Go ahead a take a deep breath and get a little inspiration… no, seriously, stop reading and go ahead and take a deep breath, maybe even 2.

What is it like to get some inspiration? Of course, we initially think of inspiration as the process of doing something creative that stimulates us. That, of course, is the philosophical definition of inspiration but the physiological definition is the taking in of a breath of air, an inhalation.

I was talking with a client a few weeks ago about how she can cultivate innovation with her team who are looking to do some transformative work in their organization during these challenging times. She is pulling them together on Zoom calls and conducting brain storming sessions on how they can tweak their product line and marketing pitches, but she told me that they weren’t having much success. I suggested to her that instead of having everyone come together, she assigns “idea challenges” to teams of two and ask them to get together for some walks around town (physically distancing, of course) and discuss what ways they could address these issues. When I talked with her last week, she told me the teams had come up with a ton of ideas and were already working on implementation strategies.

So much for Zoom. People like to get together.

One way to think about inspiration (the creative type) is to consider slowing down thinking rather than amping it up. Certainly, brainstorming and free-associating ideas with your team is a great way to generate ideas, but that walk her team members took opened them up for new possibilities and I suspect getting out in the fresh air and taking some nice full breaths helped to stoke their creative genius

So, go ahead a take a deep breath and get a little inspiration… no, seriously, stop reading and go ahead and take a deep breath, maybe even 2.

Events and Offerings

• RESILIENT MINDFULNESS  TONITE!:  Hey, if you’ve gotten a little inspired from what you’ve just read, why don’t you join us for another Resilient Mindfulness session this evening at 7PM EDT. Our topic will be on Building Better Relationships at Work and Everywhere Else. Click here to join into the fun.
• We’ve just released the first 3 episodes of the Leadership Café with Lisa Scales, head of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Esther Bush, CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and Colin Lenox of EcoIslands whose mission it is to clean up all the water on the planet.

© Richard Citrin 2020