Creative Problem Solving: How to Ask Better Questions

The Creative Problem Solving process is about asking the right questions at the right time - and listening to the answers without judging.

Enjoy this video as Creativity Catalyst, George Torok, offers tips on how to ask better question along the creative problem solving path.



In what ways might you...?

George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker
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Benefits of Leasing

Lease financing may be a smart way for business owners to acquire the modern technology they need to be competitive while preserving capital to invest into other key areas of the business

Assuming your company is in the business to turn a profit, not just to acquire assets, equipment Lease Financing has its benefits…

ü     Leasing provides up to 100% financing of the equipment cost.

ü     Working capital & lines of credit remain free for other uses.

ü     Credit decisions are generally very quick, often the same day.

ü     Fixed rental for the term of the lease.

ü     Pre-determined purchase option is standard with our lease.

ü     Hedge against inflation.   

ü     Trade-in or upgrade your equipment as technology improves.

ü     Simplifies bookkeeping  -  rentals are fixed

ü     Tax Savings - Lease rentals may be 100% deductible 

ü     Simple documentation

ü     Personal guarantees rarely required for established businesses.

ü     Flexibility - Rental schedules may be tailored to fit cash flow needs.

ü     No time wasted visiting a bank office or other institution.

ü     HST is paid on the rental, instead of up front.

ü     Modern equipment can be acquired immediately adding to your cash flow & productivity.

ü     Facilitates budgeting – costs are known

ü     Deals under $30,000 require only a clean credit report

ü     Current model used equipment will also be considered

ü     Any type of business entity, large or small qualifies

          …each leasing situation is different, just as every company is different.

Contact the experts at Lease-Line to-day!

www.lease-line.com
art@lease-line.com


George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker
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Creative Thinking vs Creativity vs Creative Problem Solving

What's the difference between Creative Thinking, Creativity and Creative Problem Solving?

Enjoy this video with George Torok as he explores and clarifies the differences.



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Choose To Be Happy

Guest Post by WAYNE VANWYCK

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~  Abraham Lincoln

 

When my daughter was about nine and preparing for school, she stomped her feet angrily and declared, “I hate static cling!” I laughed out loud, struck by the absurdity of this disgruntled pronouncement and I gave her a hug, “Static cling doesn’t care if you hate it. Being upset and angry at static cling will in no way change how it behaves. There is no use being upset. The question is, what can you do about it?”

Getting angry at something you can do nothing about is a waste of time and energy. It just makes you look foolish. The real question is; what can you do about it.

For years, in our programs, we’ve been teaching that if you don’t like something, you only have three reasonable choices:

1. Do everything in your power to change it.
2. Accept it the way it is.
3. Remove yourself from the situation.

However, although it makes little or no sense, many people choose a fourth response - they complain.

There are several common statements that slip into the conversation of the average salesperson:

• I hate traffic jams
• I hate technology
• I hate this lousy weather
• I hate this recession

Like static cling, these are conditions over which you have little or no control. Traffic, technology, and weather don’t care if you like them or not. Consider whether you can do anything to change what is irritating you. If not, accept it or remove yourself, because complaining is negative and demoralizing to you and the people with whom you share your grumblings.

Of course, there are circumstances over which you can exercise some control:

• I hate making cold calls
• I hate being stood up on an appointment
• I hate asking for referrals

It doesn’t matter if you like them or not! Can you do anything to change the situation? If you hate doing what’s required to be a successful salesperson, perhaps you’re in the wrong job. Change.

If you don’t like being stood up on appointments and it happens frequently, ask yourself what you’re doing that may be causing this. Are the appointments firm or tentative? Are you confirming them before you go? If you’re driving a long distance to this appointment, are you preparing a back-up plan, perhaps arranging alternatives if the appointment is a bust? Do everything you can to change the situation.

With allowances for clinical depression, most of us can choose whether to be happy or angry, satisfied or dissatisfied. We can observe the same situation through a different lens and interpret it to make us either happy or miserable. If you want to be happy, make up your mind to be happy. Why would you choose otherwise?

Choose to be Happy - Guest Post by Wayne Vanwyck of The Achievement Centre

George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker
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How to Handle Junk Mail

By Harold Taylor 

Larry J. Sabato, in an article, Mailing for Dollars, in an old issue of Psychology Today, refers to a survey that showed that 63 percent of the people really look forward to receiving mail.  Even more than they look forward to daily activities such as watching television, hobbies, eating dinner and sleeping!  He also mentions another survey that revealed that 75 percent of the people who receive political mailings actually read them.

Contrary to the popular belief that most junk mail ends up in the wastebasket unopened, it doesn't - at least not until it has grabbed your attention and consumed some of your time.  To increase the likelihood of your perusing these unsolicited mailings, such ploys are used as personalized envelopes, "live" stamps, return postage, teaser copy, red ink, creative copy, and a personalized, conversational tone.

Direct-mail consultants spend their time devising new ways of getting you to spend your own time - and money - on various products and services offered.  Although I don't recommend you throw out all junk mail unopened, since much of it could be useful and profitable, you should be selective.  If you recognize from the envelope that the product the product or service is one you don't need or want, discard it unopened.  Otherwise, you'll be trapped into sorting through the interesting, colorful inserts that are designed to capture your interest.

