Ans2: Self-esteem is an individual's subjective evaluation of their own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am unloved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame.[1] Smith and Mackie (2007) defined it by saying "The self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, is the positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it."[2] Self-esteem is an attractive psychological construct because it predicts certain outcomes, such as academic achievement,[3][4] happiness,[5] satisfaction in marriage and relationships,[6] and criminal behavior.[6] Self-esteem can apply to a specific attribute (for example, "I believe I am a good writer and I feel happy about that") or globally (for example, "I believe I am a bad person, and I feel bad about myself in general"). Psychologists usually regard self-esteem as an enduring personality characteristic (trait self-esteem), though normal, short-term variations (state self-esteem) also exist. Synonyms or near-synonyms of self-esteem include many things: self-worth,[7] self-regard,[8] selfrespect,[9][10] and self-integrity. What Is Self-Esteem? By Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT Last updated: 10 May 2019 ~ 5 MIN READ Self-esteem is what we think of ourselves. When it’s positive, we have confidence and selfrespect. We’re content with ourselves and our abilities, in who we are and our competence. Self-esteem is relatively stable and enduring, though it can fluctuate. Healthy self-esteem makes us resilient and hopeful about life. Self-Esteem Impacts Everything Self-esteem affects not only what we think, but also how we feel and behave. It and has significant ramifications for our happiness and enjoyment of life. It considerably affects events in our life, including our relationships, our work and goals, and how we care for ourselves and our children. Although difficult events, such as a breakups, illness, or loss of income, may in the short term moderate our self-esteem, we soon rebound to think positively about ourselves and our future. Even when we fail, it doesn’t diminish our self-esteem. People with healthy selfesteem credit themselves when things go right, and when they don’t, they consider external causes and also honestly evaluate their mistakes and shortcomings. Then they improve upon them. Healthy vs. Impaired Self-Esteem I prefer to use the terms healthy and impaired self-esteem, rather than high and low, because narcissists and conceited individuals who appear to have high self-esteem actually don’t. Theirs is inflated, compensates for shame and insecurity, and is often unrelated to reality. Boasting is an example, because it indicates that the person is dependent on others’ opinion of them and reveals impaired rather than healthy self-esteem. Thus, healthy selfesteem requires that we’re able to honestly and a realistically assess our strengths and weaknesses. We’re not too concerned about others’ opinions of us. When we accept our flaws without judgment, our self-acceptance goes beyond self-esteem. Impaired Self-Esteem Impaired self-esteem negatively impacts our ability to manage adversity and life’s disappointments. All of our relationships are affected, including our relationship with ourselves. When our self-esteem is impaired, we feel insecure, compare ourselves to others, and doubt and criticize ourselves. We neither recognize our worth, nor honor and express our needs and wants. Instead, we may self-sacrifice, defer to others, or try to control them and/or their feelings toward us to feel better about ourselves. For example, we might people-please, manipulate, or devalue them, provoke jealousy, or restrict their association with others. Consciously or unconsciously, we devalue ourselves, including our positive skills and attributes, making us hyper-sensitive to criticism. We may also be afraid to try new things, because we might fail. Symptoms of Healthy and Impaired Self-Esteem The following chart lists symptoms that reflect healthy vs. impaired self-esteem. Remember that self-esteem varies on a continuum. It’s not black or white. You may relate to some, but not all. Healthy Self-Esteem Impaired Self-Esteem Know you’re okay Feel not enough; always improving yourself Know you have value and matter Lack self-worth and value; feel unimportant Feel competent and confident Doubt self, feel incompetent, and afraid to risk Like yourself Judge and dislike yourself Exhibit honesty and integrity Please, hide, and agree with others Trust yourself Indecisive, ask others’ opinions Accept praise Deflect or distrust praise Accept attention Avoid, dislike attention Are self-responsible; honor self Discount feelings, wants, or needs Have internal locus of control Need others’ guidance or approval Self-efficacy to pursue goals Afraid to start and do things Have self-respect Allow abuse; put others first Have self-compassion Self-judgment, self-loathing Happy for others good fortune Envy and compare yourself to others Acceptance of others Judge others Satisfied in relationships Unhappy in relationships Assertive Defer to others, indirect and afraid to express yourself Optimistic Feel anxious and pessimistic Welcome feedback Defensive of real or perceived criticism The Cause of Impaired Self-Esteem Growing up in a dysfunctional family can lead to codependency as an adult. It also weakens your self-esteem. Often you don’t have a voice. Your opinions and desires aren’t taken seriously. Parents usually have low self-esteem and are unhappy with each other. They themselves neither have nor model good relationship skills, including cooperation, healthy boundaries, assertiveness, and conflict resolution. They may be abusive, controlling, interfering, manipulative, indifferent, inconsistent, or just preoccupied. Directly or indirectly, they may shame their children’s feelings and personal traits, feelings, and needs. It’s not safe to be, to trust, and to express themselves. Children feel insecure, anxious, and/or angry. As a result, they feel emotionally abandoned and conclude that they are at fault — not good enough to be acceptable to both parents. (They might still believe that they’re loved.) Eventually, they don’t like themselves and feel inferior or inadequate. They grow up codependent with low self-esteem and learn to hide their feelings, walk on eggshells, withdraw, and try to please or become