How Creative Intelligence Alliances Can Help You Grow Your Business
by Gisela McKay
Who do you report to when you are the boss? How do you deal with unmotivated days, or those times when you feel overwhelmed?
Successful people have known how to deal with these pressures for a long time.
In the early 1900s a man named Napoleon Hill studied the highest achievers of the day and discovered their secret: a network of other success-oriented people who kept them focused and on track.
He called this phenomenon a "master mind" because the calibre of ideas produced by the group were greater than the ideas produced by the same individuals on their own. If you've experienced being in a group of people who run with the ideas of others and take them to the next level, then you know how it works.
Corporations, especially creative ones, use this idea in brain storming sessions. You can use this kind of creative intelligence to help grow your business.
A "Creative Intelligence Alliance" is a group of like-minded people who meet on a regular basis to generate truly creative ways to reach a specific goal. In business, this can be a vital resource, and even more so for small business owners.
Your alliance can be structured in a variety of ways - each having different names depending on the format.
Benefits of a Creative Intelligence Alliance
Feedback and Brainstorming
It's always easier to come up with ideas for someone other than yourself. Your alliance can help you come up with ideas that you may not be able to see.
Accountability
If you say, "This week I am going to finish up the copy for three brochures," you should expect to tell your team members that you are finished by the next meeting.
Support
Your meetings will get you out of your workspace on a regular basis, improve your morale and renew your sense of commitment. They will also expose you to people who have gone through many of the same experiences and who can provide advice and reassurance.
Networking
Sometimes you will find that you need an introduction to a person at a particular company, and the best way to get that introduction is to find someone who knows that person.
Testimonials
Nothing carries more weight to a potential customer than the positive opinion of someone they know and trust. Demonstrate your services or products to your alliance partners, and let them become champions of your cause.
Types
Master minds are the original Creative Intelligence Alliance. Usually, people building a master mind try to assemble a group of people who are already at the level of success they are aiming to achieve, because they can give them a "hand up." Of course, if you are going to invite very successful people to join your master mind, you will have to figure out what it is you are offering them in return, other than just the flattering sense that you value their opinion.
Other people prefer to have an Advisory Board. This tends to a group that focuses on one specific business in the group, though if all the members are in complementary fields, they can all benefit from participation.
Success Teams - these groups are not always focused on business; they are about the unique goals of the members. "Success Teams" usually use the Barbara Sher principles, explained in the book Wishcrafting.
Other types include: Neural Nets, Brain Trusts, and Referral networks.
Getting Started
Figure out what it is you hope to gain from belonging to a Creative Intelligence Alliance and then match the people to the team. Send them invitations to join you in an exploratory meeting to see if the personalities mesh well, and go from there. There are tools to help you set up the right kind of alliance for you and the other team members - simply do a quick search at any search engine for "starting a creative intelligence alliance" and you will get the help you need.
Don't delay, what could you achieve with the power of a Creative Intelligence Alliance behind you?
About the Author
You can find more information about Creative Intelligence Alliances at http://businesspartnerships.ca and general business information at http://allaboutbusiness.ca
Gisela is a Founding Director of pixcode Inc., a Canadian company that specializes in creating and managing profitable Internet properties, including Business Partnerships Canada and All About Business Canada.
Disclaimer: The information presented and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors
and do not necessarily represent the views of Work-at-Home-Business.com and/or its partners.
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