Creativity is something that we all have, and sometimes you just need someone to get it out of you. In business most people would assume that you don’t need creativity, but creativity and contribution are very involved in the world of business. Creating solutions to problems with outside the box thinking is a great way that creativity could assist your business. Thinking out of the box is one thing, but being willing to contribute is another! There are many super creative people out there and some just need the motivation or encouragement to get their ideas out there. Coming up with the ideas is sometimes the easy part and sharing is the hard part for certain individuals. Contributing ideas to your company could help them in ways they have never thought of changing their business. Creativity is important for business in that problem solving needs creativity because critical thinking needs different angles to find different solutions, and allowing your team to get creative will benefit you immensely.
Being able to let ideas fly no matter how good or bad should be a top priority to boost your team’s creativity. To be able to have ideas just get thrown out will just initially get your team thinking, and if they continue thinking, the more creative they can be. If you tell your team to make five ideas, your team will consistently have one favorite alongside 4 random ideas, but one or two of the four ideas is usually great as well. Most good leaders generate options, and your team can change and choose the optimal option if crisis hits. There normally will never be no right answer, but there will be the most fitting answer. Removing barriers to allow your team to open up to different possibilities will let them think without barriers especially if they have had the barriers for a while. Your team should voice their ideas and opinions, one thing you can do is keep your office door open to encourage your team to approach you. As a leader you should consistently be working on your listening skills to better your team’s voice. If you only listen to the same voices, you’re only going to see from one perspective, so give everyone a chance. Allow your team to freely think and share, your team will be so much more than you could have imagined.
Most people would not normally look for problems, but the upside of finding problems is being able to solve them. That can directly translate to a company trying to find problems. Finding problems and appreciating finding them is important to boost your teams creativity, they will open their minds to find a variety of possible solutions. Just the simple act of cultivating an awareness of problems is enough for your team to be company. Many businesses have suggestion boxes and while that may work for them, it won’t for all. Talk with your team about having a problems box instead. Your office building should be a space for failure, there are many places for being able to fail and learn, and why should your work space not be as well? Create an atmosphere where people are encouraged to ask questions when they have a problem so they are able to learn from their encouraged failure. No one is going to get something right on the first time, usually, so we shouldn’t expect anyone to. This encourages taking risks as well because no one is scared of failure. Not taking risks is the riskiest move of all.
Once the creative juices are running through your team, self-check and make sure that you are being a good leader. Be a good communicator with your team, and setting goals vocally with your team will show that you are actively involved with them. Vividly portray goals and your vision clearly so your team is motivated because you can’t get motivated if you don’t know what their working for. Sometimes being a cheerleader rather than a coach is important to bring out the greatness in some people. Certain people can’t even show what they are capable of until you bring the confidence out of them. Empower your team by letting them know that you believe in them and their work. Confidence is something that can be brought by someone else, it’s almost contagious. Another way to help your team’s creativity is by practicing empathy and being there for your team when they need you. You build stronger relationships with strong positive reinforcement, which in turn leads to more trust. Having a good relationship with your team allows them to be comfortable with you so they can just let themselves and ideas fly.
Giving your team the tools to be openly creative will help your business grow immensely, by opening up new windows of opportunity. Creativity will help you gain new ways to get work and problems done. Allow your team to be able to openly communicate with you, no one wants a bad leader who doesn’t listen. Ultimately just being there to support your team can help them feel comfortable enough to share creative ideas to better your company.