aggressive. This reflects how toxic shame becomes internalized. Shame Shame runs deeper than self-esteem. It’s a profoundly painful emotion rather than a mental evaluation. Underlying toxic shame can lead to impaired or low self-esteem and other negative thoughts and feelings. It’s not just that we lack confidence, but we might believe that we’re bad, worthless, inferior, or unlovable. It creates feelings of false guilt and fear and hopelessness, at times, and feeling irredeemable. Shame is a major cause of depression and can lead to self-destructive behavior, eating disorders, addiction, and aggression. Shame causes shame anxiety about anticipating shame in the future, usually in the form of rejection or judgment by other people. Shame anxiety makes it difficult to try new things, have intimate relationships, be spontaneous, or take risks. Sometimes, we don’t realize that it’s not others’ judgments or rejection we fear, but our failure to meet our own unrealistic standards. We judge ourselves harshly for mistakes than others would. This pattern is very self-destructive with perfectionists. Our self-judgment can paralyze us so that we’re indecisive, because our internal critic will judge us no matter what we decide! Relationships Our relationship with ourselves provides a template for our relationships with others. It impacts our relationship happiness. Self-esteem determines our communication style, boundaries, and our ability to be intimate. Research indicates that a partner with healthy self-esteem can positively influence his or her partner’s self-esteem, but also shows that low self-esteem portends a negative outcome for the relationship. This can become a selfreinforcing cycle of abandonment lowering self-esteem. Impaired self-esteem hinders our ability to speak up about our wants and needs and share vulnerable feelings. This compromises honesty and intimacy. As a result of insecurity, shame, and impaired self-esteem as children, we may have developed an attachment style that, to varying degrees, is anxious or avoidant and makes intimacy challenging. We pursue or distance ourselves from our partner and are usually attracted to someone who also has an insecure attachment style. Generally, we allow others to treat us the manner in which we believe we deserve. When we don’t respect and honor ourselves, we won’t expect to be treated with respect and might accept abuse or withholding behavior. Similarly, we may give more than we receive in our relationships and overdo at work. Our inner critic can be judgmental of others, too. When we’re critical of our partner or highly defensive, it makes it difficult to problem-solve. Insecure self-esteem can also make us suspicious, needy, or demanding of our partner. Raising Self-Esteem Self-esteem is generally determined by our teens. Some of us struggle all our lives with impaired self-esteem and even the resulting depression. But we can change and build healthy self-esteem. Raising self-esteem means getting to know and love yourself — building a relationship, as you would with a friend — and becoming your own best friend. This takes attentive listening, quiet time, and commitment. The alternative is to be lost at sea, continually trying to prove or improve yourself or win someone’s love, while never feeling truly lovable or enough — like something is missing. It’s difficult to get outside our own thoughts and beliefs to see ourselves from another perspective. Therapy can help us change how we think, act, and what we believe. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to raise self-esteem. It’s more powerful when combined with meditation that increases self-awareness. Some things you can do: Recognize the Signs. Be able to spot clues that your self-esteem needs uplifting. Many people think they have good self-esteem. They may be talented, beautiful, or successful, but still lack self-esteem. Root Out False Beliefs. Learn how to identify and deprogram false beliefs and behaviors you want to change and those you want to implement. Identify Cognitive Distortions. Impaired self-esteem can cause us to skew and distort reality. Learn to identify and challenge your cognitive distortions. Journal. Journaling has been shown to elevate mood and decrease depression. Keeping a journal can also help you to monitor your interactions with others and your negative self-talk. Heal Toxic Shame. If you believe you suffer from codependency and shame, learn more about it and do the exercises in Conquering Shame and Codependency. The 4 components of selfesteem There are 4 components that define the esteem you might feel for yourself: self-confidence, identity, feeling of belonging, and feeling of competence. Self-confidence (feeling of security) This is the foundation of self-esteem. If we feel secure with our family, if we feel loved and our needs are met, our self-esteem develops. That’s when we try to take our place and dare to try new things and new experiences. For example, when we learn to walk, we fall down the first few times, but with encouragement, we develop our confidence and try again! Identity This is the knowledge we have of ourselves. By experimenting, learning, and getting feedback from the people around us, we come to identify our characteristics, abilities, needs, and feelings. Identity can be divided into several parts: including physical (the representation that each person has of their own body) and social (how I come into contact with other people, the groups I associate with, my economic situation, my place as a student, worker, teen, how I act with my girlfriend or boyfriend, which sex attracts me, etc.). Feeling of belonging We all belong to several groups: family, friends, school, sports team, etc. We also define ourselves by belonging to these groups, by the relationships we have with other people and the experiences we have in these groups: feeling like part of a group, feeling solidarity, seeking out the other group members, communicating well, sharing, etc. The various groups we belong to allow us to feel understood and know that there are people who are like us. Feeling of competence To feel competent, we need to have different experiences, succeed and fail, and learn new things. The feeling of competence is related to motivation: a person is motivated when they face challenges that they are able to meet. Success results in a feeling of efficacy and pride that promotes self-esteem and pushes the person to accept new challenges. Self-esteem is not carved in stone. It changes and stabilizes based on the people we meet and our life experiences. Although it can be a challenge during adolescence, one thing is certain: the more different situations we face, the more we learn about ourselves and the better we know who we are and who we want to identify with, what we don’t want to repeat, and what we want for our lives. How do you measure your self-esteem? I am becoming increasingly aware of a tendency in society (or perhaps myself?) to associate selfworth with our performance or position. This can result in all sorts of defensive behaviours when people get under pressure or are exposed to change situations. Here’s a few things I uncovered about self-esteem in my last post: 1. Happy people can have high self-esteem, but having high self-esteem does not mean you’re happy. 