The Creativity Formula: 50 scientifically proven ways to boost creativity in work and in life By Dr Amantha Imber

Love may make the world go around but it's creativity that drives it forward. Unfortunately, creativity is often viewed as something that is elusive and unpredictable, a quality only owned by "creative" types.

Psychologists have now demonstrated that we can all be more creative in our thinking. They have rigorously researched the conditions and techniques that allow people to maximise their ability to solve problems more creatively and generate significantly better ideas. There is, in fact, a formula – and it isn't difficult.

The Creativity Formula draws on that research to provide 50 simple and scientifically-proven ways to improve creative thinking ability – instantly. Its easy techniques will lead to more effective problem solving in both work and life and a business that gets ahead and stays ahead by out-thinking and out-innovating its competitors.

Some of the things you will learn in this book:

• The leadership style that drives creativity.
• Why financial rewards kill creativity.
• The optimal team size for creative thinking.
• How particular types of images generate innovative ideas.
• The colours that boost creative thinking.

“From Arizona to Newcastle, this book does what few do: it integrates cutting edge science with the soft side of creativity. Best of all, it will call your bluff and help you realise that anyone (even you) can be creative.”
– Seth Godin, author, Tribes

“Practical, scientifically established strategies for making all of us as creative as we dream of being, all imparted in a real fun way, and easy to apply".
– Professor Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Prize winning chemist and writer, Cornell University

"Amantha's book makes the sometimes-esoteric nature of creativity tangible for anyone. This book can help both individuals and organisations inject the spark of creativity into their world and unearth great ideas."
– Lee Hunter, product marketing manager, Google

“If you want to get your creative juices flowing or that of your team then I couldn’t recommend it more highly.”
– Peter Williams, CEO Deloitte Digital

“As a person on a journey to greater creativity, and also as part of a company on a similar journey, I loved this book. It offers easy to read, easy to understand and easy to implement tips and ideas to make life more creative and much more fun. Unlike many other books on this subject it is presented in bite-sized chunks to make it more practical, and is based on interesting scientific studies, which can be used to combat the cynicism of the less creative thinkers in our lives.”
– Linda Watts, general manager-strategic innovation, Kimberly Clark South Asia

"My company has used Amantha to facilitate numerous creative sessions where I have seen a number of the ideas she has shared in her book in practice. Suffice to say we have generated 100's of creative ideas with people that wouldn't call themselves creative types. The ideas are easy to implement, don't cost a fortune and are lots of fun. I am looking forward to working my way through the 50 ideas she shares in her book to foster further creative thought within the business."
– Amanda Woollard, brand and insights manager, BP

Nowhere is it written that a company, regardless of how large it is or how successful it might seem to be, will survive. There have been too many highly visible and painful reminders of this fact over the last several years. While many of these companies fall apart seemingly overnight, the reality is that the decline is a process that usually takes several years and results from a number of actions, decisions, and behaviors that contribute to the demise.

The purpose of this book is to present the warning signs of organizational decline, and provide a method for leaders to identify and eliminate them before the organization enters a death spiral. It provides detailed explanations of each warning sign, including an explanation regarding how the sign contributes to the decline, and also an assessment tool to determine the existence and extent of the signs within an organization.

The principles and concepts present are equally applicable to healthcare, manufacturing, or service organizations.

Contents: Part One: The Corporate Death Spiral Chapter One: The Corporate Death Spiral Part Two: The Warning Signs Chapter Two: Lost Purpose Chapter Three: Number Obsession Chapter Four: Supplier Squeezing Chapter Five: Undervalued Employees Chapter Six: Dirt, Clutter & Damage Chapter Seven: Operational Fragmentation Part Three: Addressing the Warning Signs Chapter Eight: Improving the Organization Appendix I: The Assessment Appendix II: Statistical Process Control Appendix III: Quality Function Deployment Appendix IV: Organizational Reflection Glossary

Business today is all about change and how fast you can move with the market, with your customers’ needs and wants and, most importantly, how fast you can take advantage of new ideas and new technologies.

It’s this rate of change that causes a real need for every business builder to learn.

‘Secrets of Top Business Builders Exposed!’ offers a great variety of valuable advice from people who are in the game. These people have worked with over 2,500 companies and collectively have generated billions of dollars in additional profits. It’s not just theory, these are real-time, real life and really powerful stories and ideas for you to get to the bottom of what will get you to the top.

Featured author, Rowdy McLean, has been at the helm of many successful business including two multi-million dollar companies of his own and is one of Australia’s most sort-after business advisors. His passion is growing and developing businesses and business leaders. Throughout his chapter on Service Culture he discusses how leaders need to be trained in how to lead, grow and develop a service organisation and how it is their responsibility to connect the vision and strategy to the employees. This is a must read for business leaders with a desire to make their business the very best.

In this book you will discover…

Why service is a great business strategy

The most effective way to plan and strategise for future growth

How to attract the best new talent and retain high performing staff

Why companies must start training for the next generation of leaders now

Current trends in the world of marketing and what’s really working

Latest advances in technology to improve productivity and profits

Whether you are an entrepreneur or senior executive in the corporate world, if you’re serious about growing a big business, this book is for you.