Our associate company, Excalibur (UK), has recently successfully completed a business start-up project for Creative Sheffield. This consisted of, amongst other initiatives, a number of Shield "pre-start" programmes. Creative Sheffield were delighted with the results and have written to tell us. Click here for their testimonial letter.
Shield, the Sword innovation programme for individuals, has been in operation since 1994. Shield programmes have been run in a number of locations in the UK and many hundreds of people have successfully launched new businesses at the end of their programmes.
There are seven modules within the Shield programme. Each module contains one or more management and creativity systems. These seven modules go all the way from the thought: “I would like to set up and run my own business” right through to actually launching that business.
Few people have been trained in creativity or innovation, yet these skills lie at the heart of launching a successful new business. The systems behind Shiled are straightforward and can be picked up easily by most people. However, the psychology behind #Shieldsometimes comes as a surprise, particularly to those delegates who have had experience in business.
To be successful in innovation, the right mental approach is of the utmost importance. It involves particularly:
- keeping an open mind and avoiding being over-judgemental
- being prepared to make a guess when more concrete information is not available
- using the creative, visionary part of your mind
Shield consists of a number of “sessions”, usually 12-16, depending on how long the sessions are. These sessions take place weekly in the first half of the programme and fortnightly in the second half.
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