2. Self-esteem that is based on being better than others or your performance can make you miserable. 3. Healthy self-esteem is based on setting our own goals, learning from the process of achieving those goals, and having goals that are for something bigger than ourselves. 4. Our self-esteem is largely based on our upbringing, and our self-esteem will likely be similar to the self-esteem of our parents. 5. Because of the connection between our upbringing and our self-esteem, mentors can act as an external catalyst to help us develop healthy self-esteem, helping show us how to set goals and point us to a purpose that is bigger than ourselves. These points and the supporting research, along with a few conversations I have been having about the post, are highlighting a practical model of self-esteem. Fragile versus secure self-esteem One of the research articles I found from my last post said our self-esteem is either fragile or secure, depending on the source. Fragile self-esteem often comes from external sources such as: validation of our performance, our relative position to others, and our membership in a group, team, organisation – including profession, religion, family, political party or community. Secure self-esteem on the other hand comes from within; an awareness of our intrinsic value. Goals play a role, but only if the goals are an expression of our value rather than our value being defined by our goals. This intrinsic value often has spiritual elements, as people integrate spirituality into their view of self. This integration is evident in what one researcher defines as Universal Worth, which is based on the belief that: 1. one is valued by a deity; 2. one’s value is not contingent on success or failure; and 3. one is not valued by a deity more or less than others are valued. This distinction of source as internal or external is also seen in another study that defined seven sources of self-esteem in college students: Competency – specific abilities like academic competence; Competition – outdoing others; Approval from generalized others – the perception of others’ esteem; Family support – refers to perceived affection and love from family members; Appearance – self-evaluations of one’s physical appearance; God’s love – the belief that one is valued by a supreme being; and Virtue – adherence to a moral code. Self-esteem from external sources such as competition or approval from others could be seen as fragile, whereas self-esteem from virtue or a belief in inherent value could be seen as secure. Ans3: personality is the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. It is believed that personality arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life. The term personality has been defined in many ways, but as a psychological concept two main meanings have evolved. The first pertains to the consistent differences that exist between people: in this sense, the study of personality focuses on classifying and explaining relatively stable human psychological characteristics. The second meaning emphasizes those qualities that make all people alike and that distinguish psychological man from other species; it directs the personality theorist to search for those regularities among all people that define the nature of man as well as the factors that influence the course of lives. This duality may help explain the two directions that personality studies have taken: on the one hand, the study of ever more specific qualities in people, and, on the other, the search for the organized totality of psychological functions that emphasizes the interplay between organic and psychological events within people and those social and biological events that surround them. The dual definition of personality is interwoven in most of the topics discussed below. It should be emphasized, however, that no definition of personality has found universal acceptance within the field. The study of personality can be said to have its origins in the fundamental idea that people are distinguished by their characteristic individual patterns of behaviour—the distinctive ways in which they walk, talk, furnish their living quarters, or express their urges. Whatever the behaviour, personologists—as those who systematically study personality are called—examine how people differ in the ways they express themselves and attempt to determine the causes of these differences. Although other fields of psychology examine many of the same functions and processes, such as attention, thinking, or motivation, the personologist places emphasis on how these different processes fit together and become integrated so as to give each person a distinctive identity, or personality. The systematic psychological study of personality has emerged from a number of different sources, including psychiatric case studies that focused on lives in distress, from philosophy, which explores the nature of man, and from physiology, anthropology, and social psychology. Characteristics of Personality So what exactly makes up a personality? Traits and patterns of thought and emotion play important roles as well as the following fundamental characteristics of personality: Consistency: There is generally a recognizable order and regularity to behaviors. Essentially, people act in the same ways or similar ways in a variety of situations. Psychological and physiological: Personality is a psychological construct, but research