One of the (many) facets that made Steve Jobs so successful was how comfortable he was with creativity, both his own and that of the brilliant minds on his team.
But we all embrace creativity, right?
Sadly, no.
Many pay lip service to the concept, claiming that they LOVE creativity. In practice, however, people tend to default to the safety of routine. Although inconsistent with their admiration of creativity, this is not surprising. Most people are risk averse. And, especially when it comes to generating livelihood, the predominant thought is: "we have a business to run– a business, not an arts and crafts class." However, to stifle creativity is a failure to leverage your team's full potential and a poor business decision.
Advocates of Seth Godin's Linchpin may argue that this landscape is changing: that people are, in fact, becoming more attuned to their creative side and encouraging others in the workplace to do the same. As much as we may want this to be the case, the transition from conservative to creative across the business landscape will take time and effort.
Here are some suggestions to help you embrace creativity and integrate it into the workplace:
5 Ways to Amp Up Your (and Your Team's) Creativity
1. Ask for help. This may seem fairly obvious, but sometimes we get so caught up in our own problems and, for whatever reason, fail to reach out to others on our team. Another perspective may often help simplify issues, identify problems (and their causes) and lead us to solutions.
2. Actively listen, but don't be an active listener. You are not fooling anyone with your constant nods and "uh huhs," but you ARE likely discouraging and agitating the speaker. When your employee/team member has the floor, let her have it. Listen until she's finished. Don't try to finish her sentences for her.
3. Not every idea is a gem. Although you don't want to inhibit creativity, if a team member presents an idea that only a mother would love, note that (to YOURSELF, in your MIND), let her finish speaking her piece, thank her for her input and move on. Do NOT berate her, that would stifle future creativity and completely defeat the purpose of what we are trying to accomplish here.
4. Be willing to accept constructive feedback. This is a distinct concept from from #1. It is one thing to go through the motions of asking for help and another to separate yourself from an idea/project enough to incorporate the criticism of others. You, too, sometimes have ideas that only your mother would appreciate. Constructive criticism has the potential to help make your ideas stronger. Welcome it, encourage it, never take it personally.
5. Air it out. Hold a weekly brainstorming session: a conversational de-briefing of all that was accomplished during the week. Reflect on struggles encountered and invite any creative ideas, such as for tackling issues and improving communication/collaboration. Try to encourage everyone to speak, not just the same people every time. To establish the sort of nonjudgmental environment necessary to foster inventiveness, impose a "no criticism" rule: people should feel free to contribute as many new ideas as they want, but may not criticize the suggestions of others. Record contributions with bullet points for all to see.
What's one thing that you've done to increase creativity in your workplace?
