During the period of the Bubonic Plague, there was no Netflix or Peloton to keep us busy, and the resulting creative outputs have shaped the history of theater, art and literature. In fact, Shakespeare wrote “King Lear,” “Macbeth” and “Antony and Cleopatra” in 1606 during the plague. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Donatello, Hugo van der Goes and Jan van Eyck are all iconic artists that attribute their creative surges to the period following the pandemic of the times. This amplified feeling of inspiration, along with an ample supply of free time, has led to a renewed focus on creativity in the current year. 2020 has brought many negatives to our lives, but an excess of creativity is not one of them. Let’s explore creativity, why it’s important and how to cultivate it.
What creativity looks like in the workplace.
When we say the word creativity, we might conjure up an image of an easel and a bearded artist holding a palette of oil paints. Of course, that is one type of creative outlet, but there are many more. How about the back-end developer who comes up with an innovative application to overcome one of your biggest customer conversion challenges? And, then there may be the manager who comes up with a fresh, new incentive program to keep the sales team engaged Or, how about the marketer who contrives a new delivery channel during a pandemic shutdown? Creativity also (much more obviously) shows up in your marketing team’s design, branding and copywriting output – a much more expected place to see it, but no less important.
Why creativity matters, more now than ever before.
The “new normal” is a phrase we are all tired of grappling with, but the truth is, this new normal is here to stay for a good long while. Supply chains have been stressed. Customer interaction with our brand and our product offerings has morphed, and budgets are tighter than ever before. Even in a non-pandemic world (remember the good ol’ days?), things in nearly every marketplace were getting hypercompetitive, and the need for innovation was trending upwards. Check out some stats to support the assertion that creativity is becoming a valued commodity in today’s organization (even before the COVID-19 situation hit us).
A survey of leading CEOs put out by IBM showed that they feel creativity is the number one factor for the future success of the employee and the business as a whole.
Recruiters surveyed by Bloomberg Businessweek ranked creative problem solving as the second most difficult, yet sought after, skill to find among job applicants.
How to cultivate a culture of honoring and fostering creativity in your organization.
Make time for it.
Creativity is hard to fit in if it is not baked into the schedule. Imagine your designers, marketers, product developers or engineers trying to work brainstorming into their current calendars on their own. It’s unlikely that they will find time (or prioritize time) to slow down and support creative brainstorming sessions without a nudge and a top-down initiative that encourages it. By setting up routine times monthly, quarterly or even more frequently as needed, to foster creativity, pause and reflect on needs and express ideas, you may create a culture of creative thinkers by providing the space for expression.
Encourage bravery; embrace mistakes.
We’ve all worked in that place where mistakes could cost you your job. In those instances, chances are we worked really hard not to step out of the box or take any kind of risk that could bring about that result. The problem is that creativity can get messy. Not all ideas are home runs. Not every creative thought is spot on as it comes out of the gates. Sometimes, however, the mistakes lead to new discoveries. And, almost always, the ability to express creative ideas without inhibition or fear of repercussion leads to an environment that supports fresh creative idea flow.
Systemize collaboration and idea sharing.
A huge percentage of the American workforce is still in remote-mode, and that trend may continue long after COVID dissipates. Even for the in-office team, a system to collaborate and share ideas is in order to show that your organization is taking it seriously and effectively track innovative ideas over time. Companies who are serious about fostering creativity have to find ways to facilitate it. Creating the forums to brainstorm, the policies to encourage the flow of ideas and the safe zone to allow for communication without hierarchy, reports, permissions or financial justifications. An added benefit of having the repository of ideas platform is that tracking becomes easier. It could be as simple as an “idea committee,” or an excel spreadsheet or Google form that acts as a wish list or a native application that allows for inter-organizational idea sharing.
Be playful.
Creativity often takes place as the guard is lowered. Foster an environment where humor is encouraged, new thought processes are encouraged and, even a change of scenery is on order. Creativity requires a mindset shift. Execution and task-oriented employees must shift from the “getting stuff done’ attitude that their day to day job requires to a dreamy, idealistic approach for the creativity to shine through. A playful culture helps to support these goals as opposed to a stressed, overly serious vibration.
Stay optimistic.
In times like the ones businesses are facing under the constraints of the pandemic or in any tough environment that’s a result of competition, economic downturn, it’s easy to get stressed, portray desperation or negativity outwardly to your team. As contrary to the current situation as it may seem, the attitude of hope and optimism allows your team to relax and let their minds wander freely toward creative ideas and innovations that could solve your biggest challenges.
Xandra Marketing specializes in helping businesses come up with creative strategies designed to help their businesses succeed. From digital marketing to traditional marketing campaigns to business development strategy and more, we’re here to keep your business thriving – no matter what’s happening in the world at large.