suggests that it is also influenced by biological processes and needs. Behaviors and actions: Personality not only influences how we move and respond in our environment, but it also causes us to act in certain ways. Multiple expressions: Personality is displayed in more than just behavior. It can also be seen in our thoughts, feelings, close relationships, and other social interactions. PERSONALITY TESTING Despite the various debates about the nature and source of personality, psychologists have both categorized personality types and sought out ways to test individuals for their conformity with such types. These tests can give the individuals as well as their employers useful insights into the personality traits of those tested. Since employees' personalities may dictate how well they perform their jobs, such personality testing is meaningful to and useful for management. Personality may indicate how hard a person will work, how organized he is, how well he will interact with others, and how creative he is. In recent years, more organizations have been using self-reporting personality tests to identify personality traits as part of their hiring or management development processes. Employers recognize that experience, education, and intelligence may not be the only indicators of who the best hire might be. Additionally, understanding one's own personality characteristics may improve one's ability to develop as an employee and manager. There are a number of different ways in which personality has been categorized, and different opinions exist about the number of dimensions of personality. Early tests of personality were developed to diagnose mental illness, and while some of these tests were used in employment settings, their acceptability and applicability were questionable. However, there are now tests specifically for use in normal adult populations, each of which is based on different conceptions of the dimensionality of personality. Big Five The Big Five are the five broad dimensions of personality that most researchers in the personality testing community use when evaluating a person’s personality. For organizations, where an employee falls on the range for these five traits (Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism) can provide great insight into how a new hire — or current employee — interacts with co-workers, manages work-related stress, deals with managerial decisions, and more. Occupational Interest Inventories (OIIs) In organizations with multiple positions and different career paths, occupational interest inventories can be effective tools for putting employees in the right roles. These tests, like the Holland Code Career Test, measure how interested a participant is in different tasks and roles. They also provide insight into the career interests of that participant. OIIs are especially effective for increasing employee retention when administered to current employees to determine what their role in an organization should be. DISC Behavior Inventory Understanding an employee’s work behavior style can be important, especially when it comes to team building. Used frequently in larger organizations, the DISC classifies candidates into four different “styles” based on questions about their behaviors at work. It helps organizations find out more about a candidate’s tendencies toward: dominance, influence, support, and control. 5. Situational Judgment Tests (STJs) If you’re looking to see how an employee interacts with customers or handles the pressure of common challenging situations, consider using STJs as a part of your evaluation process. STJs put your employees in realistic, simulated situations to find out which pre-loaded responses the employee feels are most or least effective. Tools like FurstPerson’s customized hiring solutions are especially effective for determining whether or not employees will make good customer service representatives. Myers Briggs One of the most well known tools for mapping employee personalities, Myers Briggs (MBTI) assessments describe an employee’s tendencies toward: Extraversion vs. Introversion, Intuition vs. Sensing, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving. Results from these tests place the employee into one of 16 personality types, which each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Although personality type doesn’t predict success on the job, knowing a new hire’s personality type can help you to understand whether they’ll be a cultural fit for your company, as well as guide you toward integrating them effectively with the team. Ans4. What is emotional intelligence or EQ? Emotional intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. Emotional intelligence helps you build stronger relationships, succeed at school and work, and achieve your career and personal goals. It can also help you to connect with your feelings, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to you. Emotional intelligence is what we use when we empathize with our coworkers, have deep conversations about our relationships with significant others, and attempt to manage an unruly or distraught child. It allows us to connect with others, understand ourselves better, and live a more authentic, healthy, and happy life. Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it's an inborn characteristic. The ability to express and control emotions is essential, but so is the ability to understand, interpret, and respond to the emotions of others. Imagine a world in which you could not understand when a friend was feeling sad or when a co-worker was angry. Psychologists refer to this ability as emotional intelligence, and some experts even suggest that it can be more important than IQ in your overall success in life. Emotional Intelligence, IQ, and Personality Are Different. Emotional intelligence taps into a fundamental element of human behavior that is distinct from your intellect. There is no known connection between IQ and emotional intelligence; you simply can’t predict emotional intelligence based on how smart someone is. Intelligence is your ability to learn, and it’s the same at age 15 as it is at age 50. