1. Leadership II STRATEGIES FOR PERSONAL SUCCESS

2. LEADERSHIP II u Managing multiple roles for the CO u Creativity u Enhancing your personal power base u Ethics

3. Section 2 Objectives u Define creativity and innovation u Identify importance of creativity & innovation in the fire service u Analyze the elements of creativity u Identify the 5 steps of the creative process

4. OBJECTIVES u Evaluate personal blocks to creativity u Identify ways of fostering creativity in subordinates u Identify effective techniques for selling new ideas u Develop strategies to enhance creative leadership traits

5. OVERVIEW u What is creativity? u What is innovation? u Why are they important? u Elements of creativity u The creative process

6. OVERVIEW u Creativity blocks u Fostering creativity in subordinates u Selling your ideas to top management u Self-assessment & personal improvement strategies

7. WHAT IS CREATIVITY? WHAT IS INNOVATION? WRITE YOUR DEFINITION FOR EACH

8. DEFINITION Creativity is the ability to produce original ideas or products

9. DEFINITION Innovation is the ability to improve a present practice, method, or product by adaptation or alteration.

10. CREATIVITY/INNOVATION u Do they belong in the business world? Examples u Do they belong in the fire service? Examples u Do they belong at the CO level? Examples

11. WHY FOSTER CREATIVITY? 1. Keep up with external changes: u Demands for new services u Demands for more service u Demands for increased productivity

12. WHY FOSTER CREATIVITY? 2. Assure state of the art methods & techniques u Using technological advances effectively u Adapting principles of private business to public service

13. CREATIVE MYTHS You may think of creativity as something mysterious & unattainable. Such an attitude stems from a series of myths. LETS EXAMINE EACH MYTH & DEBUNK EACH ONE

14. MYTHS ABOUT CREATIVITY Myth #1:The more intelligent your are, the more creative your are. Reality:Creativity is not a function of intelligence. Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought

15. Myth #2:People are born creative; creativity cannot be learned. Reality:It’s true! People are born creative - - that is, all of us are. We can acquire skills, creativity can be learned...such as tennis, piano, riding a bike.

16. Myth #3:Creative ideas come in a flash, like lightning bolts. Reality:Persistence and concentration are keys to creativity. You can’t plant a garden until you have prepared the soil.

17. Myth #4:Creativity is disruptive to the day-to- day life of an organization. Reality:Successful organizations are really two parallel, mutually supportive organizations--one innovative, one routine. Every routine was once an innovation.

18. Myth #5: Creativity is a luxury; it should be encouraged only in times of abundance. Reality:When you don’t have money to throw at a problem you need to be more creative. Necessity is the mother of invention.

19. Myth #6:True creativity is found primarily in the arts and has little practical business application. Reality:80 % of corporate sales are from products unknown 10 years ago. 40% of the gross national product is attributable to research and development during the past 15 years.

20. CREATIVITY - EXERCISE u Take out a blank piece of paper u List as many round objects as you can u Time limit is 4 minutes

21. ELEMENTS OF CREATIVITY Element #1 Fluency

22. ELEMENT #1 - FLUENCY 1. The quantity of ideas you can generate in a specific period of time. 2. The more ideas you have, the more potential for being creative. 3. Round objects: avg. 22, typical 3-32 Everyone has ideas--some just have more than others.

23. ELEMENTS OF CREATIVITY u Element # 1 Fluency u Element # 2 Flexibility

24. ELEMENT #2-FLEXIBILITY 1. Let go of predetermined categories 2. Break through mental barriers 3. Generate ideas in different categories 4. Practice free association 5. Measured by ability to generate ideas in a number of different categories

25. FLEXIBILITY-EXERCISE u Determine how many categories of round objects are represented in your lists.

26. FLEXIBILITY-EXERCISE u The more categories, the more flexible u Highest number of categories u Are items in categories lumped together?

27. How could you make this equation read correctly without moving a match? =

28. A woman dropped her watch. The face broke into 4 parts. The numbers on each part added up to 15. Draw a picture of how the watch face might have been broken.

