Hi everyone – as an Executive Coach in the Fortune 100 for many years, I know that we’ve all had time when we hit a creative roadblock or had a solution in search of a problem. When I want to develop ideas for a product or service for one of my executive coaching clients, or help them to plan a particular goal, I create a mind map. A mind map is a great way to prime your idea pump. Here’s how to make one:

1. Get a poster-sized piece of paper or a whiteboard and draw a circle the size of a Peppermint Pattie in the middle. Write what you want to achieve with your product/service in the middle, for example, “launch widget product.” This is your primary goal.

2. Draw spokes around your primary goal circle, and attach a circle to each spoke. Label these circles with activities that will help you achieve your primary goal, for instance, “create marketing plan,” “build sales pipeline,” “manage fulfillment.”

3. For each activity, again draw spokes from the circle and attach additional circles to the spokes, labeling them with activities/ideas that would support them. For example, for “fill sales pipeline,” you might have circles that say “generate sales leads,” “qualify sales leads,” “hire sales administrator,” “create sales funnel and lead aging system,” and many more. For “create marketing plan,” you might have circles that say “build press list,” “develop activity timeline,” “identify influencers,” and, of course, many more.

4. Keep drawing spokes and circles until you’ve run out of ideas for each activity. Then highlight the most important ones and start executing them. You’ll get to them all in time.

Train yourself to both look at the big picture and remember to ALWAYS pay attention to the pain of the marketplace so that you can move fast to reduce it. You never know what it’ll lead to: sometimes a new company, sometimes a new connection, sometimes a chance to make the world a little better.

For a great free mind mapping software see http://www.mindjet.com.

Remember that we ALL have blocks – from the top CEOs to the newest entrepreneurs. If you ARE ready 100% ready to bust through yours, then having the right coach is key. I will MAKE room in my BAI program for you, IF you are serious. (I’ve added new dates all over the country if the West Coast isn’t your thing!) Teaching my Mighty Formula for Executive Evolution is my personal passion to turn this economy around, one success story at a time.

Christine Comaford, Executive Coach
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author http://businessaccelerationintensive.com

PS: Business Acceleration and an experienced Coach are always the key.
http://businessaccelerationintensive.com