Unlocking out creativity

Each summer, HFMA's National Board of Directors comes together for a two-day discussion retreat, designed to ensure the continued evaluation of HFMAs strategic direction. This

To get the discussion started, Vicki used Roger von Oech's book A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative to explain 10 mental locks of creativity. These locks tend to stifle creativity and endanger our creative thinking by confining us to traditional, routine ways of thinking. But by recognizing and "opening" these mental locks, we can, in fact, enhance and use our creativity to solve problems and have fun while doing so. In this month's column, and continuing in December, I'll briefly discuss von Oech's 10 mental locks of creativity.

The first five mental locks to creativity are as follows:

The right answer. By looking for the right answer, we limit ourselves and our view to a single dimension. But by looking for more than one right answer, we give ourselves permission to look beyond the norm, to use our imaginations, and to develop multiple answers, at least one of which will be "the best of the best." One way to open this mental lock is to reword the question; instead of asking for the right answer (singular), ask for all potential answers (plural).

That's not logical Logic plays an important role in the implementation of an idea, and that's where we, as generally left-brained professionals, excel. However, the actual conception of an idea often requires us to abandon logic. In von Oech's terms, it is important to use "soft thinking" in the conception phase of an idea, while "hard thinking" makes more sense in the implementation phase. "Soft thinking" may include looking for similarities and connections between otherwise dissimilar objects or concepts. As von Oech notes, metaphorical thinking ("how is this like that?") can help us see a problem, and thus an answer, from a new perspective.

Follow the rules. As financial professionals, we must follow certain rules, such as those required by the government, accounting rules-setting bodies, and others. But too often we blindly follow selfimposed rules. As Pablo Picasso said, "Every act of creation is first an act of destruction." Creativity means breaking patterns, changing rhythms, and killing sacred cows. Only by departing from "the way we've always done it" do we give ourselves the freedom to change.

Be practical. A first cousin to logic, practicality serves a purpose but often can limit the creative process. One of the best ways to open this particular lock, according to von Oech, is to ask "what if" One of my favorite examples of "what-if" thinking came in the development of Palm Pilot personal digital assistants (PDAs). For years, engineers attempted to develop a small, electronic "PC-like" device that could read handwriting. However, this proved an insurmountable challenge due to the multitude of handwriting styles. Finally, someone asked "what if, instead of developing a device that reads various styles of handwriting, we taught users to write in a manner that the device could read?" Thus, standardized entry for PDAs, known as the Graffiti(R) alphabet, was developed, and a new era was born.

Play is frivolous. Creative thoughts often arrive in unguarded moments, when we allow ourselves to be curious, to be imaginative. Creativity seldom occurs in periods of stress; playfulness allows us to set aside the stress and let the creative juices flow.

At Baptist St. Anthony's Health System (BSA), I've provided each of our financial team leaders with an important tool-a box of crayons. From time to time, I'll ask them to draw a picture or two. Recently, I asked them to draw two pictures, one depicting BSAs greatest challenge and one representing BSAs greatest opportunity. Although they rolled their eyes when asked to do this, the results indicated that they invested time-and creative thinking-in their drawings. In doing so, they thought differently about the challenges and opportunities we face.

I encourage all of us to open these first five locks and enhance our creative thinking. Doing so will provide each of us with a broader perspective as we strive to "Create the Future."