Its often said that we are so busy working in our business, we rarely find the time to actually work on our business. We continue doing things the way they have always been done, we accept the constraints and we continue to walk past the proverbial broken window. In a team environment, we conform to the teams' accepted parameters and norms - we don't stop to challenge the status quo.
Now, conforming is hugely valuable - it creates a structure, common values and consistency of customer experience. It creates standards. But - what will the outcome be, if all we do is conform? If we don't occasionally put our foot on the ball and challenge the status quo? IF we don't look for ways to evolve and improve?
Human beings are naturally creative and resourceful - if we weren't we would all have been eaten by tigers and bears a long time ago! Necessity is the mother of invention, hence why mankind invented tools, learned to build safe places to live, how to heat them (and how to keep the tigers and bears out!) In more recent times, many companies accelerated their IT capability to adapt to enforced home working - would they have done that at the same pace if it was not a necessity, probably not.
So - whilst there is true value in conformity, there is an equally strong argument to unleash our inner creativity. Do we need to wait for necessity to create the burning platform for us? How much more could we achieve, if we proactively chose to be creative - if we made time for it before necessity came knocking at our door?
Google are famous for their "20%" rule - they encourage all colleagues to spend 20% of their time exploring or working on projects that show no immediate promise of dividends, but that might reveal big opportunities further down the road. This gives employees empowerment to be more creative - and many of Googles most significant advances have happened from that initiative - if you use Gmail you are using one of them.
Do you have your best ideas when you are in the middle of doing the work - or do they come to you as you are out for a walk, in the shower, or randomly in the early hours of the morning? There is a reason for that, linked to brainwaves. There are 5 common types of brainwaves (the amount of electrical impulses active in our brain) and its been shown that we are more creative when in our "Alpha" state. Alpha is a more relaxed state - typically early in the morning before the madness of our routine starts. So, if you want to get creative, it makes sense to get into Alpha state. Some suggestions that could help - meditation, relaxing music, staying hydrated, focus on a single task over trying to do everything at once,. Slow down, if you want to speed up. The point is - proactively make time to allow your self to have that brainwave that could make the biggest difference!! Don't feel guilty for building a walk into your daily work life - it make just be the most valuable part of your day - and the bright idea you have on that walk make just be the most valuable part of your year!
How could you get creative in your team environment:-
Don't leave it to chance - make the time! Set time aside for your team on a weekly/monthly basis to get creative. A simple way to do this is a "retrospective" meeting, where we collectively reflect on work we have done, review feedback, and identify key process or service improvements we can take into our next tranche of work. The more frequently we have these meetings, the more often we identify improvements and efficiencies!
Focus on what will have the biggest impact. Once you have identified a problem you would like to fix - encourage team members to get creative. No idea is a bad idea at this stage - very often the best nuggets lie in the most lavish and seemingly impractical suggestions. Ask everyone to write 2 or 3 suggestions before sharing them. The idea here is that team members should not be influenced by each others suggestions - its been shown that we very often fall into line with the first ideas shared and don't explore our own creative sparks.
As a team, identify the ideas that stand out, build on them, then explore how they can be implemented.
Then - take the idea for a test drive by putting it into practice! Its time to test and learn. Did it work - if yes, how can it be shared wider and become the new standard? If no - why not (was it poorly implemented/ would it work with tweaks /was it just not effective in practice)
How creative and innovative your team are is down to the culture your create. Make your team a safe space for ideas to thrive and where everyone has a voice. Being creative is your best tool in keeping the proverbial tiger away from your door, and you might just find yourself with a "Gmail" of an idea!
As always, if this has sparked your interest, if you would like help to inject some creativity into your team, please get in touch - Liz 07876 166664 / lizgilchristcoaching@outlook.com.
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