Tools of the Trade is an AgencySpy feature to help highlight the many tools that help make advertising and marketing folks successful. The tools can be anything that helps people perform at their top form, from a favorite drafting table to the best software program to a lucky pen, a vintage typewriter or a pair of headphones.
Next up is Ariadna Navarro, chief growth and strategy officer at strategy and design agency VSA Partners.
Ariadna Navarro reads from her creative problem solving book.
What is one tool you use all the time at work, and how does it inspire your work?
I have this book—yes a real book—called 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: The Handbook of New Ideas for Business. I use it to help me think differently about any given situation or challenge. It is an oldie, but invaluable.
Why is it your favorite?
I use the exercises often to crack thorny problems that aren’t linear and require more of a lateral thinking approach. It has taught me how to think creatively about problems, how reframing questions will lead to new answers and how attacking problems from a different perspective will unveil solutions you hadn’t thought of. But most importantly, it taught me not to be afraid to think a lot first, to generate many imperfect ideas first that can lead to the perfect answer and to make connections rather than expect you are going to come up with a holistic answer right off the bat.
How did you acquire your tool or hear about it for the first time?
My first boss at Leo Burnett gave it to me and I’ve had it ever since—well, maybe I bought a newer edition because my old one was in shambles.
How does it help you be successful?
I’m not sure I think of it as a tool to be “successful,” but rather as a friend or mentor that’s there for me when I need it most. I know, that sounds weird, but I feel better every time I leaf through pages and use one of the frameworks to help me get through something.
Does it have sentimental value?
Yes, it often reminds me of how much courage it takes to explore ideas. You have to put fear of failure aside in order to be able to explore new possibilities, and you have to hang disbelief to try uncharted territory and not be afraid of ridicule. It also reminds me how young I was when I first got it.
Do you think your tool could go TikTok viral?
Yes. It’s a real book, made of paper, about the power of creative thinking and about how quirky, nonlinear thinking can lead to greatness. If that’s not analogous with TikTok, I don’t know what is.
We want to know what tools you use to make you successful. If you’d like to contribute or know someone who would want to be featured in Tools of the Trade, contact kyle.obrien@adweek.com and fill out our survey.