What a Great Idea!: The Key Steps Creative People Take - Hardcover

Thompson, Charles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060553170 ISBN 13: 9780060553173

Publisher: HarperPerennial, 1992

Synopsis

What a Great Idea! is now in its sixteenth printing and also available in Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.

In this exciting workbook, Chic Thompson will teach you how to challenge the assumptions you hold that stifle your creativity, freeing you to discover your innate innovative abilities. You'll learn how to recognize and reject "Killer Phrases" that destroy creativity.

The foreword is an interview with the world's greatest inventor, Dr. Yoshiro Nakamatsu who explains how he comes up with his amazing ideas. He is the inventor of the floppy disk, the digital watch, and the compact disc and holder of more than 3000 patents.

You'll learn the Four Key Steps creative people take to get from brainstorming to finished product.

Freedom
Expression
Creation
Action

Creativity is not a trait monopolized by a few fortunate souls. Every individual is creative, and all organizations need a variety of creative types, who are: idea generators, promoters, designers, implementers and evaluators.

You'll also find:

Great Idea Action Sheets for use in meetings, on airplanes, and even at home to help your kids with their schoolwork.

Idea Maps to help you free-associate and problem-solve.

Smart questions that will help you evaluate new ideas.

Dumb questions that lead to smart answers.

Techniques to get you beyond creative blocks.

About this title

About the Author

Chic Thompson’s passion is inspiring executives, MBA students and children to be curious first... critical second while problem solving. He is president of Creative Management Group and is an adjunct faculty member at:

· The University of Virginia’s Darden Business School
· The YPO University (Young Presidents’ Organization)
· The FBI Academy
· Accenture’s Center for Professional Education
· The Federal Executive Institute

Chic’s first book, What a Great Idea!, published by HarperCollins, was a main selection of the Executive Book Club and is also published in Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and Spanish. In 2001, Harvard Business School released a case study on the speaking career of Chic Thompson entitled "What a Great Idea®."

Chic’s second book, "Yes, But..." is a guide to overcoming the bureaucratic language that stifles continuous innovation.

Chic received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Delaware and his Masters in Education from the University of Virginia. He then worked in new product development and marketing for:

· W.L. Gore and Associates (Gore-Tex®)
· Johnson & Johnson
· Walt Disney

During the last 20 years, Chic has given over 2500 presentations and has teamed up with talent ranging from Tom Peters and Stephen Covey to Cirque du Soleil and Second City.

Review

"Chic Thompson is a genius." -- Dr. Yoshiro Nakamatsu, inventor of floppy disk, CD and digital watch

"Chic has crafted a creative process to move almost anything from what is to what could be." -- Rick Goings, President of Tupperware

"Chic is the world's greatest creativity workshop presenter." -- Doug Hall, New Product Inventor and author of Jump Start Your Brain

"What a Great Idea! is an extremely valuable contribution to executive development. The application of Chic's ideas goes a long way in compensating for the reduction in resources experienced by private and public sector organizations. What a Great Idea! is a must read for all who have management responsibilities." -- Chong M. Pak, D.P.A., Director, Virginia Executive Institute

"Chic Thompson has crafted a creative process to move almost anything from what is to what could be." -- Rick Goings, President, Avon Products U.S.A.

"Chic Thompson is exciting! He brings out the creativity in all of us, but further, he shows how an organization's creativity can be multiplied beyond all expectation. Every ambitious team should use this book." -- Professor Thomas C. MacAvoy,Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia, and former President and COO, Corning Glass Works

"Chic has given us a workbook that makes the process of continuous improvement fun and understandable from the shop floor to the boardroom." -- Donald C. Borwhat, Jr., Senior Vice President Human Resources & Relations GE Fanuc Automation

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperPerennial
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060553170
• ISBN 13: 9780060553173
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 232