a night and two days simply stargazing, absorbing nature and the harshness of the desert. Completely detached, I arrived to work the following day and sat at my desk, with one look at my screen, I realized the methodology that would work.

To enhance my creative problem-solving skills, I focus on a few key strategies: 1. Build Diverse Teams: I seek out team members with different backgrounds to bring fresh perspectives. 2. Encourage Experimentation: I create a culture where trying new ideas and learning from failures is valued. 3. Use Design Thinking: I apply this approach to deeply understand user needs and iterate solutions. 4. Commit to Learning: I stay engaged with workshops, courses, and industry trends to keep my skills sharp. 5. Practice Mindfulness: I prioritize mental clarity to foster better creative thinking. These steps help me turn challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.

Use design thinking: Incorporate design thinking principles into your problem-solving process to empathize with end-users, define the problem, ideate solutions, prototype ideas, and test them with stakeholders. This human-centered approach can lead to innovative and effective solutions. Question your assumptions and biases to uncover new insights and perspectives. Encourage your team to challenge conventional wisdom and explore unconventional solutions to problems.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Maintain organized and accurate records to ensure forward progress. Capture: 1. Brainstorming session results. 2. Ideas in both raw and processed forms. 3. Tests and test results. 4. Pre- and Post-Mortem analysis of testing and solution implementation. 5. Solutions that have been ruled out and the reason for the decision.