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with practice. Although some people are naturally more emotionally intelligent than others, you can develop high emotional intelligence even if you aren’t born with it. Personality is the final piece of the puzzle. It’s the stable “style” that defines each of us. Personality is the result of hard-wired preferences, such as the inclination toward introversion or extroversion. However, like IQ, personality can’t be used to predict emotional intelligence. Also like IQ, personality is stable over a lifetime and doesn’t change. IQ, emotional intelligence, and personality each cover unique ground and help to explain what makes a person tick. Why is emotional intelligence so important? As we know, it’s not the smartest people who are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. You probably know people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Intellectual ability or your intelligence quotient (IQ) isn’t enough on its own to achieve success in life. Yes, your IQ can help you get into college, but it’s your EQ that will help you manage the stress and emotions when facing your final exams. IQ and EQ exist in tandem and are most effective when they build off one another. Emotional intelligence affects: Your performance at school or work. High emotional intelligence can help you navigate the social complexities of the workplace, lead and motivate others, and excel in your career. In fact, when it comes to gauging important job candidates, many companies now rate emotional intelligence as important as technical ability and employ EQ testing before hiring. Your physical health. If you’re unable to manage your emotions, you are probably not managing your stress either. This can lead to serious health problems. Uncontrolled stress raises blood pressure, suppresses the immune system, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, contributes to infertility, and speeds up the aging process. The first step to improving emotional intelligence is to learn how to manage stress. Your mental health. Uncontrolled emotions and stress can also impact your mental health, making you vulnerable to anxiety and depression. If you are unable to understand, get comfortable with, or manage your emotions, you’ll also struggle to form strong relationships. This in turn can leave you feeling lonely and isolated and further exacerbate any mental health problems. Your relationships. By understanding your emotions and how to control them, you’re better able to express how you feel and understand how others are feeling. This allows you to communicate more effectively and forge stronger relationships, both at work and in your personal life. Your social intelligence. Being in tune with your emotions serves a social purpose, connecting you to other people and the world around you. Social intelligence enables you to recognize friend from foe, measure another person’s interest in you, reduce stress, balance your nervous system through social communication, and feel loved and happy. Five Components of Emotional Intelligence 1. Self- Awareness Self-awareness or self-assignment is having complete knowledge of your emotions, feelings, behavior, morals, strengths, and weaknesses, and then understanding how these will affect people around you. To bring out the best in your team, you first need to bring out the best in yourself, which is only possible through self-awareness. If you are self-aware, you will know how you feel and then will manage your emotions and actions positively to lead the organization effectively. In addition to that, a self-aware leader is more generous towards the team. To become more self-aware: Evaluate yourself by comparing your performance with your team’s feedback. Be mindful of your responses and reactions. Which means that think logically about every small situation and then react. 2. Self Regulation Once you become self-aware and understand your emotions, next is to regulate yourself and these emotions. Self regulation means taking control of your emotions and manage these emotions according to the situation. A good leader needs to have self-regulation to manage arising conflicts and difficult situations. In simple words, self regulation is turning the negatives into the positives. If a team comes across an issue, these leaders maintain a positive outlook and solve the problem constructively without losing their patience. The team members are free to seek help under self-regulated team leaders. They do not hesitate to deliver their ideas, ask questions, or even inform about any arising issue. Hence, a healthy and comfortable workplace is established. To improve the ability to self-regulate: Keep in mind your moral values while leading a team. Do not hesitate in taking responsibility for your actions. Avoid panicking and manage stressful situations with a cool mind. 3. Self Motivation One of the most important components of emotional intelligence for great leaders is internal motivation. Self motivation or internal motivation basically means that the leader is passionate, dedicated, optimistic, and interested to work without any external drivers like fame, money, or promotion. Leaders who are internally motivated are more focused to achieve goals. They put in their best to yield excellent results as a leader. When the leader of a team is motivated it boosts the employee morale and thus, the team also gets motivated to accomplish the task. To enhance self motivation: Remind yourself of all the reasons you wanted to join this job. Take the obstacles positively and turn them into opportunities by reacting smartly. Know the importance of your position and its effects on the team. The team will only be positive when the leader is positive. 