Canvas Creek Team Building
Ever heard the phrase “creative strategic planning”? Surely you have, though it may have simply been thrown around in a business meeting. Or maybe you’ve seen it scattered across the internet, a vague catch phrase get-rich-quick schemes use to lure people in. Either way, this is one thing you definitely need to pay more attention to.
Strategic planning refers to defining a specific goal and then laying out a necessary strategy to reach that goal. Basically, strategic planning makes sure your short-term decisions work in favor of your long-term goals. To begin, a strategic planner needs to answerthese three questions:
1.) Where are we now?
2.) Where do we want to be?
3.) How can we move one step closer?
Sound simple enough? Almost. The first two questions should be answered with as much specifics as possible. Let’s say you own a business. Your goal is to raise profits by 10% by the end of next year. So you might say:
1.) Where are we now?
- Our current profit margin is ___.
2.) Where do we want to be?
- We want our profits to be raised by 10% by December 31, 2013. Therefore, we need our profit margin to be ___by December 31, 2013.
Now comes the creative part, which is question #3. There are a number of theories floating around that provide the best way to start the creative process, but we feel Wallas’s creative process makes for a great fit. There are four stages: preparation, incubation, illumination and verification.
Preparation is the stage of gathering all your possible information. After all, you won’t be able to give yourself options if you have no idea of what you’re working with, right? So look at all your sources, all the people you know and all the possible pathways to reach your goal.
Next is incubation. So take a break; set the problem aside for a bit to clear your head. A disorganized mind creates a disorganized reality.
Step 3: illumination. Identify potential solutions. This is when working as a team really comes in handy, as everyone will be looking at the problem through a different perspective. Have brainstorming sessions to present as many solutions as possible.
And finally: verification. Refine your ideas. There may be a number of ideas on how to increase profits by 10% within the given time frame, but each idea needs to be refined and clearly laid out before a decision is made.
It’s completely understandable if this still sounds a bit complicated, but that’s why we’re here! Schedule a meeting with Canvas Creektoday and we’ll show you how to get on track in your creative strategic planning process. We’ll even be with you every step of the way.
It’s funny, as this time of year rolls around, people go into thankfulness overdrive. All over Facebook people are participating in “30 Days of Thankfulness” where each day they list something they are thankful for. However, being constantly bombarded with tokens of appreciation can take its toll, turning even the most positive people (myself included) slightly cynical. But when you take a look back, you’ll find there really are some things to be truly thankful for, and these are just a few of them.
1.) Your family. This doesn’t necessarily have to mean your biological family. There are many other people from various walks of life that can be considered family. Maybe you have a group of coworkers that make your job more pleasant than it really should be, or perhaps you have a close-knit group of friends that have been with you through thick and thin. Either way, there is surely at least one person that you are grateful to know.
2.) Your health. If you’re in generally good health, be thankful for it. There are countless afflictions you could have. If you’re ailing, be thankful for modern medicine and all the advances modern science has made in the medical field. And if you’re confused about your health, be thankful that there are resources to help you get back on your feet. Counseling centers and rehab facilities are right at your fingertips.
3.) Technology. Just think back to a few years ago and you should find yourself deeply impressed with what you have now. Even if you don’t have the newest television or the latest iPhone, there are still some amazing things happening in the technological world. Be thankful you can have a face to face conversation with someone completely across the planet or that your phone has an app that will let you find your car keys should you ever lose them again. Now c’mon…that’s pretty amazing.
4.) Opportunity. No matter what your situation is, you have the opportunity to make it better. Maybe you’re unhappy with the current political climate; be thankful that you have the ability to vote and to run for a government position. Even if you feel you’ve missed opportunities in the past, chances will still come along to allow you to better yourself. Be thankful you live in a place with abundant opportunities.
5.) Holidays. Think about it, what other days are you allowed to hang out with your best friends and family members, eat way too much food all while skipping out on work and (probably) still getting paid? Not a lot. Definitely be thankful for the holidays.
Don’t underestimate the importance of social networking in your business! What are some ways you use social networking?
Social commerce expert Paul Chaney is a social media marketing consultant, writer, and author. He put together a list of his 5 favorite social networking tools, which can help you manage and optimize your online marketing:
1) SproutSocial - This social media dashboard allows you to…
“In the long history of humankind…those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin
Ah yes, our passion. At times it can be so elusive, and vague comments from others (“Well, just pick something you like and do that.”) are virtually useless. So here are a few inspirational points that might help you get on the right path.
1.) Often people attempt to live their lives backwards. They try to acquire more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.
2.) Don’t be normal. Sadly, normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you financed, in order to get to the job that you don’t really like, but that you need, to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.
3.) If you are passionate about it, pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks. That’s how dreams are achieved.
4.) Live by choice, not by chance. Make changes, not excuses. Be motivated, not manipulated. Work to excel, not compete. Choose to listen to your inner voice, not the jumbled opinions of everyone else.
5.) When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you, but because in that brief moment when the coin is in the air, you suddenly know what you are hoping for.
6.) It’s not about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance. You’ll rarely be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Sometimes you just have to go for it.
7.) Nothing you have that much passion for is ever a waste of time, no matter how it turns out in the long-term.
8.) Life is short. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
9.) A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write. This concept can be universally applied.
10.) There are people who live in a dream world and there are people who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.
11.) If you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.
12.) When we focus on leading a passionate, meaningful life, we are also inadvertently creating a spectacular ripple effect of inspiration in the lives around us. When one person follows a dream, tries something new, or takes a daring leap, everyone nearby feels their passionate energy; and before too long, they are making their own daring leaps while simultaneously inspiring others.
Do you guys have any quotes that inspire you?
