Creativity & Growth Mindset

By the end, the learner can

• Innovative remediation design: adapts standard remediation technologies to unusual site conditions such as combined soil and groundwater contamination in densely developed urban settings
• Program innovation: designs new program delivery approaches or service models that address unmet organizational or customer needs within existing budget constraints
• Creative problem-solving: develops unconventional staffing, scheduling, or budget solutions when standard frameworks are insufficient to meet operational demands

Session plan

1. 10 minHow these are scoredWhere this shows up: public safety settings and community or institutional environments, working with public members, supervisors, emergency responders. Conditions to expect: high-consequence, protocol-driven, risk-sensitive. Entry roles this maps to: Animal Control Workers, Correctional Officers and Jailers, Crossing Guards and Flaggers.
   • designs new program delivery approaches or service models that address unmet organizational or customer needs within existing budget constraints
   From Managers, All Other (11-9199.00)
2. 5 minSituationsWork the task on your own first. Support is available, but ask for it out loud so the group hears what got you stuck.
   • Tools in play: Office suite software, Spreadsheet software, Electronic mail software.
3. 10 minWhere the group splitCompare answers before the debrief. Where the room split is the useful part — the split usually marks a real judgment call rather than a knowledge gap.
   • Where did two people read the same situation differently, and what did each notice?
   • Which answer would survive a supervisor asking "why did you do it that way?"
4. 10 minThe pattern behind the answersClose the loop: what changed between the first attempt and the last, and what would have to be true for creativity to hold up on a bad day.