Where do you find creative inspiration? No matter what jobs we do - it is our thinking and creativity that makes us stand out from the crowd. And, creativity isn’t just for arty types.  If you’re stuck, use creativity tools such as:

Reverse creativity: Improve your products and services by using a Reversal Tool. Ask the exact opposite to the question you want answered.  For example, if you want to improve your call centre services, ask what you should do to annoy your callers! Use brain-storming or mind mapping to get quick answers. Here’s a quick starter for ten:

Don’t answer the phone

Sound bored when you do

Put them through to wrong person / department

Play repetitive muzak on hold

Charge them a £1 a minute and give useless advice

Get Writing: One of the best ways to stimulate creativity is to write - even when you don’t feel like it! Carry a notebook with you to scribble down thoughts and inspiration no matter where you are - in a coffee shop, waiting for an appointment, or at the airport. Make notes of things that inspire, startle or amuse you. Write a verse, a poem, a novel or a play - but make writing an enjoyable habit.

For really creative writing - pen and paper works best. You need look no further than John Lennon’s scrawled lyrics for “All You Need Is Love” that fetched $1 million at an auction last July, or Bonham’s failed auction of a “A Day in the Life” that was expected to fetch $2 million. Do you think these jottings on scraps of paper would have been worth as much if he wrote them on his PDA!