Make yourself more valuable at work by being a source of fresh ideas.  Train your mind to see fresh options, and offer new ideas as a flexible thinker.  Distinguish yourself as a person who can identify the possibilities.

Far too many people practice a quiet conformity.  The idea person takes risks.  The idea person gets noticed. You may be vulnerable; however you can practice a fleetness of thinking that keeps you in motion. Don’t be one of the conformists who mimic what other people have said.  Look for useful new ways of thinking that set you apart.

Continually ask yourself, “What else is going on here?” Look for patterns that surround the object. The conformist thinker may be content to measure what is known.  On any big project, has the thinking been complete?  Is there more that will affect the outcome? Perhaps there are other forces that push or pull your project.  Perhaps these forces will only be felt under moments of transition.  How can you demonstrate what might be going on?

The conformist thinker often works in straight lines.  When a situation is considered, the ordinary thinker will think “A, B, then C, D, and E.”  The person with fresh ideas may start with A and B, but will then ask about numbers, colors and physical dimensions.  Explore the subject beyond what is known and presented.  Ask and consider.  Let your mind play. 

Think quantity of ideas.  Be abundant in generating the possibilities. Not all ideas will be useful.  Good ideas tend to be surrounded by other ideas, not all are dressed in working clothes.  Let your idea generation be a process of experiencing a flow of possibilities.  Record them all.  Don’t stop to evaluate the best ideas, simply feel the flow and be grateful to be the mouthpiece for a fresh perspective.

Do your generating privately, unless you are taking place in a brainstorming session.  Others may not respect or value the work that you put into generating ideas.  Give yourself the luxury of ample idea generation, without the judgmental eyes of others. 

I think that creativity works like a muscle – we are all capable of it, but when the muscle is exercised regularly, it is stronger and more effective.  Creative thinking happens faster with a person who uses this muscle.  Keep in shape; practice your alternative thinking regularly.