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When I was younger I believed I was not creative. Each member of my immediate family had an artistic talent of some kind – my father created beautiful, hand-made signs for businesses; my mother and her twin sister hosted parties with self-designed decorations and favors; my sister showed early signs of amazing interior designs; and my brother (the genius) could play any musical instrument put in front of him and conjur the most amazing visual art using any media available. What could I do? I could not paint, draw, visualize a room, or play an instrument.Don’t get me wrong; I have some beneficial skills. An expert in developing processes from synthesizing data and visioning the ultimate objective, I can hone in on the root cause of a problem and develop a plan for correction. I am organized, analytical, and intuitive. But, I thought, I am not creative.

I really wanted to be creative. So I searched for creativity conferences and found a wealth of opportunities. Most importantly, I found that creative people have a broad spectrum of skills. We are creative in varying aspects of our lives. Simply stated, creativity is artistic, and not limited to the arts. Creativity includes problem solving. In fact, some might say creativity is problem solving. Yet I will leave that debate for another day.

One tool I found to be extremely valuable identifies one’s preferences in the creative problem solving process. The tool is an assessment known as FourSight™. Immediately upon learning about FourSight™ I put it to effective use. The tool gave me a framework for identifying steps in creative problem solving. I became a certified facilitator so that I could introduce FourSight™ to my staff. FourSight™ has become an intimate nomenclature with my employees. More importantly, FourSight™ provided a starting point for teaching creative problem solving.

FourSight™ was developed based on the research of Gerard Puccio, Ph.D. Dr. Puccio is the chair of the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State University. Dr. Puccio has more than 50 articles, chapters, and books on creative problem solving, including Creative Leadership, The Innovative Team, and Creativity Rising. Working with Dr. Puccio, Blair Miller, Sarah Thurber, and others developed the assessment tool that assists one in finding their voice and appreciating their creative gifts.

FourSight™ is a great tool to start the conversation – and to keep it going. Team members easily identify their strengths and the value others bring to the table. Using a common language, meeting participants allow each other the necessary space to gain clarity in a situation, to explore new ideas, to develop potential solutions, and to create implementation plans for action. Meetings are more productive. “Things” get done. And most importantly, working bonds are built as individuals learn to respect the value others bring in addition to recognizing their own worth to the organization.

Luckily for all of us, Creative Oklahoma has developed a strong partnership with the FourSight™ team. They are offering a Pre-Forum workshop – “Creativity Know How” on Monday, March 30, 2015, at the MetroTech Career Technology Center in the Chase Tower, downtown Oklahoma City from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. for only $99. Participants will receive a free FourSight™ assessment to use as a catalyst to recognize their highest preferences in the creative problem solving process. This fun, interactive, and instructional workshop is one of many options cSchool faculty have to offer you and your company.

If you think you or your team is not creative, let cSchool reframe that perspective. Maybe you need a fresh perspective for meetings and innovative though. Creative Oklahoma’s cSchool faculty can provide you with tools, tricks, and techniques to redirect your best ideas into action. Creative Oklahoma’s cSchool faculty knows everyone is creative and  how to teach creativity skills.

Cynthia E. Rolfe brings a unique perspective to the University of Central Oklahoma in her roles as Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. Rolfe enjoys a passion for life-long learning, demonstrated by achieving four academic degrees. She is a trained coach and a certified facilitator in NBI, FourSight and True Colors. She successfully completed the Creative Problem Solving Institute facilitation program.

cSchool faculty provide expert facilitation, training, and professional development for dynamic organizations. Contact creative Oklahoma for more information or visit https://creativeok.org/cschool/.