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Want to make your team meeting the most exciting part of the week ?  If so check out this episode the Chic Perspectives Show.

This week I had the pleasure of talking with internationally recognized team effectiveness and innovation expert, Kimberly Douglas, President of FireFly Facilitation about igniting the innovation on teams.  Kimberly has earned numerous awards and recognition and was recently honored with two awards for innovation – the SHRM Pinnacle Award and Facilitator of the Year by the Southeast Association of Facilitators. www.fireflyfaciliation.com

I got the chance to find all about Kimberly’s critically acclaimed book, The Firefly Effect, and how the concepts in the book have been changing the way leaders and managers think about their own creativity as well as that of their people.

Innovation is the way out the recession, says Kimberly. Businesses need to dare more to be different if they are going to survive and thrive through the recession.  Kimberly talked about how everyone can find that spark of creativity within them and what a tremendous corporate asset that can be to businesses.

We talked about the new role of leadership in corporations, no longer is the charge to command and control, but rather to inspire and creative an environment when collaboration can lead to the productive leveraging of all team members unique strengths.  Kimberly talked about how to find untapped talent within an organization.

Next we got into workplace conflict – surprise – you shouldn’t be by it.  Conflict is normal, natural and can be a great impetus for sparking creativity.  Kimberly shared how to make conflict a source of “creative abrasion” and avoid the time wasters of infighting, destructive sarcasm and ego battling.

There’s so much talk about strategic planning in companies, that often the plan is so overwhelming and complex, it causes a scattered focus – which no company can afford these days.  Kimberly shared how to keep the team focused on the marketplace and business goals.

Kimberly talked about how when you tap into the innovation of your team, infinite possibilities become available that can catapult your business results to new heights.   She shares tools and techniques for holding team members accountable and keeping them engaged.

She also shared with us the secrets of the world’s leading thinking styles assessment tool – the HBDI – explained how people can use these practical tips to immediately improve their communication effectiveness.

Kimberly shared some of the projects she has been brought in on and the specific results her company has achieved for clients.  She also shares her outlook for how companies are innovating out of the recession, the opportunities smart companies are spotting and taking advantage of and the changes she says to expect in 2010.

Thanks Kimberly for illuminating your light on some very complex and challenging business issues and reminding us all to look for our own unique spark of innovation – we all have a unique light to shine.