“The difference between those who change the world and those who don’t is that those who do believe they can.”-Simon Sinek
Do you – the leader – spark creativity in Your Team
I believe that being a leader means you must set the pace. Your team is watching you, give them something to believe in. Let them know that you want to change the world and that you need them to make that happen.
Does your team see you embrace creative ideas? Do they see you engaged in the process of creating new ideas? Do they see the passion you have for making creative connections? You can inspire others to think creatively if you personally get in the game.
Using the Communicate and Appreciate and then Celebrate model, your team can become great at creating new, value-added ideas.
Communicate with the team
- It is important to clearly communicate your passion and objectives to the team. Companies need creativity and out of the box ideas to solve real business problems and implement solid solutions. Give permission to think outside the box.
- It is extremely important to train people how to think outside the box and be creative. Everyone can be creative, but not everyone can be creative on demand. A fun, creative environment helps with the creative process but there really is a process. Schedule time to conduct training for your team. Show them the process and give them a brief session on effective brainstorming.
Appreciate your team
One of the most satisfying and productive things leaders can do is create the conditions to inspire everyone’s creative potential. In our rapidly changing global marketplace, fostering and embracing the experiences that individual team members bring to the table must be shared and valued.
Expect and respect a creative team. Because of the diversity that make great teams great, it is important to remember that not everyone will take the same path to get to a great outcome. Allow the team members to be creative in their journey. Respect their process, it may be better than the one you showed them.
Celebrate
It is human nature that the actions you reward will be repeated. I am always saying celebrate the little wins. The little wins could be the effort and not the outcome. In sales, I believe that Activity Equals Results! I love to celebrate purposeful activity. If you are just beginning to put an emphasis on creativity, it will be even more important to celebrate the effort. Find your champions, inspire them to encourage others.
Now that you know how to spark creativity in your team, here is one more thing that will create a bond and let them know what it really feels like to step outside the box to make a difference.
Call the activities coordinator of a local retirement community. (Retirement communities house active seniors.) Let them know that your team would like to come over and do something fun with the residents and create a 60 minute “Senior Olympics” program. Find two people on your team who would like to coordinate this, work with the activities director and take 1 hour out of your busy day to help make the Senior Olympics a success.
Is your team open to creativity?
The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You must leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful.’ — Alan Alda
The hardest part of being a creative team is being a team. Everyone brings a different perspective and different natural talents. Understanding how to work with your opposite will make the team stronger, creative and more productive. Here are some examples of working together to spark creativity.
Diversity brings different stories to tell.
The most successful and creative teams have stories to share. They share success stories, cultural stories, and stories of their experiences. These stories allow others to gain insight into why people do what they do. Success stories are extremely helpful for new team members. New folks can use the success stories of others to spread the word about company products or service. Cultural stories and stories of experiences helps us be more creative. Experiences are drivers of new ideas
The Visionary, The Pilot, The Navigator, and The Enforcers!
Someone needs to plot the roadmap, so others can do the driving. Someone on the team needs to understand business. They need to sell. They need to make their case. They need to know how markets operate. They need to study the competition. They need to get the appointments that will change their lives.
Passion and Purpose in the workplace
Of the Top 10 reasons people stay at their job, money is ranked 7th. When employees are really engaged, they love coming to work. If you can tap into their passion, they will discover a renewed purpose. When your team has passion and purpose, they will surround others with “How can I help you?” That is creativity at its best.
Blame the Process
One thing that really sparks creativity is when we refuse to blame each other and point the finger at the process. Break down the process step by step to see what new ideas can become the solution!
Have Fun!
Teams are most productive and creative when they are having fun. Set your team up for success. Explore the possibilities.
Set up an environment that promotes creativity. At least once per quarter get your team out of the “corporate” environment and have an off-site meeting somewhere “outside of the box”.
Allow the team to celebrate their wins. Encourage FUN! Laugh a little.
