In this Issue

	Once Upon A Story
	Do you recognise these ten mental blocks to creative thinking ?
	Does Your Clients Strategic Plan Give Them the Competitive Edge ?
	The Bedside Table

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October 2008

Welcome to the October Thought Catcher.  A turbulent month financially for many so we have focussed on articles and information relating to change and adapability.

As they say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” so now it is more crucial than ever to ensure that when your organization comes together there is a strong sense of opportunity and optimism. 

Once Upon A Story

“Once upon a time there was a small village in the Swiss Alps where everyone lived very happily, until one Autumn day everything suddenly changed…..”.

A classic beginning to a story.

Let’s look at what the story is doing to the listener. It transports them to another time. So stories are time-travel enablers. Read rest of article

Do you recognise these ten mental blocks to creative thinking ?

Whether you’re trying to solve a tough problem, start a business, get attention for that business or write an interesting article, creative thinking is crucial. The process boils down to changing your perspective and seeing things differently than you currently do.

People like to call this “thinking outside of the box,” which is the wrong way to look at it. Just like Neo needed to understand that “there is no spoon” in the film The Matrix, you need to realize “there is no box” to step outside of. Read more >>>
 

Does Your Clients Strategic Plan Give Them the Competitive Edge ?

The nature of strategic planning has changed dramatically in the past few yaers. These changes have been in response to the increasingly difficult environment in which companies must operate: global marketing; unexpected new competitors; dizzying technogy changes. All these factors create an environment in which it is idifficult to devleop any sort of continualy relevant, long-term plans that have lasting significance. Companies that attempt to forecast the future even for four yeras forward are often treated to unwelcome suprises.  A strategic plan assessment tool is a self-administered questionnaire that can provide insights into how well an organisation's strategic plan is is posturing the organisation for success in today's turbulent business environment. 

Using assessment criteria that are widely applicable and have been used in a variety of industries including electronics assembly, manufacturing, health care, pharmaceuticals, paper products, telecommunications, and software development a broad view can be given. 

Dowload customisable forms From The Consultants Toolkit. This book edited by Mel Silberman is available online

The Bedside Table

Some books for reading this month:

• Discover Your Blind Spots by Dr Bob Smith which gives insight as to why people think and act in ways that cause them to repeat mistakes they could avoid. A valuable tool for business leaders
• Crucial Conversations tools for Talking When Stakes are High with foreword by Stephen R. Covey. Discover how to communicate best when it matters most
• Crucial Confrontations with foreword by Tom Peters. Never walk away from another touchy, controversial or complex issue at work or at home.

All available at creativetraining.com.au 10% discount for Thought Catcher readers.  Just type your choice of book into search engine and add 10% to the comment box.  Remember we ship on invoice so no need to use credit cards online.