Did you think that this article would be about creative techniques and training courses? That would be too simple!
First of all let us think about training to be an athlete. We have to put in lots of effort – hours on a bike, in a boat or maybe the gym. Then we have different types of training where we train for intervals and have short breaks or perhaps we do something completely different. Finally we might think about tapering our training before a major competition. Most coaches will tell you that to get the best out of our bodies we need to push them hard and then rest. If we do not push hard we cannot improve and if we do not rest we injure ourselves.
It is exactly the same with our own organisations. If we wish to embrace creativity and reap the benefits then we cannot pull out our book of techniques once in a while, we need to use them so that they become second nature. We also need to work hard i.e. practise on real problems not trivial issues in workshops and have regular breaks. If we use creativity all of the time then it ceases to be creative. But what about tapering before that big event? Well in the calm before the storm we get ourselves organised. We ensure we have the right equipment (pens, flip charts etc.), right environment and right people so that when we get to the starting line we are ready to go.
And if you really wish to push the point, British sprinter Linford Christie always said that you ‘start on the B of the Bang’. For us this means getting ahead of our competitors.