4. Empathy Empathy is walking in someone else’s shoes and understanding them, keeping in mind their circumstances. Empathy is a key component of effective leadership. Great leaders are empathetic towards their team. Empathetic leaders listen to their team, understand them, and help them as a member and not as a leader. A team with an understanding leader makes the team engaging, comfortable, and free. People will fearlessly bring all their problems to the team leader and the leader will assist them accordingly. To improve empathy: Listen carefully to the team member’s query and respond like a friend Understand their feelings and do not overburden them. Appreciate your team members to boost their morale. Determine how they truly feel by understanding their body language 5. Social skills Social skills are the last component of emotional intelligence for good leaders. Great leaders need to have good social skills to build and manage relationships. Emotionally intelligent people interact with people and keep building a network. These people have amazing communication skills which help in translating the ideas to their team effectively. Leaders with great social skills know how to take both appreciation and criticism. They make the best team leaders as they listen and solve all the issues within their team. Team members look up to them for assistance and guidance. To build social skills: Enhance your verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Know how to solve problems within your team and outside it Ans5. Simply put, creativity involves transforming your ideas, imagination, and dreams into reality. When you’re being creative, you can see the hidden patterns, make connections between things that aren’t normally related, and come up with new ideas. Creative ability depends on creative thinking which is part hard work but largely creative problem-solving. Creativity is not confined to fine art, literature, performing arts, music, and similar artistic domains, but also occurs in fields such as business, manufacturing, technology, medicine, administration, education, even defense. Its products include tangible objects such as artworks, books or music, as well as buildings, machines, or devices, but go beyond these to encompass ideas, processes, services, or systems of operation, production and delivery. Creativity involves doing these things in ways that are, on the one hand, novel and on the other, effective in achieving a desired result. The result may range from abstract actions such as communication of a feeling, arousal of esthetic admiration, provocation of a new way of looking at something, development of new understandings of experience or existence, to concrete results such as the making of works of great beauty or imagination, the design and construction of improved or novel devices, machines, buildings or structures, improved processes or systems, more efficient operation of something, even enhancement of profits or preservation of national security. characteristics Creativity has been associated with a wide range of behavioral and mental characteristics, including associations between semantically remote ideas and contexts, application of multiple perspectives, curiosity, flexibility in thought and action, rapid generation of multiple, qualitatively different solutions and answers to problems and questions, tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty, and unusual uses of familiar objects. Biographical studies of exceptionally creative individuals have uncovered recurring features. Creative individuals typically master a practice or tradition before they transform it. They organize their lives around a network of interrelated and mutually supporting enterprises. They are prolific. There is no evidence for an inverse relation between quantity and quality; instead, the two appear to be correlated. Exceptionally creative accomplishments are complex, evolving outcomes of long-term efforts sustained by high levels of intrinsic motivation, often in the absence of societal rewards. There are many examples of exceptionally creative individuals who led troubled and turbulent lives and there is widespread belief in a relation between creativity and mental disorder, but it has not been conclusively shown that the more frequent such disorders are, the higher the level of creativity. The rate of professional productivity in art, science, and other creative endeavors increases rapidly at the beginning of a career, reaches a peak in midlife, and then slowly declines. It is not known whether the decline is necessary or a side effect of other factors, for example, health problems. That some individuals begin creative careers late in life is evidence against an inevitable decline. Creativity as Ability All individuals with healthy brains have some degree of creative potential, but individuals vary in how much novelty they in fact produce. Psychometric measures of creativity are based on the hypothesis that the ability to create is general across domains of activity (art, business, music, technology, etc.) and stable over time. This view implies that a person whose creativity is above average in one domain can be expected to be above average in other domains also. The Remote Associations Test (RAT) developed by Sarnoff A. Mednick measures how easily a person can find a link between semantically different concepts. E. Paul Torrance's Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) measures divergent production, that is, how many different answers to a question a person can provide within a time limit. For example, a person might be asked to propose alternative titles to a well-known movie. More recent tests developed by Robert J. Sternberg uses complex test items from realistic contexts. Creativity tests correlate modestly with each other. Critics point out that there are no objective criteria for scoring the responses and that test performance might not be indicative of a creative mind. Nature and Characteristics of Creativity: a. Creativity is not confined to any individual: Creativity is not confined to any individual, group of individuals, caste, colour or creed. It is not bound by the barriers of age, location or culture. b. Creativity is innate as well as acquired: Although many research findings and incidents favour the suggestion that creativity is a God given gift and natural endowment, the influence of cultural background, experiences, education and training in the nurturing of creativity cannot be ruled out. Thus one’s creativity may be correctly said to be a function of natural endowment as well as its nurturing. It is a combination of responses or ideas in novel ways. c. Creativity is adventurous and open thinking: Creativity is not a product of the stereotyped, rigid and closed thinking. It encourages and demands complete freedom to accept and express the multiplicity of responses, choices and ways of action. d. Creativity carries ego involvement: There is complete involvement of one’s ego in the creative expression. One’s individuality and identity are totally merged in one’s creation. Here ‘I’ is given more weightage. e. Creativity has a wide scope: Creative expression