October 31, 2023
by Stephen T. Messenger
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” –Albert Einstein
I love people’s creativity on Halloween. You see it in costumes, pumpkins, houses, and places of work. It’s a chance to really showcase ingenuity.
Creativity is the ability to produce new work, combine ideas to create new ones, or use imagination to bring thoughts into reality.
We could all use creativity beyond October 31 and extend it into the workplace.
Halloween Night and Back to Work
Look around on Halloween. There are so many creative geniuses. I see haunted houses in front lawns. Infants fully dressed in movie costumes. Pumpkins carved with needles. Couples costumes. Families decked out as Marvel Superheroes. Halloween gets people’s creative juices flowing.
But come the next day at work, it’s back to, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Why aren’t the same people having as much fun and imagination at work as Halloween night?
The Town Hall
Last week we conducted our quarterly town hall. I consider this one of our most important engagements as we assembled everyone to discuss where we’re at and where we’re going.
I’ve been on the receiving end of mandatory townhalls for over 23 years. Let’s be honest. Most aren’t that fun to attend. Often boring.
More than anything, I strive to create an environment where people want to show up, learn something, have fun, and leave feeling valued. What town halls need is creativity.
So, we added elements to keep people interested and engaged: rock music upon entry, movie theater-like trailers and quiz questions, videos, different speakers, handouts instead of slides, recognition, discussion, jokes, and visual lessons.
While it wasn’t a Broadway production, we went to great lengths to educate the audience while entertaining them using creative approaches.
Why We Need Creativity
Leaders who are creative develop environments where people are free to experiment. They are solution-oriented and see things that others do not. These leaders make connections where there previously were none and bring together ideas from different facets of life to solve problems.
When leaders adopt a creative mindset, they open the door for non-standard problem solving, new ideas, and innovation. Creativity breeds creativity, and people encouraged to think about new ideas convinces others to do the same.
I see this all the time where an idea from one area could be used in another. We recently brought in a data scientist to look deep into our operations processes. Interestingly, the section that was most intrigued by the analytics was our recreation department. In another example, we started taking lessons from shorter, 30 second social media videos to message our information more effectively.
There are countless great ideas out there to use. The goal is to use these ideas to advance organizational objectives.
Ways to Inspire Creativity
Below are 6 ways to enhance creativity at work and home.
- Calm Thyself. I receive most of my creative ideas during an oxygen-deprived morning run. Taking time to quiet your brain through walking, exercise, meditation, or other ways allows a chance to relax your mind. It’s hard to produce new ideas when you’re always on. Peace begets imagination.
- Try New Things. Experimentation helps you experience new sensations that may apply in different areas. This year I’ve tried snowboarding, sketch noting, public speaking, video games with my kids, a bowling league, telling jokes, and hundreds of other small things. Each one is an opportunity to incorporate into other aspects of your life. In doing so, you will (see next point)…
- Fail a Lot. If you’re not failing, you’re not growing. I can’t tell you how many times I found myself laying on my back looking up at the ski on the snowboard slopes after falling. Falling down a natural part of growth. But you learn from it. Creativity comes through experimentation, not victory.
- Play at Work – Have Fun. I love trying things with people at work. I’ve donned firefighter gear, harvested deer, ridden in police cars, repaired shooting targets, shoveled feces, watched children, and just had fun with people. Children are creative because they play. We can learn a lot from them.
- Take Outside Feedback. Bring in outsiders to look at what you do. I once heard a co-worker say, “The most powerful force in the world is the desire to edit someone else’s work.” While sometimes hard to hear, these outside views are essential to finding new, creative ways of attacking your problem.
- Write Down Ideas. If an idea pops into your head, write it down quickly. They come and go fast!
Creative Leadership
Creative leadership offers a chance to boost your competencies. It’s imperative that you’re not just a creative leader, but you encourage others to be as well.
Take these amazing Halloween flashes of creative imagination and bring them into the workplace. It will change your game.
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