How to Improve Your Creative Problem Solving in Startup Tech Companies

Creative problem solving is one of the best soft skills you can develop.

Entrepreneurs rely on dozens of soft skills to be effective, from effective communication to critical thinking. But creative problem solving is, arguably, the most important skill to develop.

You’ll use creative problem solving from the moment you come up with your core business idea; after all, almost every business arises to solve some kind of customer problem. From there on out, you’ll use creative problem solving to overcome challenging obstacles, proceed in a way that deviates from the competition, and helps you innovate newer, more efficient solutions.

So what steps can you take to actively train this part of your brain?

Spend more time being bored. Being bored is the best way to facilitate creative thinking. When you’re trying to force an idea, you’ll rarely be successful; that’s because your mind needs time to decompress and stumble upon solutions on its own. Spending time in the shower, meditating, or going for aimless walks can help you free your mind up.
Talk to more people. Talk to lots of different people, about the problems you’re facing in your business, and about life in general. Exposing yourself to different ways of thinking and people of different backgrounds will help you learn to think in new, challenging ways. Ultimately, that leads to more lateral thinking and more innovative ideas.
Stimulate yourself with creative works. Surround yourself with inspiring works of creativity. For some people, that means hanging abstract art on the walls of your office. For others, it means playing technically proficient music or watching an immersive movie from time to time. Any creative medium can help you think in new, different ways.
Change your routine. Shake up your routine by taking a new route to work or engaging in new hobbies and activities. You’ll be surprised how much differently you think afterward.

With time and effort, you can boost your creative problem solving even if you weren’t used to engaging it before you became an entrepreneur. If you’re interested in learning more ways to improve your soft skills, or improve your abilities as a manager overall, contact me today!

About the Author

Jose Vasquez is a serial entrepreneur and tech specialist dedicated to helping startup tech companies grow and succeed. As the founder of Build. Brand. Blast., Jose has worked with dozens of enterprises to find direction, gain momentum, and achieve results.