Conversation success tip

If you require elaboration in a conversation, use questions that begin with the words: How, Why, In what way, What.

For more ideas, tips, articles and inspiration to help you grow your organisation, subscribe to the ezine, Grow your Organisation. View the current issue Or subscribe now - just send an email to subscribe@consultpivotal.com with the words subscribe organisation in the subject line.

Inspiring Creativity

Don't think of your members as very creative? Read this article by David G. Javitch to find out why it's important to encourage them to think outside the box.

So you say you're not creative? And your employees aren't either? Then "physician, heal thyself." You may be the source of the problem!
Everyone can be creative--it has nothing to do with smarts. In fact, having smarts is no guarantee that you can or will be creative. But just what is creativity? Dr. Theresa Amabile of Harvard Business School defines it as the process of doing something differently that works. That's it. Real easy.Read the whole article

Leadership, creativity and fear

A candid conversation with the CEO of General Electric about leadership, creativity, fear -- and what it's really like to run the world's most influential company

"surviving a failure gives you more self-confidence. Failures are great learning tools -- but they must be kept to a minimum."

Now, four years into the job, with the company showing much stronger performance, Immelt is stepping out of Welch's shadow and developing a leadership vocabulary of his own. He speaks about creating "growth leaders," holding "dreaming sessions" with customers, developing "imagination breakthrough" teams and projects, and the importance of "simplification" in a big-company environment. And Immelt has won favorable reviews for a new and bold environmental initiative that will double the company's research on clean technologies.

Immelt recently sat down for a talk with Fast Company editor-in-chief John A. Byrne in the CEO's conference room at GE headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut. Read the interiew

Speech Making Success Tip

"If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time~a resounding whack."
~Winston Churchill