Give your creativity a boost with a shot (or two) of inspiration. Also: the wrong way to praise good work.

A knife needs sharpening to keep the blade from getting dull. Your creativity needs the same: a bit of spark to maintain its edge.

Tips to boost creativity, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Right-Brain Ways

RT @ChatterBachs: 10 Strategies for Increasing Your #Creativity @DanielBurrus http://t.co/zWGdUVl9vM #assnchat #innovation #nonprofit

— John Ricco (@johnricco) November 18, 2013

Fresh juice: Creative flow running dry? Try infusing your mind with a shot of inspiration. “Read things you don’t normally read,” writes Daniel Burrus, a best-selling author and the CEO of Burrus Research. He suggests exposing yourself to as much new information as you can, challenging the mind to redefine problems while searching for answers in out-of-the-box places. A reinvigorated imagination can spur unbridled creation of new ideas—channeling refreshed creativity back to innovation within your organization. How do you refresh your creativity? (ht: @johnricco)

Save the Praise

Right (and Wrong) Way to Praise Employees: intentions vs. approach http://t.co/q5QthZypdE @inc via @GregorSIDERIS #motivation #leadership

— Kimberly George (@kimberlyanngeo) November 18, 2013

Constructing the message: Compliment your employees on a job well done—but when providing feedback, try leaving the praise out of the message. Why? According to Inc.com contributor Jessica Stillman, meshing compliments with advice can muddle the real message about how your staff member can improve. If you take it a step further and focus praise on an employee’s skill, you risk attributing “being successful” to “being a natural.” Instead, praise the process, not the person; recognize the work, not the skill, Stillman suggests. Give employees something tangible to refer to next time a challenge is presented or responsibility delivered. (ht @kimberlyanngeo)

When do you give employees praise, and how do you separate it from feedback? Tell us in the comments.

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