Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Being Creative...Inside the Box

John G. Miller, in his books QBQ and Flipping the Switch, writes about being successful while working with what we have. Hense, "in-the-box."

On page 39, of QBQ, he writes - Every organization has imperfect systems and finite resources. We may wish we had newer tools, better systems, more people, and bigger budgets. But thinking too much about what we'd like to have is another cause of procrastination.

I liken that to "the grass is always greener on the otherside."

There are a lot of things in life we don't have control over, and then there are times we've made bad decisions. We can't fall into the "I wish...." discussions with ourselves.

We have to learn to succeed with what we have. As some wise person once said, "have lemons, make lemonade."

And we can be creative while "thinking inside the box." Miller points out we can employ Creativity when we ask the QBQs:

  • What can I do to succeed with the tools I have?
  • What needs can I fill?
  • How can I help develop the products I have?
  • What action can I take to move forward?

To that end....

Danny