The Art of Creative Thinking: How to Be Innovative and Develop Great Ideas

144 Pages·2007·1.21 MB·English

by  John Adair

Art of creative FB:Layout 1 13/6/07 12:10 Page 1
“One of the foremost thinkers on leadership”
Sir John Harvey-Jones
THE ART OF
CREATIVE
THINKING
How to be Innovative and
Develop Great Ideas
JOHN ADAIR
Art of Creative Thinking prelims:Creative Thinking 3/4/07 14:38 Page i
THE ART OF
CREATIVE
THINKING
Art of Creative Thinking prelims:Creative Thinking 3/4/07 14:38 Page ii
Art of Creative Thinking prelims:Creative Thinking 3/4/07 14:38 Page iii
THE ART OF
CREATIVE
THINKING
How to be innovative and
develop great ideas
JOHN ADAIR
London and Philadelphia
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Publisher’s note
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this
book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and authors cannot
accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility
for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a
result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher
or the author.
First published in Great Britain in 1990 by the Talbot Adair Press
This edition published in Great Britain and the United States by Kogan Page Limited
in 2007
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism
or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this
publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of repro-
graphic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA.
Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the
publishers at the undermentioned addresses:
120 Pentonville Road 525 South 4th Street, #241
London N1 9JN Philadelphia PA 19147
United Kingdom USA
www.kogan-page.co.uk
© John Adair, 1990, 2007
The right of John Adair to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN-10 0 7494 4799 0
ISBN-13 978 0 7494 4799 1
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Adair, John.
The art of creative thinking : how to develop your powers of innovation and
creativity / John Adair.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7494-4799-1
ISBN-10: 0-7494-4799-0
1. Creative thinking. I. Title.
BF408.A28 2007
153.3’5--dc22
2007008563
Typeset by Jean Cussons Typesetting, Diss, Norfolk
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Creative Print and Design (Wales), Ebbw Vale
Art of Creative Thinking prelims:Creative Thinking 3/4/07 14:38 Page v
Contents
About the author ix
Introduction 1
1. On human creativity 5
Keypoints 8
2. Use the stepping stones of analogy 9
Keypoints 14
3. Make the strange familiar and the 15
familiar strange
Keypoints 19
4. Widen your span of relevance 21
Keypoints 24
v
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Contents
5. Practise serendipity 25
Keypoints 28
6. Chance favours only the prepared mind 29
Keypoints 32
7. Curiosity 33
Keypoints 37
8. Keep your eyes open 39
Keypoints 43
9. Listen for ideas 45
Keypoints 49
10. Reading to generate ideas 51
Keypoints 55
11. Keep a notebook 57
Keypoints 60
12. Test your assumptions 61
Keypoints 66
13. Make better use of your Depth Mind 67
A framework of effective thinking 68
Emotion 69
Depth Mind 70
Keypoints 75
14. Do not wait for inspiration 77
Keypoints 81
15. Sharpen your analytical skills 83
Keypoints 88
vi
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Contents
16. Suspend judgement 89
Keypoints 92
17. Learn to tolerate ambiguity 93
Keypoints 96
18. Drift, wait and obey 97
Keypoints 101
19. Sleep on the problem 103
Keypoints 107
20. Working it out 109
Keypoints 114
21. Think creatively about your life 115
Keypoints 118
Appendix A Checklist: Have you analysed the 119
problem?
Appendix B Checklist: Are you using your 123
Depth Mind?
Appendix C Answers to quiz questions and 125
exercise on pages 10–12 and 63
Index 129
vii
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About the author
John Adair is widely regarded as the world’s leading
authority on leadership and leadership development. Over a
million managers worldwide have taken part in the Action-
Centred Leadership programmes he pioneered.
From St Paul’s School, London, John won a scholarship to
Cambridge University. He holds the higher degrees of Master
of Letters from Oxford University and Doctor of Philosophy
from King’s College London, and he is also a Fellow of the
Royal Historical Society. Recently the People’s Republic of
China awarded him the title of Honorary Professor in recog-
nition of his ‘outstanding research and contribution in the
field of Leadership’.
John had a colourful early career. He served as a platoon
commander in the Scots Guards in Egypt, and then became
the only national serviceman to serve in the Arab Legion,
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