is not restricted by any limits or boundaries. It covers all fields and activities of human life in any of which one is able to demonstrate creativity by expressing or producing a new idea or object. It is universal (individual, cast, color, creed, age, location, culture) It is innate as well as acquired It produces something new or novel It is adventurous and open thinking (It encourages complete freedom to accept and express the multiplicity of responses) It carries ego involvement It has a wide scope No positive correlation between Creativity and Intelligence It rests more on divergent thinking than on convergent thinking It cannot be separated from intelligence Creativity and school achievement are not correlated Sociability and creativity are negatively correlated Creativity and anxiety often go together What is Idea Generation? Idea generation is the creative process or procedure that a company uses in order to figure out solutions to any number of difficult challenges. It involves coming up with many ideas in a group discussion, selecting the best idea or ideas, working to create a plan to implement the idea, and then actually taking that idea and putting it into practice. The idea can be tangible, something you can touch or see, or intangible, something symbolic or cultural. How it Works Sam is a marketing manager for a shoe company, and he has about eight people who work for him. Sam is a big fan of using idea generation with his team whenever they need to tackle a new challenge. The team has a new project this month. They have to come up with a brand new way of marketing the newest line of shoes to a previously unaddressed target audience. Sam puts his group to work into pairs. Each pair tackles the task by first thinking of many ideas, far more than they would ever use. The pair will eventually rejoin the team, and the team will select the best idea or ideas before assessing the ideas' worth on a focus group of potential customers at a later date. After feedback from the focus group, the team will adjust their approach and build on the idea using the focus group feedback before putting their plan through real testing or trials. Finally, when the team is confident in their idea, the idea will be passed on for actual business implementation. In our example with Sam and his team, their marketing plan will be employed by the company to target their new customer demographic. This general process structure is used across many types of businesses for many types of decisions. There is no rule saying that a company must follow this exactly, so don't be surprised if you encounter variation. If it seems like a long process, that is because it is. Some aspects require ample time, like conducting research, gathering opinions, learning about competitors, testing the idea, and improving on the idea after testing. Individual teams or companies will also find that some techniques work better for them than others, and that's just fine. Knowing a wide range of idea generation techniques allows for flexibility in a decision making process. Idea Generation in Entrepreneurship Finding new ideas is the key to managing change and innovation. Companies need to find ideas for organizational innovation, to develop innovative products and service innovations. Innovation strategies and digital strategies can only be implemented effectively through successful ideas. Ideas are also the key to digital innovation and the development or digital business models. Advanced idea management software and innovation management software makes it possible to define topics for idea generation and collaboratively develop ideas. What is idea generation Idea generation is “the process of creating, developing, and communicating ideas which are abstract, concrete or visual.” As the first stage in the idea management funnel, idea generation simply focuses on identifying solutions for a problem. Why idea generation is important It’s rare for the best ideas to pop into our heads instantaneously – though sometimes it seems like some people have a gift for generating instant solutions. Instead, great ideas take time to develop and mature. Therefore, idea generation is important because the process expands your thinking beyond the obvious or rational. Success factors for generating innovative business ideas In order for idea generation to be successful, you must consider several factors: The problem you’re solving Before you can reach a solution, you need to first understand the challenge or obstacle ahead of you. That includes researching the market, competitors, trends and so forth. Equipping your team with this knowledge can lead to insights that inspire creative solutions and imagination. Target audience needs It’s important to remember that creativity can come from anywhere and anyone. Effective creative is driven by an understanding of the target—what they need or care about and how we can help them. Great creative work adds a layer of imagination and insight to make the messaging, strategy or approach unique and powerful. Workplace culture Your company culture should provide an environment in which creative expression and active discussions are encouraged. Great ideation can be difficult if employees do not feel safe expressing their thoughts and/or opinions. Where do you start to build a culture emphasized on creative expression? From the top with transparent and encouraging leadership. Stakeholders & team members Prior to the ideation process, determine who the key stakeholders or team members are and whether they should be included in the idea generation exercises. Examples of key members might include department heads, CEOs, project managers, account folks or creatives. From an approval standpoint, having these people in the same room at the start can ensure on-strategy solutions and early alignment. Guardrails or constraints While it’s fun to imagine any project has endless possibilities, it’s simply never the case. Before brainstorming ideas, set basic limitations to keep everyone’s ideas from veering too far off track. These constraints might include timing, budget or priority. While you never want to stifle creativity and imagination in the ideation process, these constraints can help avoid drifting off into “dream land.” The principles of idea generation In our agency, everyone on the team plays an important role in