29. ELEMENTS OF CREATIVITY

30. u Element #1 Fluency u Element #2 Flexibility u Element #3 Originality

31. ELEMENT #3-ORIGINALITY 1. Ability to generate unusual ideas 2. The fewer times an idea appears in any one group, the more original the idea. Form small groups & identify ideas not listed by anyone else. Post on board.

32. ELEMENTS OF CREATIVITY u Element #1 Fluency u Element #2 Flexibility u Element #3 Originality u Element #4 Awareness

33. ELEMENT #4-AWARENESS u Ability to see with your mind & imagination as well as your eyes u Ability to see possibilities, not just reality Awareness of creativity from others list? Awareness of subordinate potential, risk taking.

34. ELEMENTS OF CREATIVITY u Element #1 Fluency u Element #2 Flexibility u Element #3 Originality u Element #4 Awareness u Element #5 Drive

35. ELEMENT #5-DRIVE 1. Willingness to try & try again 2. Refusal to give up

36. THE CREATIVE PROCESS u An idea happens when someone suddenly discovers................

37. A NEW IDEA u A new combination of existing ideas u An adaptation of existing ideas

38. STEPS LEADING TO NEW IDEAS u Preparation u Concentration u Incubation u Illumination u Verification / Production

39. PREPARATION u Initial awareness of need for improvement u Scope out the situation u Lay groundwork for creativity u End result is a mental definition of your purpose....why you need a creative solution Does this ever happen on our department?

40. CONCENTRATION u Once your “hooked” you become absorbed in generating various ideas

41. INCUBATION u When ideas run out, leave it alone for a while u Sleep on it!

42. ILLUMINATION u The light bulb goes on u The “Ah-ha” phase - getting the answer u Having a feeling or a hunch that this is the way to go

43. VERIFICATION PRODUCTION u Testing the idea u Talking about the idea to others u Trying out the solution to see if it works

44. S-C-A-M-P-E-R u If the idea works, creative effort switches its focus to selling the idea u If it doesn’t work, we go back to the concentration step and generate additional ideas...enhanced by..... u SCAMPER questions are designed to stimulate fluency & flexibility of ideas.....

45. S-C-A-M-P-E-R u S - What can you substitute? u C - What can you combine ? u A - What can you adapt ? u M - What can you magnify, miniaturize ? u P - What can you put to other uses? u E - What, who, or where else ? u R - Can you rearrange or reverse?

46. CREATIVITY BLOCKS u We all have blocks which inhibit creativity u We unconsciously create secret rules about what we should or should not do, based on fear or lack of confidence Evaluate yourselves as we talk about the following creative blocks.

47. CREATIVITY BLOCKS u I don’t want to look foolish. u I don’t want to fail. u I ‘m not creative. u That’s not my area (skill, style, etc.). u I don’t get paid to have fun.

48. CREATIVITY BLOCKS u Allowing yourself to be creative & over- coming your personal blocks are just the first steps if your a supervisor u As a supervisor, you must encourage subordinates to be creative & overcome their own personal blocks

49. FOSTERING CREATIVITY u Avoid killer phrases - Examples: List u Don’t stifle innovative subordinates- How do supervisors discourage risk-taking?

50. TEN RULES FOR STIFLING INNOVATION 1. Be suspicious 2. Be inaccessible 3. Pass the buck 4. Criticize at every opportunity

51. TEN RULES (cont’d) 5. Discourage people from letting you know when there’s a problem 6. Control everything carefully 7. Make significant policy changes in secret 8. Keep people in the dark

52. RULES (cont’d) 9. Pass on your dirty work in the name of delegation and participation 10. Above all else, never forget that you, the supervisor, know everything there is to know

53. CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPERVISORS WHO FOSTER CREATIVITY u They are willing to absorb the risks u Comfortable with half developed ideas u Make quick decisions u Good listeners

54. CHARACTERISTICS (cont’d) u Don’t dwell on past mistakes u Enjoy their jobs u Expect subordinates to succeed u Capitalize on subordinates strengths

55. SELLING YOUR IDEA TO TOP MANAGEMENT u Have you ever made a suggestion to your boss which you really believed had potential for improving the department, but the boss refused to try it? What steps did you take? u Selling ideas is more difficult than generating them because it involves risk taking. What risk is involved?

