Microsoft Chief Gets Creative During "White Space" [Brainstorming]

Category: Science/Tech | Posted by laraib 1393 days ago

While Bill Gates used to schedule a twice-yearly "Think Week" at a retreat so he could chew on technical papers from Microsoft employees, chief software architect Ray Ozzie prefers to get away with no reading material to come up with ideas on his own. CNET News reports: Once or twice a year, Ozzie tries to find time for what he calls "white space." Rather than be surrounded by the ideas of others, Ozzie prefers to lock himself away with the proverbial blank sheet of paper. His most recent such exercise was during a brief trip to Hawaii in April following a work trip to Asia. It's a practice that dates back to Ozzie's time at Groove Networks and even before that. Inevitably, Ozzie returns to the office with a ton of new ideas, sending a variety of "go do" tasks for his team. Ah, to be a big important exec who can get away for a few days just to dream up stuff for others to do. If scheduling white space isn't an option for you, just an hour or two with a blank piece of paper can be a good way to stimulate ideas too. How do you get creative, brainstorm, and generate ideas to move your career forward? Let us know in the comments. Ozzie puts his own spin on 'ThinkWeek' [CNET News]