Posts by Valerie Patrick
How Emotional Intelligence is More Powerful than Position
“Emotional intelligence is a powerful discernment tool to do your best work and live your best life.” Valerie Patrick, PhD
Read MoreHow to Elevate Self-Development on a Budget
I thought about how to elevate self-development on a budget because I am currently in the market for a mother-of-the-groom dress for my only son. I want to elevate my style for the wedding but I cannot afford designer prices. Sadly, I no longer fit in the gowns I own so recycle is not an…
Read MoreThe Science of How to Find Fulfillment
Fulfillment is a wiser goal than happiness because happiness is short-lived and dependent on circumstances beyond your control while fulfillment can be assessed and improved over time.
Read MoreHow to Optimize Learning
I am interested in how to optimize learning because now that I have passed my sixth decade of life, I realize how much there is to learn given the rapid pace of intellectual advancement. The more I learn, the more I can help others through my work. My ability to help others as a leadership…
Read MoreIdea Selection Illustrates the Diversity of Thinking Needed for Innovation
I was surprised to discover that idea selection illustrates the diversity of thinking needed for innovation. I was taught that idea generation takes divergent thinking while idea selection takes convergent thinking. We use divergent thinking when faced with an open-ended task that has many responses such as the following: how might we use our summer…
Read MoreHow to Ensure Brainstorming Success
The topic of how to ensure brainstorming success is important because many people get brainstorming wrong despite what research and experience reveal is needed. I have been following creativity research since the mid 1990’s and I have been practicing successful brainstorming sessions as a Certified Professional Facilitator since 2013. I have witnessed participants push back…
Read MoreHow to Overcome the Greatest Limitation to Being a Creator
You first must know what the greatest limitation to being a creator is before you can overcome the limitation. From my experience as an author (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1632651823), the head of the Creative Center at Bayer MaterialScience, and a Certified Creative Problem Solving Facilitator (https://www.cpsb.com/a-focus-on-facilitation), the greatest limitation to creativity is a false belief. The false belief…
Read MoreHow to Empower Yourself to be Creative
It’s possible to empower yourself to be creative because our brain is wired to create just like the title of Scott Barry Kaufman’s and Carolyn Gregoire’s book (Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire, Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, New York: Perigee, 2015). In fact, creativity guru and researcher Dr. Keith…
Read MoreHow Learners Make Learning Last
How learners make learning last is important to optimal talent development. The learner plays a big role in learning that lasts because the learner is central to the four elements that neuroscientists have discovered are critical to learning that lasts (https://membership.neuroleadership.com/material/the-science-of-making-learning-stick-an-update-to-the-ages-model-vol-5/). The first element to learning that lasts is the learner must focus attention on…
Read MoreHow to Learn Like a Leader
You want to learn like a leader because leaders learn how to navigate the interpersonal pitfalls preventing them from making a difference. Similarly, professionals can learn how to navigate the career pitfalls preventing them from finding fulfillment. Career pitfalls include misplaced motivation, unfocused learning, and stunted growth. This post explores how learning like a leader…
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