The Creativity Factor: Using the power of the outdoors to spark successful innovation

by Garry Pratt

Overview

Kick start your creativity and become an even more effective leader by getting outdoors. Here's how to ditch the boardroom and set off on adventures that might just change your thinking and enhance your leadership skills.

Every successful business endeavour is born of a unique and innovative idea, and that in turn was born from the creative thinking of the people behind it. Then why is it the case that so many executives, founders and managers fail to actively develop and apply their creativity? The Creativity Factor clarifies how creativity is a key ingredient of effective leadership, before highlighting the strategies and approaches through which you can actively develop and cultivate your creative capabilities – not least of which is moving meetings and team-building exercises out of the office and into the great outdoors!

Rather than being an unchangeable trait, creativity is an ability and skill that we can train and improve. But how do you develop a creative mind-set that will lead to success? Creativity doesn't tend to come from inspired 'flashes', but from sustained periods of thought and effort. Through a combined effort of both the conscious and subconscious mind, much easier to encourage and develop in an outdoor setting, previously unseen connections are made and original ideas flourish.

The Creativity Factor explores the scientific&practical evidence for entrepreneurial creativity, and explains the mechanisms, habits and techniques that help develop this skill. This uniquely holistic guide will provide you with a newfound awareness of your creative potential and how it can lead to business success.

"Garry Pratt makes a compelling case to take our thinking outdoors as a simple but powerful way to free it from constraints." - Dimo Dimov, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Bath, UK

"Outside thinking is powerful stuff... Enjoy this fantastic journey!" - João Perre Viana, Founder of Walking Mentorship

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399400343
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	11/24/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	515 KB

About the Author

Garry Pratt is the co-founder of Earswitch, an innovative sensor technology start-up and was previously Entrepreneur in Residence and a Teaching Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the University of Bath. In this role, he ran an accelerator programme that supported high-tech, high-growth potential digital start-ups and scale-ups in areas such as med-tech, AR/VR and AI, through which he mentored, advised and trained over 100 founders. Garry is also the co-founder of the Outside/community and Walking Leaders, where he serves mentor, facilitator and guide on walking expeditions intended to cultivate creative and outside thinking in business leaders, teams and entrepreneurs.
Garry previously held senior positions in the pre-dotcom tech world across the US and Europe, co-founded a chain of specialist cookshops before co-founding Teachit, a leading educational digital content provider which he exited in 2011.
Garry Pratt is the co-founder of Earswitch, an innovative sensor technology start-up and was previously Entrepreneur in Residence and a Teaching Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the University of Bath. In this role, he ran an accelerator programme that supported high-tech, high-growth potential digital start-ups and scale-ups in areas such as med-tech, AR/VR and AI, through which he mentored, advised and trained over 100 founders. Garry is also the co-founder of the Outside/community and Walking Leaders, where he serves mentor, facilitator and guide on walking expeditions intended to cultivate creative and outside thinking in business leaders, teams and entrepreneurs.

Garry previously held senior positions in the pre-dotcom tech world across the US and Europe, co-founded a chain of specialist cookshops before co-founding Teachit, a leading educational digital content provider which he exited in 2011.

Table of Contents

About the author ix

Foreword xi

Introduction 1

1 Creativity isn't Magic 7

2 To Innovate is to be Creative 35

3 Breakout of the Bored'room 69

4 Collective Creativity 91

5 Take It Outside - Introducing Outside Thinking 111

6 Making Outside Thinking a Habit 163

Appendices

This is Powerful Stuff 171

Making it a Habit - The 20:3:3 Rule 174

Where to Practice Outside Thinking 178

When Can You Use Outside Thinking? 184

What's the return on investment (ROI)? 187

Methods and Techniques 188

Carry a question 189

What3Words 191

Forest Dipping 194

The wildest ideas 196

Natural storytelling 200

Three Stones Make a Wall 202

The Innovation Game 205

Go Get Lost 207

A Pilgrimage, solo or as a collective 209

The Nine-Point Problem 211

No Boundaries 213

Release your natural child 215

Walk in my shoes 216

Suggested Meeting Structures and Itineraries 218

Thanks to … 235

Walk and Talk with Garry 237

Index 239

Editorial Reviews

Garry is an outdoor innovator, and The Creativity Factor is a beautiful intersection between theory, practice and a lot of experience developed over the years. Outside thinking is powerful stuff and is now even more accessible to everyone. Enjoy this fantastic journey!” —João Perre Viana, Founder of Walking Mentorship

“Our bodies are not there just to carry our heads around. Garry Pratt makes a powerful case for utilizing the power of movement and walking for thinking and innovation. If you ever need inspiration to get out of the 'bored' room to out and about, read this book and you might be walking with a new spring and purpose in your step.” —Dr. Mia Keinänen, leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates

“Garry successfully debunks the myth that it takes a genius or Stanford drop-out to build a successful business; we are all capable of brilliantly creative, innovative ideas. Garry's excellent insight is that we need to learn to walk with the idea.” —Jonny Ohlson, Founder and Executive Chair, Touchlight

“Garry's book breaks down the science and structure behind the inherent capability we all have to free our often repressed creative side, leveraging our natural empathy with the outside and using it as an enabler for innovation. I can't think of a better way to break the creativity barriers and unleash the innovation potential than following Garry's advice and taking advantage of the natural creativity of 'Outside Thinking'.” —Nick Redshaw, Senior Vice President, Oracle, former Global GM & VP IBM

“This is a moving book! Garry Pratt makes a compelling case to take our thinking outdoors as a simple but powerful way to free it from constraints. Being on the move helps shift perspective, prompts deeper reflection, and unlocks imagination.” —Dimo Dimov, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Bath, UK

From the Publisher