rephrase

1. tapping outside experts for ideas:

  • Attending a conference that is designed for the exchange and debate of ideas from a variety of fields is likely to create a collision of concepts that can turbocharge your associating skill.
  • A conference on a topic outside your direct industry and field of expertise can also spark new ideas.
  • He applied an idea from beekeeping to come up with an innovative solution to one of his current work challenges

2. attending networking events:

3. building a personal network of creative confidants:

  • We found that many innovators build a small network of people who are their “go to” folks when they want to find or test new ideas.
  • Networking for ideas is unofficial, as being a CEO is that you have got to be very careful about what you say in public and whom you would involve in these conversations.
  • It’s important to form a trusted network of confidants, since the issues under discussion are of critical and sensitive strategic value.
  • Forming relationships with a diverse set of people takes time and experience