56. ASSESSING SELLABILITY Consider 3 questions before proposing new ideas: 1. Will it work? 2. Will people accept it? 3. Is your idea timely?

57. ASSESSING SELLABILITY OF YOUR IDEA Will it work? u Has it been tested? u Is it practical? u Is it distinctly better than the present way?

58. SELLABILITY OF IDEA Will people accept it? (Must get a yes) u Will it improve quality? u Will it increase productivity? u Will it use personnel more effectively? u Will it improve present methods?

59. SELLABILITY u Will it improve safety? u Will it eliminate unnecessary work? u Will it reduce costs? u Will it improve working conditions?

60. SELLABILITY Is your idea timely? u Is it fully developed? u Is top management ready for it? u If it’s approved, are you ready to act on it? u Are you sure it doesn’t conflict with other projects that already have top management approval / priority?

61. DEVELOPING A PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT u Relate to a recognized need u Appeal to positive values u Anticipate objections u Get others involved u Ensure your credibility (cont’d)

62. RELATE TO A NEED u Identify the most sellable features u Evaluate the priorities of top management What bothers them the most What do they care most about Examples: Union-safety issues Citizens-response times u Emphasize features that interests the top

63. APPEAL TO POSITIVE VALUES u Emphasize the ideal qualities of your idea u Relate idea to improved public service u Clearly spell out benefits to those affected

64. ANTICIPATE OBJECTIONS u Think of all possible reasons why top management may be reluctant to accept your idea u Build a response to all possible objections into your initial proposal

65. GET OTHERS INVOLVED u If possible, build support for your idea at your level first u Remember, there is strength in numbers

66. ENSURE YOUR CREDIBILITY u Don’t make false claims u Don’t exaggerate u Don’t be defensive u If you don’t have the answer, offer to research the question and follow-up

67. Activity 1: Self-assessment u SM p. CR-9 u 10 minutes to complete questionnaire and self scoring u Results are personal & will not be shared

68. Activity 1-Improvement u List possible strategies for improving your score in each area......

69. #1 What can you do to get unsolicited ideas, suggestions, or proposals from subordinates?

70. EXAMPLES u Encourage ideas u Open door policy u Be a better listener u Be accessible

71. #2 What can you do to increase the number of new ideas that you propose to management?

72. EXAMPLES u Take more risks u Try a new idea. If you like it, support it u Discuss with your boss how important you think creativity and innovation are. u Assess what management’s biggest problems are

73. #3 How can you increase the freedom you give your subordinates to experiment with new ideas or to help solve tough problems?

74. EXAMPLES u Brainstorming sessions u “Beef” sessions u Let them know new ideas are welcome u Group problem-solving

75. #4 What can you do to decrease the number of times you refrain from doing something because you do not want to look foolish?

76. EXAMPLES u Do something foolish deliberately once in a while u Take more risks

77. #5 How can you avoid using killer phrases or doing other things which stifle creativity?

78. EXAMPLES u Keep a list of killer phrases where you can see it u If you’ve used one on a subordinate--apologize!

79. #6 How can you increase your comfort with half- baked ideas?

80. EXAMPLES u Don’t try to get every possible answer before going with an idea u If the idea has potential--support it

81. #7 How can you allow your subordinates to be more involved in projects which show their strengths?

82. EXAMPLES u Delegate more often u Let a company member star whenever possible u Encourage participation by not overreacting to failures

83. #8 How can you improve your ability to listen?

84. EXAMPLES u Really concentrate on what your subordinate is saying u Look for an idea’s good points-- not reasons it won’t work u Don’t talk so much

85. #9 How can you increase your own creativity?

86. EXAMPLES u Buy a book on creativity and get more comfortable with it u Do creativity exercises

87. #10 What else can you do to generate ideas or suggestions from subordinates?

88. EXAMPLES u Encourage experimentation u Assure your subordinates of your support u Actively involve them in problem solving

89. SUMMARY Each person has creative / innovative potential We can improve our creative ability COs must foster creativity in subordinates COs must be skilled in ‘selling’ new ideas to management

90. end