The Purchasing Coach: Creativity & Innovation

One of my Moo business cards uses the above gaping void image  

creativity always with purpose. 

Just as the use of unconventional tools I talked about yesterday is always with purpose too.

'If we keep doing what we've always done we'll get what we've always got' may be an over used saying but it's true - especially when the outcome we're getting isn't aligned with our goals. 

It's only through creativity and innovation that we can truly understand the opportunities that exist. The challenge is we so often expect creativity to appear just because we've put it on our to-do list, or by command when we all sit around the meeting table in the office, and decide there and then we're going to write a list of innovative solutions to the challenges we're facing. 

Change is never going to happen if we stay in our comfort zones and think we already know it all, or believe we've already tried it, and it didn't work! 

Change also isn't going to happen if we operate within our safe and known stereotypes. A stereotype that for procurement were described as Mr Wolf by some suppliers in 2016!  

Change comes from thinking differently, from changing our perspective, and from opening our minds to the possibilities that have yet to make themselves known.

Change might therefore come from deciding to take the red pill (see the extract from the film The Matrix below)

Or from metaphorically walking through door B (in the middle of this collage) and avoiding all the A doors around the edge that just lead us to back to what we've been doing for some time.

Change might also come from going in squares and not circles as happened on a recent workshop,

or from allowing the pipe cleaners to determine how to move from ineffective communication 

to joined up communication.

or from going for a walk 

Or any other activities that get us out of our normal way of thinking.

What gets you into a creative or innovative frame of mind, and when will you next need its support to get those creative juices flowing in order to find the solutions you're searching for, and that have thus far eluded you?

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring Change Inside and Out

This first week of 2017 I'm exploring the topics that make me tick - those topics that inspire my action (including the odd rant), and that are subjects that I share often in the procurement consultancy, speaking and coaching work that I do. They're also subjects that I have expertise in, enjoy, and that also make a difference when applied well.

Posts so far this week have covered:

• Don't leave your humanity at the door - because I get frustrated when I hear people tell me that we have to leave our authentic selves/humanity at the office door, and instead apply rules that cause other people and the planet great distress. I believe taking our humanity to work with us is what being a B Corp is all about, and is something I'm going to be talking to B Corporations about during the year. 
• Language - because words have power, and we often unconsciously use words that hinder us achieving our goals.  
• Soft skills - because if your goals rely on working with other people soft skills are the fastest way to achieving your goals
• Use of unconventional tools - as above because they're particularly good at bypassing barriers to change. 
• Inspiring change - because effective change comes from motivated people. 
• Creativity and Innovation - as above.

The remaining topic to be covered tomorrow is:

• Procurement in large corporate organisations - because it's the environment I've worked in for over 30 years. (Did I really type that? Although more can be found on the journey of working for myself in my happy 10th anniversary blog written in March 2016.)

Another means of finding out more about who I am, what I do and the results achieved can be found be reading 2016: My year in blogs which was written at the end of 2016.