Recently, I was reading an overview of a corporate leadership study on organizational strength and where that strength comes from (yawn, I know!) and I was quite surprised at some of the findings…
But even MORE compelling than the study’s findings, (completed by renowned corporate-culture experts Price Pritchett) was just how important the strengths that they identified as mandatory for success are to you and me, as individuals.
Maybe there is something cool that we can learn from corporate USA?
Now, most would think that corporate leaders would identify things like market-share, cash-flow, return-on-investment, earnings-per-share, and other financial data as the most important indicators of their strength, right?
As it turns out, the study uncovered something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!
When asked to identify the most important strengths for success, they came up with these TEN attributes. (in no particular order)
Resilience - (The ability to take problems in stride, to bounce back quickly from difficulties or defeat; change-adaptive)
Confidence - (Organizational self-assurance; belief in the organization’s ability to perform effectively)
Energy Level - (The “corporate metabolism;” vitality; the capacity to do work)
Creativity and Innovation - (Coming up with viable new ideas; implementing fresh approaches)
Can-do Attitude - (A success-minded bias to “go for it” and make things happen)
Ambition - (Aspiration level or drive to achieve)
Hope - (Faith in the future; favorable outlook regarding things to come)
Happiness - (Positive, upbeat mental state; sense of well-being)
Competitive Spirit - (Playing to win; determination to outdo the opposition; pushing to improve)
Staying Power - (Emotional stamina; the psychological strength to persevere)
These attributes seem fairly straightforward, yet the study also uncovered an interesting conundrum...
While they ALL ranked "Creativity and Innovation" amongst their top three attributes that count the most, when they measured the current state of their company’s against this list, they found that creativity and innovation ranked LOWEST of all!
Hmmmm… Wonder why?
Well, I have a few ideas...
First of all, I believe that in our roles, jobs, and daily lives, we're consistently neglecting our creative faculties. We get into routines. We tend to spend far too much time focusing on the problems in our lives, as opposed to seeking and creating solutions.
And it's no coincidence that our corporate culture feels the effect of this lack of imagination and innovation...
After all it is people that work for, and run these companies, right?
Collectively, we’ve stopped constructively using our imaginations, and subsequently we're missing out on what's really most important. We've all got so much "noise" going on around us that we often fail to recognize the hints and hunches that our creative mind is trying to tell us about.
We also rely far too heavily on our external senses and what's going on "out there", instead of actively and creatively developing our imagination to empower ourselves and those around us.
But here's the good news!
Your creative faculties still exist. They may be dormant in your mind today, but with a new awareness, practice, and repetition, you can develop your mental ability to innovate and imagine great things.
And I can assure you that if you were to focus your attention and energies on improving yourself in the 10 areas identified above, you'd experience transformational growth and results far greater than you could ever imagine!
For some key methods on developing your imaginative skills, or to receive a copy of the report referenced above from the amazing folks at www.pritchettnet.com , please send me an email and I'll send the information out to you right away!
Until next time, be creative!
J. Shoop
Your Visualization Coach TM
J. Shoop, aka Your Visualization Coach is an expert in the field of creative visualization. He is a personal coach and the author of "The Other Secret - The Secret Key to The Life You Want by Creating, Attracting, and Connecting With Your Ultimate Mastermind Group". His new and improved mission in life is to inspire, educate, and help others to become aware of their unlimited potential for greatness. For more info on his services and to connect with him, send an email to jshoop@jshoop.com.
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