So … what did you learn today?
By Jeffrey A. Govendo

In a study published in Nature magazine this past October, researchers reported they have discovered that the human brain is capable of learning things without even trying. It can soak up, process and store information even when the learner has no intention - or isn't even consciously aware - that he or she is taking it in.

''Even when our mind is not paying attention to extraneous information," says Takeo Watanabe, one of the Boston University psychology department researchers, "it ends up processing it.''

The experiment, involving a group of students "learning" barely discernible patterns on a TV screen to which they were not even attending, supposedly went further than previous studies in demonstrating what the human brain can learn without trying.

Among the many implications of this finding is its potential for the number of skills any one individual might acquire over a given period of time. Conventional wisdom suggests that when we are concentrating on a particular subject, only that subject, along with perhaps a few that are closely related, is being meaningfully processed. But the findings here suggest that multiple subjects can be processed simultaneously, and they don't have to be related at all.

What does this mean? One possibility is that perhaps we're limiting ourselves by focusing on only one skill at a time. After all, why just learn to fly an airplane when you can also learn conversational Russian at the same time?

Another implication, if this finding turns out to be true, is that most of us know more than we think we know. If this learning dynamic is actually occurring as the researchers suggest, think of how much knowledge, information and know-how the average adult will have picked up by the time he or she is, say, 40 years old! We've all heard such sobering (though unscientific) estimates as the average man or woman, at any given time, is using a mere one-tenth of his/her potential knowledge and brainpower. If the B.U. researchers are correct, they may have to revise that figure downward to, say, one-twentieth, one-fiftieth, or even lower!

On the other hand, what if we could make more of this information available to us on an as-needed basis? For instance, when struggling to solve a seemingly intractable problem by summoning up everything we know about it, what if we could summon up - everything we know? You'd think there would have to be something in there that could give us a clue - something we're not getting from dealing with the problem head-on.

Now, some may ask, "How could you possibly solve a problem with clues from completely unrelated areas?" How can one's knowledge of, say, decorating a Christmas tree help him/her come up with a more innovative plan for managing customer relationships, or creating a new networking system among our employees?

The fact is, whether by accident or design, we make these kinds of connections all the time. Witness the occasional (or for some, more than occasional) "Ah-ha!" when we suddenly come up with the solution to a vexing problem, and weren't even thinking about it at the time. Chances are, this occurs when we allow other thoughts or images to occupy our senses; then our brains do what they're so good at doing: making connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. There are many well-known stories in which this process has led to important discoveries: a spoiled culture that resulted in Fleming's development of penicillin, Kekule's dream of a snake eating its own tail which enabled him to visualize the basic molecular structure of organic chemistry, just to name two.

This is why I often tell groups I'm working with, "We are all creative." It is an entirely human characteristic to be able to sense what is common to things that seem very different, and use this to come up with new ideas and potential solutions. This is a cornerstone of creative thinking.

So, whether or not Mr. Watanabe's findings are borne out in further studies, we all have plenty of material to work with for creative problem-solving. Each of us is much more than what we've learned in relation to our jobs or professions. We are also artists, athletes, worshipers, movie-goers, book-readers and, yes, Christmas tree decorators. If we allow ourselves to peruse some of these "unrelated files" when trying to come up with new solutions to tough problems, we may be quite surprised at the extraordinary clues they contain!

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5 Ways to Add a Creative Touch to Your Holidays

The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time for families, but often they are stressful or feel like the same thing year after year. Here are 5 tips for adding a little creativity to your festivities, and perhaps increasing the holiday spirit a bit.

1. Make one gift for your kids, and have them make one for you - nothing fancy; use material found in the home. A great way to get truly "involved" in gift-giving, especially for children who may not have the means to buy presents.
2. Attend another faith's services - we talk about the importance of diversity in our business and social lives. Here's a way to walk that talk, and learn something new in the process. Also, host somebody from another faith at your church or temple.
3. Play "Without the Batteries" before putting the batteries in - before you fire up that new electronic gizmo, have your kids imagine what it will do, or what it should do. They may get it right, or then again, end up inventing a whole new gizmo!
4. Let your children donate the money for one gift to a favorite charity - give your kids the money you would have spent on one toy or game, and guide them in picking out a worthy cause to send it to. Yes, you could just do it for them, but it's important they go through the process.
5. Add a "wishful" dimension to your gift exchange party - in addition to the gift with a $5 or $10 limit, have each person describe what they would like to have gotten for their recipient if there were no constraints, and why. A good way to do some team building in the holiday spirit!

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For a High Performance Corporate Culture,
Try Taking It Outside
By Steve Paulson

With hierarchical structures, rigid lines of communication and strict departmental objectives, many corporate cultures constitute a direct cause of lackluster individual and organizational performance. Throw in stressful internal competition and pressures from quarterly financial goals, and you've got yourself some major barriers to high achievement. In addition, an uncertain economy can contribute to a corporate environment that fosters fear, distrust, poor communications and protection mechanisms; i.e., survival tactics.

What can any one individual professional do to turn around such a constricting environment? One underused but highly effective approach is to involve everyone in an outside activity designed to boost morale, team spirit and organizational effectiveness.

At many progressive companies today, the following "challenge" is included in the agenda of the annual retreat: an outdoor activity planned for one day or half a day. This is typically something that most in the group have had relatively little experience at, so that everyone operates at similar levels with no one person in a superior position.

Everyone observes these rules: be safe, have fun and learn something about the other person, the group and the activity. Typically, groups are intermingled across functions, departments and/or levels. Experience shows that companies achieve better outcomes when management actively participates.

There are dozens of activities to choose from, including snowshoeing, skiing, tobogganing or snowmobiling in the winter; hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting or sailing in the warmer months. Some companies turn these into a corporate challenge by getting sponsors and giving the donations to charity.

If you do plan to run an outdoor activity at your company, be sure to follow these guidelines: keep things simple when deciding the specific activity, have everyone participate at some level, and encourage each person to establish his/her own level of risk-taking and challenge. Above all, make the activity an adventure, and have fun!

There is something almost magical about getting a group of co-workers out of their daily environment trying out new activities together. New kinds of communication and learning occur, leading to insights that can transfer back to the workplace for improved performance and morale.

You may find that the more traditional, "stay-inside" retreat format pales by comparison, leading you to institute this more exciting approach for all your future meetings.

Steve Paulson is president of Adventure Achievement Inc., a Boston-based consulting firm specializing in solving business challenges by developing optimal performance and efficiency in new and exciting environments. To learn more, contact Steve at spaulson@adventureachievement.com, call 781-925-2340, or visit www.adventureachievement.com.

• SeaChange (a company that specializes in incubating and launching new technology products) - Would be even better if all their work was related to oceanography!
• Staples (office superstores) - sometimes the best names are those we're very familiar with (and maybe that's why). This name is a double entendre that fits both the store's products and positioning to a tee!
• SmarterKids.com (educational games and toys) - A name is almost perfect when it's synonymous with the desired benefit!
• Be Free, Inc. (web-based marketing software for e-commerce) - Not sure what the connection is with their product, but what a compelling name anyway!
• Darwin Magazine (publication about continuous change in business and technology) - Whom do we associate with the nature of change in the world more than the venerable Mr. D.?
• SensAble Technologies (makes digital clay modeling software that allows the user to design on the computer via sense of touch) - Good way to get messy while keeping your hands clean!