Happy new year everyone! I'm writing this issue on a beach in beautiful Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean (I know, tough job, but with the ongoing threat of global warming someone has to keep their eye on the sea levels, and I figure it might as well be me).
It's not all just fun in the sun though. I've taken advantage of the change of scenery and blue skies to do some blue sky thinking. Interestingly, research into effective brainstorming suggests I'm in the right place to do just that. One study found that the higher the room ceilings the more creative people were. It's as though the physical constraints of a low ceiling imposes mental constraints on our thinking, whereas when the sky literally is the limit, our brains tend to be more open to unlimited possibilities. Our brains, evidently, need room not just to wonder, but to wander!
Moreover a change of scenery is also what the idea doctor ordered. Many brilliant ideas throughout history have happened by a shift in perspective brought about by nothing more than a change in location.
Now, as much as I'd love to fly you down here to facilitate some brainstorming with your team, I suspect that might be a tough sell to some of the higher-ups. But that doesn't mean you can't meet in a place more conducive to creative thinking (maybe that cramped, windowless hotel meeting room isn't the best option). And If you can't get out of the country, then perhaps you can get out into the country (or heck, at least out to the green space next to your office).
Because blue sky thinking really can lead to blue sky thinking.
