Creativity, Dr. Justin Hiebert

Team doing puzzle with Increasing Creativity text over top

As a leader, one of the things you’re responsible for is increasing the creativity for you and your team.

Settling on Solutions

As leaders, our natural disposition can be to settle on solutions. That’s leadership, right? We know the problem, tackle the solution, and keep pushing forward.

Not necessarily.

In fact, quite the opposite is true.

Leaders who are expected to know and have all the answers create two primary problems.

First, they limit the effectiveness and full potential of their teams.

Second, they are subject to burnout.

Because of this, a large part of great leadership is not just about providing answers but creating an environment where our team can come up with better ones. Increacsing creativity happens thorugh an intentional delay.

Instead of seeking answers to questions like, “What’s probable?” as a question like, “What’s possible?”

Creativity is about “What’s Possible”

One of the necessary shifts in leadership thinking is to encourage and facilitate questions around what’s possible.

Instead of moving to solution-oriented ideas and tasks, entertain possibilities of the wild and extravagant.

Imagine a customer writing your business praising you for your new product that helped them. What did they say, feel, or experience? Once you know what that end destination is, then you can work backwards to create the product you just visualized.
Pretend a new company pops up and exploits your weaknesses, what would they do? Now that you know your biggest weaknesses, you can discover new ways to beat them.
Plan how you would operate your business if you were operating at ten times your current profit margin. Once you are aware of that, continue the discovery processes by dreaming up those new products and services. Start testing those and implement big change.

Increasing Creativity

Implementing a creative making process for your team or organization benefits everyone.

The team will be more productive.

Your customers will have a better experience.

The community will experience greater blessing.

You will have less stress and more productivity.

However the process looks for you, take time to implement that creative process time

Bring together multiple disciplines.
Research seemingly unrelated fields or areas of interest.
Study the competition.
Hire a coach.

Want to work with me to increase your teams productivity? Contact me here.

Looking for more ways to stay inspired? Follow me on YouTube.

Whatever you do, don’t be too quick to settle on solutions. Look for what’s possible, not just what’s probable. Listen to those around you and look for new ways of doing things.

Building With Purpose

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Isn’t There Another Choice?

I love how Michael reframes the conversation around creativity in action and not the negativity of reaction. It prompts us towards healthy growth and gives us strong language for action. Maybe, like Michael you’re asking, isn’t there another choice? Yes, here are some of my thoughts:

1.) Remember all you’ve overcome.

You have, quite literally, made it through everything previous to this in your life. While much of this is new and unexpected, you have ample evidence to suggest that you can make it through this as well.

2.) Choose contemplative action.

Michael does a nice job of helping us walk through the waters of necessary action without reckless direction. I like the term “contemplative action.” Years ago, Elise and I instituted a rule that we will pursue a new path, potential direction, or life change with 100% enthusiasm until we sense God telling us to stop. He blessed us with brains, skills, and passions and we should use them in ways that spark joy. When we sense him telling us to stop, we do. This has opened up tremendous opportunities and new career paths. We have been committed to both action, and being aware of what’s going on in the midst of it, or here, contemplative action.

3.) Seek sound advice.

Life was never meant to be lived alone. That’s what makes social distancing hard for so many. Be sure to have good, sound counsel in your life. Find a friend, a coach, a mentor, or significant other give feedback and encouragement.