Embracing Creativity as an Agent of Change

There is no such thing as a person who is not creative. Knowing that is the first step to allowing you to give yourself the confidence and space to create.

For Businesses

Your current workforce is sitting on thousands of untapped ideas that could help you evolve your business. Yes, most ideas will not work – but making time and resources for people to explore these ideas can lead to some incredible results. Google is famous for having given its employees time off to explore projects which would benefit the company – this led to Gmail, google news, and AdSense – which in 2014 made up 21% of Google’s total profits ($14 billion). With the right process in place, you can balance the risks and rewards of allowing everyone in your company to have the power to transform it.

If you have no control over the situation – do not waste your energy trying to change it – spend your energy on embracing it.

The faster you accept it, the faster you can start working on solutions to increase your comfort in this new world. Of course, this is easier said than done and falls more into behavioural psychology.

If you are really struggling with change you might find “Who moved my cheese” helpful.

For Smaller Businesses

The merits of being a smaller business are that you are more agile.

When the rules of the game change, the speed at which you respond is critical in allowing you to subsist and grow. Following the same plan blindly is not an option.

If your business has run dry – think about what you have access to, what people need, and work backward. This will allow you to transform your restaurant into a farmer’s market.

For Larger Businesses

Large businesses can weather increasingly large changes – but this often leads to a lack of agility.

Being agile and large is hard – but it is vital to embrace the opportunities in times of change.

Giving your support to smaller businesses who are solving problems you face or creating your own standalone projects can allow you to explore opportunities in an evolving marketplace.

School teaches us to move to the next question once the previous question is answered – creativity does not work that way.

Knowing there are different options allows you to experiment. You are not done once you have found a solution, you are done once you have found the best solution you can find, in the time you are given.

For Businesses

A minute saved whilst coming up with a solution to a problem – could be hours of time wasted further down the line. But also know that creativity takes time – you will need to give your workforce time and space to create.

One of the many reasons people have ideas in the shower – is that it is the only remaining place where we are left alone to our thoughts without external inputs – unless you have a waterproof mobile phone.

Remove the pressure – it is normal that you will not get it right the first time around. Our society celebrates achievement – but always forgets to shed light on how long it took to get there.

Thinking you got it right the first-time round leads to half-baked ideas.

Remove any ego and challenge everything you create; and I guarantee you, you will create better.

For Businesses

Failing means you are willing to take risks. The first hand sanitiser Brewdog created was rejected by the NHS – that did not stop them from trying again and succeeding. Giving them incredible exposure to their brand.

Reacting negatively to your teams failures will be remembered by your workforce and ultimately impact your ability to innovate.

Reducing what you have access to allows your mind to be more creative. Constraints can be good; they give you a starting point.

If you are having trouble solving a problem or creating– break it down and strip it back.

You do not need to come up with the perfect solution, but you can come up with multiple smaller solutions that will, in turn, help you remove the block.

For Businesses

“Blue sky thinking”, “thinking outside the box”, “thought showers” … management-speak gets in the way of what you are really trying to do. Solve a problem.

Set a clear problem, with clear parameters and you will get better results. Once that is done walk out of the room.

Create feedback loops so you can check the project is going in the right direction over time – but always walk out to give your team space to innovate.

Reading something you would not normally help spark original thought – think about ordering a book written by someone out of your gender, race…

Further challenge your routine –, switch your spot at the dinner table…this will keep things fresh even when access to the outside world is lacking.

For Businesses

This does not just mean gender and race, but backgrounds and experiences. Hire people you may not agree with – and foster their individuality.

A study of Broadway musicals identified that there was a golden ratio for creating blockbuster hits. Have a team made up of 60% who had worked with one another before and 40% fresh talent who they had never worked with would allow for the best box office takings.