When you are trying to bring ideas together, to build something new, to improve your processes, it is important to have a creative environment where people are free to perform and share ideas without fear of judgment or failure. If people fear failure or judgment, they will refuse to participate.
Failure is a necessary part of most successful ideas, because success rarely comes at the first attempt. Billionaire Sir James Dyson, the inventor of the Dyson bagless vacuum cleaner, spent 15 years and had 5,126 failed attempt before he got his invention right.
Creativity is not just for artists. Everyone is creative. We all have valuable ideas every single day. A person who has original, valuable ideas at work becomes important to their employer. Because creative ideas lead to valuable change, it affects leadership. Leader’s don’t just have an official title or position; they often contribute the most and have the most influence.
Creative ideas are key to businesses, organizations, and countries thriving.
Studies have shown that judging, telling someone exactly how to do things, exerting too much pressure, constantly watching, creating a win / lose situation (competitions especially between co – workers) will hinder creativity.
Be wary of cultures that hinder creativity. Don’t tell others how to behave down to the tiniest detail or create an environment where employees are rewarded for being unquestioning “yes men” to their bosses.
An example of incorporating creativity into the culture is Google’s famous “20 percent time” where employees were free to spend one day a week working on their own projects. Major successes came out of this, including Gmail.
Often careers involve initial training that requires an employee to experience working in multiple departments. But typically, they then specialize and subsequently remain in one department, missing out on the diversity of the whole company. A person with a more rounded understanding and experience of a whole organization will understand that organization better and be in a better position to contribute creatively.
Creativity thrives on different perspectives, so diverse teams will have richer experiences to draw from, especially if partnerships and collaborations are encouraged.
Those are some interesting thoughts taken from the article “Where Leaders are Made” in the July 2018 issue of Toastmaster magazine.
Some very good ideas on how to parent, to be a supervisor, and to be a more enjoyable person came out of that article. It is especially relevant in working with volunteers.
Another article that was shared with me, says people quit their jobs and it really boils down to one reason, one word – disrespect. “It’s clear what causes employees to walk out the door – disrespect on the part of management.
“When employees are not respected or valued as workers and human beings, when they are not served well and developed as people and professionals, when obstacles aren’t cleared from their paths so they can perform well, when their voices aren’t heard or are ignored, they experience disengagement. When that begins to happen and doesn’t change over time, you’ve lost them from the neck up. Once employees are not longer emotionally committed to their work and have checked out, you can bet your bottom line that they’ll be updating their resumes.”
I thought this information interesting. I hope to always improve as a person, a supervisor, and as an employee. These kinds of articles make me think about ways that I can improve.
It’s always good to learn more. Here are some happenings in the community that give you a chance to learn more and improve yourself.
Feb. 24 is a Sunday and that afternoon at the Guymon Library, 1718 N. Oklahoma Street, is an afternoon to learn more about the South Sudanese people who have moved to Guymon. It is a free afternoon sponsored by Seaboard Foods, a Main Street Guymon that begins at 2 and ends at 4:30 and includes watching the “Lost Boys of Sudan” documentary, hearing a panel of South Sudanese, and a chance to ask questions.
Then on Feb. 25 is a Support Group for Diabetics at 5:30 pm. This meeting takes place at the Heritage Community Assisted Living, 501 NE 15th Street. To learn more about this free program, call Amanda Crawford at 580-338-3186.
It’s a good day to be
On the bricks!