Best Practices

Mental blocks to creativity

Often the main block to creativity is actually a mental block. Thoughts or comments such as these can stop creativity in its tracks.
Nov. 14, 2011

Often the main block to creativity is actually a mental block. Thoughts or comments such as these can stop creativity in its tracks.

  • Im not creative
  • That is not my area
  • We must be practical
  • There must be a single right answer
  • That is not logical
  • We must follow the rules
  • We must avoid ambiguity
  • To err is wrong and unforgiveable
  • Play is frivolous
  • Don't be foolish

Creativity takes flexiblity and stepping outside your comfort zone. Be careful that you encourage open thinking and avoid the thoughts and phrases mentioned about which can bring to a halt the new ideas that may help your strategic planning, value engineering, problem solving and process improvement.

About the Author

Denis Leonard

Denis Leonard has a degree in construction engineering an M.B.A. and a Ph.D. in quality management. Denis is a Fellow of the American Society for Quality, a Certified Quality Manager, Auditor and Six Sigma Black Belt. He has been an Examiner for the Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners a Judge on the International Team Excellence Competition and a Lead Judge on the National Housing Quality Award. A former Professor of Quality at the University of Wisconsin, he has experience as a quality manager in the homebuilding industry as well as construction engineer, site manager and in training, auditing and consulting with expertise in strategic and operational quality improvement initiatives. His work has achieved national quality, environmental and safety management awards for clients.

Denis is co-author of 'The Executive Guide to Understanding and Implementing the Baldrige Criteria: Improve Revenue and Create Organizational Excellence'.

http://www.BusinessExcellenceConsulting.net

[email protected]

Full listing of blogs https://www.probuilder.com/author/denis-leonard

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