generating ideas for our clients. It doesn’t always happen naturally, however. We must set aside time to develop these ideas. To better equip and train our team, I am reviewing several resources. One of them is a short book called A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young. This quick read is not hot off the press, rather an older publication first published in 1940 and recently republished by Walking Lion Press. The author writes that there are two important underlying principles to the production of ideas. Principle one: a new idea is nothing more than a new combination of old elements Principle two: capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on the ability to see relationships Consciously or unconsciously, every idea we produce follows a certain technique that includes these principles. Thanks to these principles, we can cultivate a conscious idea-generating technique. According to Young, this technique follows a five-step process from which all ideas flow. It’s important to follow each step in sequence. 5 Steps of the idea generation process Step 1 – Gather raw materials In the advertising world, it is the agency’s job to know the client, its products and, most importantly, its customers. Yet most agency people stop too soon in the process of gathering information. If enough research exists, differences between products and consumers appear, leading to relationship individualities that may lead to an idea. In advertising, an idea results from a new combination of specific knowledge about products and people with a general knowledge about life and events. A practical step is to write information down and save it in a systematic way on your computer. Classify and organize information as you gather it. This helps prepare your mind for the ideaproducing process. Step 2 – Blend your information together The second step, after thorough raw material gathering, is to blend the information together—bringing facts together to see how they fit. Bits of ideas may begin to appear; this can be mentally exhausting but press on and think of it as putting a puzzle together. Step 3 – Drop and forget it Drop the idea completely and turn it over to your unconscious mind: In other words, let it develop while you sleep. Also, do things that you enjoy that stimulate your mind and emotions. Listen to music; go to the movie or theater; read poetry; or get outside your normal routine. Step 4 – Have your eureka moment If you’ve really done your work during the first three steps, then the fourth happens naturally. Perhaps you’ve experienced this: a “Eureka” or “I’ve got it” moment. You wake up with a great idea or you are taking a shower or driving to work and the idea appears with clarity. Write it down or commit it to memory. Step 5 – Share your idea This is when reality hits. Your bright, shiny idea may lose some of its luster once others are made aware of it. However, the refining and tuning process that happens when you share your ideas with the team can offer enlightening perspective—and generate something better. It’s important not to hold your idea too tightly: allow it to go through a critical-thinking process. If it’s a good idea, you will see that it has selfexpanding qualities, and with this, possibilities you did not think of may come to light. This five-step process, as simple as it seems, will allow you to continue down the path of producing relevant and dramatic ideas for your business. However, Young’s method of idea generation is not the only approach. Other popular methods and techniques for generating ideas Brainstorming Probably the most well know idea generation exercises are brainstorming and mind mapping. Brainstorming is a process which involves coming up with as many solutions for a specific problem as possible. This activity can either be done individually or in a group or sometimes a combination of both. At LoSasso, we tend to brainstorm individually and then meet as a group to review, build upon and prioritize our ideas prior to sharing with the client. This not only helps us solve our clients’ problems but ensures key members are involved and aligned. More often than not, we find ourselves combining multiple ideas into one killer idea. Mind Mapping Mind mapping is a visual framework representing tasks, concepts or items linked to a central concept. The main benefit of this technique is to help organize and categorize ideas faster so you can more quickly identify relationships between concepts. In fact, mind mapping can be useful for inspiring or uncovering connections you wouldn’t normally think of or see. For example, if you’re looking for ways to increase product sales, a mind map may illuminate new ways to think about how you message the product offerings or approach marketing overall. A mind map must have three characteristics I order for it to be successful: Your central tropic should be at the center of your map Main themes of the central topic should branch out from the center Second level topics form the structure of your mind map We encourage using various colors to denote relationships, doodling to highlight areas and having fun when mind mapping. Let your mind and your team wander free to create those new, unexpected relationships. When the mind mapping process is complete, then you can go back and refine ideas that come out of it. SCAMPER technique Another popular idea generation and creative thinking approach is the SCAMPER technique which focuses on understanding the problem. Developed by Bob Eberie, the acronym stands for (S) substitute, (C) combine, (A) adapt, (M) modify, (P) put to another use, (E) eliminate and (R) reverse. This technique works by using each of the seven prompts to ask questions about existing products with the goal of improving upon them or innovating new solutions. Opposite thinking Also known as reverse thinking, instead of going with the rational route to solve the problem, you consider the exact opposite of the idea. For example, if you’re generating ideas for how to increase email subscribers, you’d instead ask yourself: How do I stop getting new email subscribers? This approach allows you to expand your thought process and pinpoint certain areas or solutions that wouldn’t normally cross your mind. Now that you’ve successfully come up with brilliant ideas, you or your team needs a place to organize and store them.