What's the Big Idea?

How you think depends on where you sit.

"There's a definite correlation between people's comfort level and their creativity level," Haman argues. That's why visitors to the Thinkubator have to take off their shoes and don tube socks. Haman has even been known to slice the necktie off an uptight client.

Open minds require full stomachs.

"When you're in a meeting and you're hungry, your mind focuses on eating rather than on thinking," Haman says. So visitors to the Thinkubator enjoy an endless supply of snacks -- including fruit, candy, herbal energy boosters, and, yes, cookies in the shape of a light bulb.

Good ideas require smart tools.

"Technology helps people with what we call 'the new three R's': recording, recalling, and re-creating ideas," says Haman. On-site, the Thinkubator uses lots of digital tools. After clients return home, they can access the ideas that they generated by visiting a secure area of the Thinkubator Web site.

Music stimulates the idle mind.

Before he became a creativity guru, Haman was a concert producer for such bands as Manhattan Transfer and Air Supply. Music plays a big role in the Thinkubator experience. A CD jukebox and a karaoke system let visitors choose from thousands of songs. "We pass around a song menu during our breaks and play special requests," he explains.

You can reach Gerald Haman by email (solutionman@solutionpeople.com) and visit the Creative Solutions Network on the Web (www.solutionpeople.com).