Need inspiration? Step into your right brain

Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist, suffered a stroke in the left side of her brain and learned what it really means to be a right-brained thinker. She's spent the last eight years recovering her ability to think, walk and talk, and has now become a major advocate for stroke recovery.

From her experiences she hopes she can inspire others to think differently about thinking. "Right here, right now, I can step into the consciousness of my right hemisphere... [where] I am the the life-force power of the 50 trillion beautiful molecular geniuses that make up my form, at one with all that is. Or, I can choose to step into the consciousness of my left hemisphere where I become a single individual, a solid. Separate from the flow, separate from you."

Innovation comes from right-brain thinking. So when lacking inspiration, try stepping out of the structured left-hemisphere of your brain and into the creativity of the right. Selfgrowth.com lists several ways you can tap into the power of right-brain thinking:

• Use your non-dominant hand.  If you are right-handed, trying using your left hand for common activities such as brushing your teeth or combing your hair. 
• Try some brain boosting body moves. Certain body moves are known to balance the brain, such as juggling, walking while swinging opposite arms and legs, and marching on the spot all help to get the left and right side of the brain working together.
• Do some creative planning.  Doodle rather than writing word lists or linear notes. You can daydream, scribble and sketch your way through a problem-solving session and find yourself stress-free and resourceful when you emerge from the other side.

Regardless of what your natural brain lead is, you can develop both sides.

Reputation or character?

Legendary UCLA Coach Wooden understood how to inspire success in others. His focus on character was foundational to his leadership. As he put it, character is what you are, and reputation is what you are perceived to be. This is true not only of people, but of companies. Although our work as communicators is about building reputation, it is always in adjunct to the organization’s work to be a company of character.

Wooden also believed that how we make the journey is more important than our final destination, and redefines winning by how we conduct ourselves along the way. “You can outscore another team and lose, and you can be outscored by another team and win,” he says in this inspirational interview.

You Can Be Indispensible

Ever notice how easy it is for all of us to see all that is wrong with the world? Anyone can point out problems, but it's the one who brings solutions to their organizations that stands out.

You will be surprised how quickly you can distinguish yourself by observing this one simple rule. By seeing and addressing the strategic issues that impact the success and future of the organization, you can establish yourself as a visionary, a leader and a valuable member of the team.

More often than not this requires more persistence and positive attitude than it does brilliance. As Albert Einstein once said, "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

Execution Trumps Brilliant Idea

Being brilliant can be an asset, but knowing how to execute a strategy—that's what will make you a rising star in an organization. Many strategies fail in the execution stage—even though the original idea was a winner. That's because big ideas are much easier to come by than the long, hard haul of building a service or product.

If that weren't the case, there'd be myriad knock-offs for every business success. Who can't walk into a McDonalds and observe their big ideas in action? Yet few are able to replicate this operationally.

Pay attention to the people in your organization who know how to execute an idea successfully, and see what they have to teach you.

Faster, Farther, Bigger

A week's worth of information found in the New York Times is believed to be more than what a person obtained in his/her entire lifetime in the 18th century. Our ability to send information globally at unprecedented speeds creates a world of opportunities—and challenges. This insightful video highlights the research done by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Jeff Brenman on the explosion of connectivity, which has implications for how marketers and communicators do their work.

Are you solving problems your boss or customers care about?

The workplace is filled with people who are brilliant, capable and talented—but who never achieve the success commensurate with their career achievements.

It is possible to provide superior work, and still fail in the workplace. Often, this is because one has failed to find solutions to the problems his boss or customers see as most significant.

Want to set yourself apart from the rest? Figure out the biggest challenges your boss or customers have, then recommend and implement solutions to them. You will likely find that a problem solver will rise in both responsibility and esteem.

Struggling to obtain adequate marketing budgets?

If so, consider these tips used by those who have mastered this function:

1. Identify the budget decision-makers. Sometimes these include people without the official titles, but who have influence among decision makers. Make sure they understand the rationale for your request.
2. Speak their language. If these individuals are left-brain thinkers, they'll respond well to logic supported by data. Here's an example of how you might make your case: "Market share has declined by 10% each year for the past two years. We have data to support the assumption that competitor X is offering a similar product at a lower price, and that the market for this service is growing nationally by 8% per year. We believe the following five-point plan will reverse that trend."
3. Focus on the benefit to the institution. Instead of asking for funding, present a proposal that will provide a desired benefit. Marketing is never just an ad or a campaign, but a business strategy designed to produce value.
4. Evaluate and report. Re-evaluate the data periodically, adjusting the strategy as needed and reporting results back to the budget decision-makers. As they see results, they will come to recognize that an investment in marketing can improve their image and drive revenues to the bottom line.

You will be surprised to see how funding can be found for projects that are deemed important to the company's future—even in budget-challenged times.

Five Simple Ways to Make Yourself Indispensible

Want to stand out from the rest of your co-workers? Here are five simple tips:

1. Volunteer to take on a project that matters to your company—but is in need of leadership.
2. Do more than is asked of you.
3. Have a positive, can-do attitude. If you don't know how to do something, be willing to learn.
4. Follow through on your promises.
5. Communicate results. While others struggle to increase their budgets, you'll find funding more readily available when you can show the results of your previous efforts.