In today’s extremely competitive business world, you have to be able to face a problem head-on and come up with creative solutions that will help your organization stand apart from the rest. However, with all this pressure, it can be challenging to perform at the top of your game, especially if what you’re really needing is a little creativity. So to help ensure that you’re able to break down barriers and think outside the box on a regular basis, here are three tips that you help you be more innovative at work.
Reshape Your Way Of Thinking About Problems
Regardless of what your job is or in what industry you’re working, there are always going to be problems that arise that you’ll have to tackle. For many people, what they first see when looking at a problem are the things that are standing in their way of the solution. But to help you become more innovative, you need to start reshaping the way you look at your problems. To help with this, Annabel Acton, a contributor to Inc.com, recommends that instead of thinking about what you can’t do with this problem in the way, think about what you “can, if…”. By changing your way of thinking in this way, you become much more open-minded about the solution and what could be possible in dealing with this problem.
Don’t Brush Off Your “Crazy” Ideas
No one can really plan or know when genius is going to strike them in the workplace. You may find that you get an idea about something when you’re working on a project that’s completely different. But according to Erin Greenawald, a contributor to The Muse, one of the worst things you can do for this innovative idea is to brush it off or consider it to just be “something crazy” you thought of. So many great ideas and inventions came out of “crazy ideas”; why can’t yours be one of them?
Enhance Your Naturally Innovative Traits
Even if you don’t consider yourself to be very creative or to have many innovative ideas at the present time, there are things you can do to enhance these traits within yourself. According to Anisa Purbasari Horton, a contributor to Fast Company, the best way to bring out these qualities in yourself is to consider what qualities you might naturally have, however infantile, and bring projects onto your own plate that will help you magnify these qualities. The more you’re able to do this, the better you’ll be able to cultivate these innovative qualities within yourself.
If you want to become more innovative and see this give a boost to your company or career, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.