Finding or developing creative solutions.

Whether contending with a difficult problem or a project of visionary proportions, you're not always going to come up with easy answers. Past experience notwithstanding, you may have to look elsewhere for creative solutions.

Many people who lead active mental lives do not have an off-switch in their brain. Long after they stop defining a problem and actively processing the details, their mind will continue the processing function. And even when they are not actively working on a solution, their mind will still be subconsciously continuing to make connections. This phenomenon is known as dissociative brain activity.

For example, while taking my daily run, the synapses of my brain may connect and pop a creative solution into it. The first thing I do when I get home is jot it down.

One downside of the process is that it probably won't produce an answer or solution in 10 minutes or even an hour. It takes time, perhaps days, for the wires of your mind to cross and come up with a solution.

Another good way to produce creative solutions is by involving others in the problem. A few years ago, our baseball coach approached me with a request for a batting cage. While the team certainly could have used one, there was no money in the budget for it.

It would have been real easy for me to respond with, "Sorry, Coach, we can't do it at this time." I chose another route. I said, "Ok, research the project and get back to me with a proposal. Include the cost, where the cage would be located, how we can raise the money, and a time line for completion."

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Because this offer represented an opportunity instead of a dead-end, the coach eagerly accepted the challenge and produced a comprehensive proposal. Not only were we able to build the batting cage, but to add a second one at the same time!

Looking for some creative solutions in your setting? Allow us to offer some practical hints.

1. Keep paper and pen handy at all times. You never know when disassociative thinking may produce an inspiration. Ideas may occur while walking down a hallway, while watching a game, or even sitting in a meeting.

2. When pondering a vexing problem, sleep on it. You might awake from a night's sleep with a creative answer. It can happen anytime and you'd be smart to keep a pad and pen beside your bed.

3. Determine when creative ideas normally occur to you. It may be while running or driving home from school, taking a shower, even while mowing the lawn. Once you realize the times and situations that work best for you, it will be easier to capitalize on these opportunities.

4. Seek input from your associates--coaches, athletes, and parents. They are all part of the program. The more input you get from others, the greater likelihood you have of arriving at a solution.

5. Start your problem-solving effort with two extreme possible outcomes: What if you do nothing and ignore the problem or what if you totally eliminate the source of the problem? Those will be the defining parameters between which your solutions will usually fall.

6. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Contact fellow AD's and borrow their solutions from similar projects and problems. Very few issues that we face in our positions are totally new or original. Someone has probably already encountered them and certainly can give you a head start.

7. Be open to new sources of ideas. This can be as simple as hearing a jingle on a radio commercial or overhearing a casual comment at the grocery checkout line. Inspiration is everywhere. Don't limit yourself. You can even brainstorm while sitting in one of those dreadful meetings that you have to attend.

8. Attend professional conferences and seek out solutions in the workshop sessions. You might also sit next to another AD who just may have the answer. Conferences will also give you an opportunity to form contacts for future reference.

Anyone can handle simple problems. For the more complex or unusual problems, you may need a more creative idea. With a little practice and greater receptiveness, most of us can become more successful at unearthing or developing creative solutions.

BY DR. DAVID HOCH

Director of Athletics

Loch Raven High School 

Baltimore County, MD