 It can become very time-consuming when the direct marketers don't take the trouble to eliminate duplication.  If you receive two or three identical envelopes from the same mailer, take a minute to scribble "Return to sender" on the unopened envelope.  On the duplicates, add the statement "please remove name from mailing list."  Or have a self-inking stamp made up that says it for you.  

Unsolicited material can be valuable, keep you updated on what's new on the market, and give you some great ideas for increasing productivity in your firm.  But it is also designed to attract your attention.  So spend as little time on it as possible.  Be ruthless with those you open.  If their value is in doubt at all, scrap them quickly.  Resist the urge to read further or hold them over until later.  And don't circulate the material to others unless you can see immediate use for it.  When you do send material to others, note exactly what you want done and whether the material should be retained or scrapped.

File material you want to retain; but not in a permanent file system.  Place it in a follow-up file or idea file for future action.  Record the reason you are keeping it.  Discard inserts that are unnecessary and staple the other material together.  Don't file loose or paper clipped material.  On the pre-determined date, review it and take action.  Resist the urge to re-file it.  If you don't have time to do anything about it or have second thoughts about its value, scrap it.  Err on the side of tossing too much, never too little.

If you find the junk mail is consuming too much time, and keeping you from the priority items, have it separated from the other materials and placed in a folder of its own.  Then, regardless of when you review your mail, leave the folder until the end.  If you have used up your allocated mail time without having gone through the junk mail, no harm done.  Leave it until tomorrow.

You might even leave the folder of junk mail until fifteen minutes before quitting time.  You are normally winding down by then, and in no mood for priority tasks that require mental alertness.  With only junk mail standing between you and the evening meal or leisure time, you tend not to dawdle over those eye-appealing folders.  The secret is to review all junk mail, but do it quickly, without allowing it to infringe on priority time that could be used for priority tasks. 

George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker
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Creative Problem Solving: Why we have rules and how to examine them

Creative problem solving often means you need to face, examine and tangle with rules. It helps if you understand why rules exist and how to uncover the reason behind the rules.

Enjoy this video from Creativity Catalyst, George Torok as he discusses how to approach rules in Creative Problem Solving.

Warning: Some ideas expressed will offend some people. Stupid people need not watch this video.



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Creative Problem Solving: You Need Fools & Experts

Your creative problem solving team needs both fools and experts because they have different strengths. You need both sets of skills and perspective when applying creative problem solving.

Enjoy this video from Creativity Catalyst, George Torok as he explains the benefits of fools and experts and how to build your creative problem solving team.


George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker
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Disaster-Recovery Insurance: Preparing for the Worst to Avoid an Expensive Mistake

“Expect the unexpected” is an old axiom that has global applications. It’s a piece of advice that falls into the same category of Murphy’s Law, the familiar, though pessimistic, adage that predicts, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

Business owners often prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Large companies hire risk managers who predict risks and put together custom coverage plans, but small business owners must rely on their own knowledge or an agent to assist in creating plans. Even professionals can’t foresee natural disasters or other unexpected crises, which makes disaster-recovery insurance a must for small businesses with large investments in property or inventory.

A 2010 survey conducted by Travelers Insurance revealed that 94 percent of small business owners are confident that their business is protected against insurable risks; however, only 56 percent of those surveyed had disaster-recovery insurance.

Business owners without disaster-recovery insurance may not realize that their standard property insurance fails to cover disasters such as flooding, terrorism or other external circumstances that disrupt day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, this gap in coverage could have drastic consequences. According to federal statistics, 43 percent of businesses that close due to a natural disaster remain permanently closed; and 29 percent close in the following 2 years.

Natural disasters aren’t the only unpredictable risk factors. For example, would you be covered if a water main broke and flooded your building?  A business owner who has business interruption insurance will receive reimbursement for lost income in addition to necessary funds to repair damages. This business owner can retain employees while the property undergoes repairs. The employer without this type of coverage would be forced to lay off employees until repairs are completed – or to pay employees out-of-pocket.

Many small business owners purchase a standard Business Owners Policy or BOP, without researching the different areas of coverage. This may be why only 56 percent of business owners surveyed by Travelers Insurance were covered with disaster-recovery insurance. Though business owners may assume their property is protected against the unexpected, a standard BOP may be limited to maintenance and restoration. 

For small business owners who are not heavily invested in property or inventory, business interruption insurance may not be essential. However, this does not exclude the home-based business. Many independent business owners who work from home have admitted to having no extra insurance, falsely assuming that their homeowner’s insurance will be enough to protect against damages.

Most homeowner’s policies exclude business pursuits from coverage. Insurance claims filed to cover equipment, software or inventory could result in denial if an insurer were to tie the claim to a business venture. Home-based business owners who are interested in business interruption insurance should opt for a claim that includes an extra expense clause. The purpose of this clause would be to allow for the relocation of a business while the original property (the home) undergoes repairs.

Even though insurance is required to mitigate damages of the unexpected, sometimes purchasing insurance can come at a risk. A new business owner can overlook certain risks and find himself underinsured; while a business owner who chooses an unreliable agent could overspend on policies. Business owners who make self-education a priority can avoid such unnecessary and expensive mistakes.

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Carol Wilson is a versatile guest blogger who primarily writes about global business trends and finance. When she's not writing for sites like www.businessinsurance.org, she enjoys hiking and fishing. If you have any questions or comments for Carol, please send them to wilson.carol24@gmail.com.

George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker
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