Step One
Be Curious First...

Sooner, rather than later, you're going to find your arms crossed, your teeth clenched and your eyes staring blankly. Nothing works. Life seems unfair and your stomach is tightening its knot.

Face it... you're "stuck."

There are several choices.

• Do nothing and wait for the storm to pass.
• Try even harder to break through the walls.
• Look for an idea that changes the rules.

What's your choice?

Waiting is the most common decision.

Conventional wisdom says, "If at first you don't succeed, try... try... try again." And with each try your voice gets louder and your patience grows shorter.

Finding a new idea is the most difficult choice because it requires being curious first and asking numerous questions. Then creatively looking for the new ideas in the answers.

The next time you hear a new idea, spend the first 60 seconds just thinking about all of it's possibilities. Being curious first, allows you to find out what is right with the idea. Even if the idea is finally rejected, you are aware of the idea's rightness and can apply that to another challenge you're facing.

Being critical first, is a costly mistake because it allows excuses to drive the creative thought process. It's amazing to watch a typical new idea interchange. Usually within eight seconds someone proclaims what is wrong with the new idea and then all you see are the pitfalls. Just think if everyone had looked at the pitfalls before they leaped, we'd still be crouched in caves sketching animal pictures on walls.

To help you recognize the "Killer Phrases" of being critical first, here's a list of the top ten that we've collected.

1. It'll never work.
2. I don't have time.
3. It's not in the budget.
4. The boss will never go for it.
5. We tried that before.
6. That sounds like something my kids would say.
7. Let's get a committee to look into this.
8. Because I said so.
9. Great idea, but not for us.
10. It's out of scope.*
    

*Consultanese for "We don't get paid to look here."

If you catch yourself saying one of these Killer Phrases, consider bouncing a nerf ball off your forehead. Your staff will become very supportive of your efforts to overcome our natural tendency of naysaying.

Check out Killer Phrase Central where we list every Killer Phrase that we have heard from any language.

Step Two: Add Creative Stimuli