Forever Learning

This weekend was a celebration of sorts. Two days in a row I sat for the final exam on 'Strategic Marketing' and 'Organisational Leadership' subjects as a first step in my next learning adventure. I'm glad I said 'next', not final. To forever learn is to make oneself forever young. That's a principle I believe in.

Thus I finally made it this far. The Doctor of Business Administration programme (DBA) I'm taking right now will last for about 4 years and I'm just past the first semester. For those keen to know about the module and the open university, can have a glance here. I feel much relaxed now that the exams are over. Soon, I'll be driving back to Bintulu and could have some rest there before the next semester start sometime early July. I've been away from Bintulu for almost a month and miss it for its fresh fishes, jungle, farm and gardens.

I have not 're-drafted' myself into academia since 2005 when I completed my MBA with the Curtin University of Technology (Australia), Sarawak Campus in Miri. That too I did part-time over a two years period. Thus from 2006-2008 I was kept busy developing my eco-farm in Bintulu. I have decided to take up the DBA course this year because the farm 'has borne fruits' ( oil palm), literally and materially and thus could assist in financing my studies.

While the oil palm trees are my pension, my penchant for life long learning is a passion that I'll live forever.

Creativity

Today I thought of just putting in words what I have been thinking (quietly) for the last two weeks. Its about creativity.

Why is creativity important for an organisation or any person for that matter?

The market place is fiercely competitive, you need to think of new products or services, new production methods and new procedures to ride the competition and stay ahead of the pack. It is in the interest of everyone to be creative. New ideas generation is possible at all levels of an organisation.

At the top level, existing competing ideas that are being re-modelled or re-packaged requires imagination. It's hardly that you need to re-invent the wheel every time you are faced with problems and finding solutions to them. That should clear off your mind from the insurmountable demands of being creative.

In many instances the manager or entrepreneur will need to juggle many types of thinking and leadership styles to suit different needs and situations at work. Though they appear eclectic or pragmatic in nature, it is creative at the same time because it is divergent thinking in action- where you look at different scenarios and many possible solutions.

Most of us are scared stiff to be an 'original 'thinker, to think outside the box ( who will pay for our 'craziness'?) because we are not adept at combining analytical thinking with creative thinking. Really its just a state of mind and more a question of the lack of creative thinking skills.

The science and art of creative thinking.

Very often we leave creative thinking to artists. As artists they excel in their ability to express our emotional, aesthetic , collective or our world view needs. It is for this main reason that we need art and artists. But should this mode of thinking be confined to artists? Like artists, scientists are also engrossed in their ideas till the moment of eureka. In hindsight, there is much logic required before the seemingly eureka fit. De Bono proposed that through lateral thinking we can indeed learn to recognise patterns of thought. Every valuable creative idea must always be logical to start with. Scientific papers are good examples of this. There are written in wonderfully logical fashion, but the progress of real science that precedes the papers depend on hunches, ruminations, accidents, imagination and luck. It just shows that scientists may need the heart of an artist to come out with new discoveries. Remember the falling apple.

Learning organisation

For many managers these days, the first rule is to break the rules. This is akin to Schumpeter's ' gale of creative destruction' philosophy. The goal is to imagine what you can make happen. We need to create the future. How do you embed this type of thinking into an organisation?

Organisations need to be a 'learning organisation' to survive the future. The competencies and skills involved are the ones we are already familiar with - empowerment, team leadership, continuous improvement, but should also include spiritual growth i.e. opening oneself to a progressively deeper reality and living life from a creative rather than a reactive view point.

This thinking discipline requires one to see current reality more clearly and ensuring the gap between vision and reality produces the creative tension from which learning arises.

The kind of leadership style suitable for this is transformational because it requires big changes in the mind to stay ahead in your business or industry. When called upon we should be able as individuals to excercise the free will to juxtapose the many intelligences we possess ( EQ- emotional and ecological ,IQ, SQ- social and spiritual) to solve whatever pressings needs we are faced with. This is our God given gift.

Globalisation - clash or collaborate

The only constant in life is change. I put it that conscious change can only be accelerated through creative thinking. For instance, in seeing today's globalisation it may be a good idea ( a creative one?) to see globalisation not as a clash of cultures but a collaboration of cultures. With this new paradigm we would then be able to see the world that's fast emerging from the meeting of new values, technologies, new lifestyles, new modes of communication in better ways by turning to wholly new ideas, analogies, classifications and concepts.

The future is uncertain of course and we cannot predict it perfectly. But learn to look at it from a creative angle and you'll be surprised at its novelty. Isn't it the best time for us now to come to terms with this deepest of social upheaval and a creative re-structuring of all time? Creative thinking will help us shift our existing paradigm by propelling it to creative leaps towards a more prosperous, peaceful and progressive future. It's never too late to be creative.

( Note: This abstract painting ( paint on board, 4'x8') done in 1995 will be showcased in my 2nd solo exhibition, scheduled 14.10.09 at Kuching)

Testing, testing, testing....

I was borrowing books from the State Library this afternoon. The 'Pustaka Negeri Sarawak' as it is called is located at Petrajaya, the administrative hub of Sarawak. While the books collection here is still very far from ideal, the good little news is that most of the books on display are relatively new books. Being a member I'm entitled to borrow 6 books at a time and the holding period is 2 weeks. However you can renew the books by phone provided you do it at least a day before due date. I think this arrangement is marvellous considering the fact that the distance from my house to Petrajaya is about 30 minutes drive and probably an hour if caught in a traffic jam. The best part is that I too can make the renewal from Bintulu which is 600 km from Kuching. Either way the arrangement by phone is very practical and convenient. The Library's website is here.



Just outside the library a small crowd was enjoying aerobic dancing. Anyone is free to join. I was given to understand that on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the week aerobic exercises are held here to encourage the Kuching public adopt a healthy life style. Aerobic sessions are held from 4.30 pm - 6.00 pm when the weather is slightly cooler. Well, this is my first attempt to add a video in my blog. Friends, if you can play it wonderful! If not do tell me. Hope you enjoy the video.

I'm Blogged

I was lost for words when I read Deb Peterson's comments on my post "Art Through the Years' published in this blog earlier . Deb is a Guide to Continuing Education at About.com, part of the New York Times company. In her blog she highlighted on my idea of showcasing my various interests in my coming 2nd solo art exhibition. Her blog is here. I felt deeply honoured,touched and overwhelmed with joy upon reading her write up. I'm encouraged more than ever to make a real success of the exhibition especially now that it has attracted interest from across the Pacific.

Life-long learning is a growing passion for me. I remember a few years ago when I was doing a garden for a Japanese lady in Bintulu. She casually mentioned in very simple words how important is learning to an individual. She said knowledge is kept in our head. It will always be with you wherever you go. How can you not benefit from learning? On a more philosophical level, I believe that we humans are honey gatherers of the mind. We fly back and forth to treasure up the beehives of our knowledge - where our true heart lies. In the best of human spirit whatever knowledge we have should be used to prosper mankind. Through the Internet and Blogging we are empowered to share knowledge on a scale unimagined of a generation earlier - borderless, online and with the minutest of cost. So, Deb the pleasure is mine.