You Majored in What? (9 page)

• Creative thinkers will see solutions where others see only problems.

How You Can Develop or Use the Creative Mindset

•
Make the most of your talents.
If you meet the more traditional definition of creativity and have a talent in music or the arts, how can that skill assist you in the workplace? For instance, if you studied ballet, what are the behind-the-scenes skills of being a ballerina that might help in the workplace? Did you have to have lots of discipline? Good time management skills? Get over your stage fright? Learn to accept limitations?

•
Lighten up.
Taking yourself too seriously and worrying about being perfect are the greatest stumbling blocks to creativity. Too many talented writers, musicians, inventors, and others quit because they view their work as less than perfect. Remember that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly, simply because it’s worth doing. With practice you will improve but not become perfect, because nothing is perfect. So silence your inner critic and keep taking chances.

•
Set limits.
Creative types often feel overwhelmed. From the research presented earlier, you know that creativity thrives in a moderately controlled environment. One creative aspect of the job search is deciding what career to pursue. Have you seen those ridiculously long lists titled “What You Can Do with a Major in _” and followed by two hundred possible careers? Is that helpful? Or is it just overwhelming? Try setting a limit, such as focusing first on careers in a particular category, for example, sports or writing. You’ve probably heard the saying “Follow your bliss.” That’s a great idea, but it, too, can be overwhelming. You’ll likely be more creative if you set a limit on your bliss. Maybe you’ll follow your bliss in New York City. That’s the beginning of setting limits that will help you more easily find it.

•
Stretch yourself.
Are you in a rut? Do you follow the same schedule, go to class the same way, hang out with the same friends? Maybe it’s time to shake things up a little. Sit in a different location in class. Decide to meet one new person this week. Speak up when you would normally be silent. Be silent when you would normally speak up. Attend a club meeting in a new area. Maybe you’re into all the political clubs, so try attending a drama club meeting. The two fields have a lot in common, you know. When you stretch yourself, you’ll be surprised at what you can do and how seemingly disparate activities have much in common.

•
Consider a weekly “artist’s date.”
One of the best writers on creativity, Julia Cameron, recommends that everyone set aside a one-hour chunk of time during the week to explore something alone that will get your creative juices going: a museum, a bookstore, an auto parts shop, wandering the aisles of a favorite store, sitting on a park bench, listening to an outdoor concert, and so on.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank your use of the creative mindset?

If you were going to tell an employer about your strength in creative thinking, what example(s) would you use?
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MINDSET 3: THE ANALYTIC MINDSET

We use the word
analyze
all the time:

• A psychiatrist analyzes his patient.

• An engineer analyzes the traffic patterns on the highway.

• A stockbroker analyzes the stock market.

In the simplest terms, analysis is a breaking down of the whole into distinct parts. By examining each piece using logic and reason, the analytic thinker is able to reassemble the pieces into a greater whole that is better understood and valued. Analytic thinking skills help you convert a large problem into a series of smaller parts, thus making it more understandable and workable. Analytic thinking is the key to better understanding and organization. And with analysis often comes synthesis, where you pull your individual thoughts back into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Why Would an Employer Care About Analytic Thinking?

• Cost-benefit analysis is just one example of a common use of analytic thinking in the workplace. Employers must know how a proposed product, idea, or plan is going to affect the bottom line.

• Analysis of key problems or successes in the workplace can help to ensure their remedy or continuation.

• Analytic thinking is rational and logical and not governed by emotion. Employers need decision makers who examine the details in a situation before making a decision.

How You Can Develop or Use the Analytic Mindset

• Analytic thinking is a skill you’ve likely honed through your schoolwork. You have probably used analytic skills if you’ve taken an English course and analyzed a piece of literature. Consider how you developed analytic thinking in various courses.

• Writing a research paper requires analytic thought as you work through the main problem or thesis. What have you analyzed in your papers?

• Try analyzing a favorite movie. Watch it again and notice the components: the actors selected for the roles, the story, the costumes, the sound effects, the music, the lighting, the scenery, and so forth. Describe the different components and consider why they were chosen. How do they help (or hinder) your enjoyment of the film?

• Create metaphors to give meaning to a situation. For instance, what might be your metaphor for your job search? Is it a nightmare? Or are you on easy street? Is your future an abyss? Or is it, as the saying goes, “so bright you have to wear shades”? Analyze how your metaphor affects your behavior.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank your use of the analytic mindset?

If you were going to tell an employer about your strength in analytic thinking, what example(s) would you use?
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MINDSET 4: THE STRATEGIC MINDSET

A strategic mindset is first and foremost rational, logical, and practical. The strategic mindset incorporates analytic thinking and draws from a systems perspective of looking at the Big Picture to solve a problem. A strategic mindset provides a specific way of solving problems, often using a method called strategic planning, a common system used by organizations to understand their current position in the marketplace, develop a vision, and plan for the future. Common techniques used in strategic planning are SWOT (an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analyses, goal setting, vision statements, and gap analysis.

Why Would an Employer Care if You Are a Strategic Thinker?

Strategic thinking can help an organization:

• set priorities and stick with them;

• develop focus and keep everyone on the same plan;

• measure and monitor success and progress;

• determine what is and isn’t working, why it isn’t working, and how it can be changed;

• ensure employee commitment to its plans;

• focus on action rather than contemplation.

How You Can Develop or Use the Strategic Mindset

• You will learn specific strategic planning techniques later in this book as you develop your career plans and prepare for interviews.

• Read a book on strategic planning and try applying the approach to an organization you’re in.

• Look for courses that teach strategic thinking or planning. You can find them in most business, human resources, or organizational behavior programs.

• When you encounter a problem, ask yourself questions such as the following, which will stimulate strategic thinking:

• What strategy will work best to solve this problem?

• What challenges do I need to be aware of?

• What are my strengths?

• Where do I need to improve?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank your use of the strategic mindset?

If you were going to tell an employer about your strength in strategic thinking, what example(s) would you use?
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MINDSET 5: THE POSITIVE MINDSET

You began learning about the positive mindset when you read about the right-mind approach at the beginning of this chapter. Most people misunderstand the positive mindset because it seems at odds with analytic or critical thinking. Isn’t the point of analysis to find the problems? Why would one focus on the positive aspects of a situation? Positive thinking is not happy talk or blind optimism in the face of reality. Instead, it is a consistent focus on strengths in any situation: what went right, rather than what is wrong. Positive thinkers are using analytic thinking, but they are analyzing the strengths, the learning, and the desired outcomes instead of the problems.

In the last ten years, a new field of positive psychology has evolved to examine what works in peoples’ lives, and the research conducted so far overwhelmingly demonstrates the significance and value of a positive (optimistic) mindset. Dr. Martin Seligman is one of the foremost researchers in the field, and he identifies four personal traits that contribute to a positive mindset: well-being, optimism, happiness, and self-determination.

Positive thinking creates a positive future. His studies have found that in virtually all professions (with one notable exception), positive thinking or optimism is a major component of success. For example, optimistic sales representatives experience more sales; optimistic teachers are happier and experience more success in the classroom. What’s the one exception? Lawyers. Unfortunately, the field of law doesn’t reward optimism: it is the nature of lawyers to seek out problems and constantly consider worst-case scenarios. Dr. Seligman has found that this characteristic wreaks havoc on the personal lives of lawyers, and in true optimistic style, he offers remedies for the situation.