TH!NK DIFFERENTLY Upping the Ante to Your Leadership Approach Jean Nitchals, Niche Solutions, LLC May 18, 2016

Let’s Get Curious

Expand Your Reach Diverge Defer judgment Go big! Strive for quantity Seek unusual ideas Build & expand on other ideas

Take Time To Reflect Converge Be affirmative Be deliberative Check objectives Improve ideas Consider novelty Prioritize

Creative & Innovative Thinking is… Making a change that sticks (for awhile) – Talbot, 1997 Ability to produce new ideas that has some value (to others) – Gerard Puccio Original ideas that meet a need A mindset, an approach to life. Unleashing your inner curiosity in a way that allows you to be open-minded and true to yourself

Creative & Innovative Change Leadership “Ability to deliberately engage one’s imagination to define and guide a group towards a common goal – a new direction for the group.” Gerard Puccio Author, Key Note Speaker on Creative Leadership

Traits of Innovative Change Leaders Brainstorm!!

Traits of Innovative Change Leaders Curious Energetic Experimenting Independent Open minded Flexible Playful Perceptive Questioning Self-Aware

Traits of Innovative Change Leaders Curious Energetic Experimenting Independent Open minded Flexible Playful Perceptive Questioning Self-Aware Which are needed TODAY with your Change Agents and Sponsors?

Skills for Innovative Change Leaders Be open to novelty, the unique and different Give yourself permission to be tolerate the unknown or ambiguity Be comfortable and open to complexity How might these skills help Change Agents and Sponsors?

Innovative Thinking Styles Clarify Pinpoint the problem to solve Ideate Come up with new ideas Develop Refine ideas into strong solutions Implement Put the plan into action Which style are you working with? What’s needed?

Practice 1: What’s The Itch? Step 1: Brainstorm: Current Project Challenges Opportunities Ideas Step 2: Prioritize Which are you the most passionate about? Which keep you up at night? If you solved one, which would make a biggest impact? Step 3: For each statement identify Are there 1 or many solutions available Is it a reactive or proactive challenge or opportunity If you solve this one, who might it impact the most?

Types of Challenges We Solve Management 1-1 problem-solution Reactive: Something breaks, process, formula or steps to fix Proactive: updates to prevent issue; maintenance Creative Management 1-Many (problem-many solutions) Predicament Threat to current levels of service, support, business New approach needed to maintain current level of acceptance Creative & Innovative Leadership 1-Many (problems to solutions) Opportunities for a new future state Active pursuit of desired possibilities Opportunities to engage audiences i.e. unmet stakeholder need As Change Leaders, which challenges are you facing? Are your Stakeholders?

What’s the Landscape?

Changing Perspective What does the image represent? What does the situation need?

Changing Perspective How might someone else look at the situation? What questions or ideas might they offer?

Future State through Behaviors Empathy mapping can be used to: identify impacts of various stakeholder groups system design impacts customer impacts team building and branding Grounds key stakeholders to understand the change impacts on people (current / future). Goal is to draw out insights and key messages through the lens of each stakeholder group and user

Let’s Practice Again!

Thank you! Jean M. Nitchals Niche Solutions, LLC www.DiscoverYourNiche.com Jean@DiscoverYourNiche.com Thank you!

Questions