Go with the flow

Athletes and musicians know what the flow is. It is the point where you are absorbed totally in the moment, where your concentration on the task at hand is not only laser sharp but second nature, instinctual. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the father of positive psychology, studied the very nature of this experience, a depth of engagement and found it applied to across a spectrum of vocations.

As a trainer, I too have experienced being in that zone, in the flow state. When I am truly in the moment while I am teaching, I have what I can only describe as something akin to an out of body experience. My shoes no longer pinch my feet, my headache miraculously disappears, I am no longer hungry or tired… nothing matters except that point in time and my students.

The Creativity Factor

Recently, I released the first edition of my creativity training book called Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing Creativity at Work. Not one to rest after a project is done, I am preparing to write a second edition, an updated version of the book.

At this point, I am gathering research and stories of creativity and innovation at work. I am seeking examples of business situations where outside the box thinking and creative idea processes gave rise to new products and services or improvements to current processes. More specifically, I am seeking methods used to put employees into a creative mood, how your organization encourages creativity, how your organization handles projects that fail, and the products or services that came out of the creative process. Want to get involved? Have a story to share? Please email me and I will send a questionnaire.

Want to participate but don't have a lot of time? Try out my Creativity Factor survey. Its only 10 questions long.

Rapport is a many splendored thing

At a meeting yesterday, I was again struck by just how crucial it is to build a rapport with your training participants. Without that personal connection, a training session will often fall flat, no matter how high the level of expertise is on the part of the trainer, no matter how compelling the material.

Although most of my trainings are short, from a couple of hours to a day or two, one of my main objectives is to quickly build a personal connection with the people I train. How do I accomplish this so fast? One thing I do is to introduce myself on a first name basis as folks trickle in to the session. I also make myself a seating chart so I can connect a name and face easily (thank you, Dale Carnegie training). Third, I smile frequently and share some of my own foibles when working with the same subject matter we are currently learning.

I am asked at least once during a training how I am so good at remembering names and my answer is “its magic”. Then, since I am a trainer and teacher, I share my secrets.

Power from the People

As a trainer, I am often charged with taking a germ of an idea, nurturing it, and growing it into a full-fledged course. Most of the time, I work alone, at the keyboard of my computer, putting information together. Occasionally, I have the pleasure of working closely with those on the front-lines. One of my current projects, what my colleagues at the local community college and I call an “Ambassador” program, is heavily dependent on input from the outside. Geared toward those who work directly with tourists (we affectionately call them visitors), the program provides a background of the area, things to do, places to go, mixed with a heavy dose of customer service.

Yesterday was the second of two sessions meant as a sort of focus group to determine what, if anything is missing, inaccurate, or needs to be added? I had a small but powerful group of ladies who work at the official visitor center and are often visitors’ first point of contact when coming into the area. All generously offered their opinions and stories about encounters they have had. I want to use this post to thank them because their willingness to speak frankly is what will make this training the best it can be.

Where's the next great idea?

Do you know where your organization will be in the next 2-5 years? Will it still even exist? If it does, how will it look? One thing is certain, you will need new ideas to survive and thrive--Ideas for new or improved products, better or new services, and ideas to increase productivity and lower production costs.

So... where’s the next great idea?

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