“You can’t exhaust creativity. The more you use, the more you have” – Maya Angelou.
Let me start by asking you a question. Choose the correct alternative from the options given below:-
What kind of example of creativity can be found at work?
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Conduct successful content brainstorming sessions for/with your team(s).
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Embrace challenges by taking the risk of trying a new way of doing things or developing new ideas.
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Asking questions instead of making assumptions to explore new possibilities results in growth.
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Accept constructive criticism/feedback to further your ideas, work fairly, and continue to learn.
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Interact with people who have diverse thoughts, ideas, backgrounds, and mindsets.
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None of the above.
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All previous.
If you select the optionGRAM‘Your answer is correct. You understand the true meaning of creativity, but if your answer is wrong, ‘Don’t worry about it’, like any other soft skill, creativity can be learned, developed, nurtured and cultivated. Creativity at work is the potential to exhibit dynamic innovation. It is defined as the ability to view existing objects or processes and combine them in different ways for new purposes or to solve existing problems.
Trivia: – Adobe conducted a global survey on creativity, interviewing 5,000 adults in the US, UK, Germany, France and Japan. The study found that 75% of respondents were under increasing pressure to be prolific rather than inventive; ironically, they are simultaneously expected to think imaginatively at work. Respondents also revealed that they spend only 25% of their time at work creating and that the biggest barrier to ingenuity is lack of time. Other research by LinkedIn found that creativity is the most in-demand soft skill businesses need in 2020.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that “you don’t have to be a genius to be creative.” If you want to unleash your creativity at work with the best potential for hard work, these tips can help:
Tips for LEADERS-
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Encourage honest brainstorming to unlock team originality. Reverse brainstorming, intermittent brainstorming, Philips 66 brainstorming, and brainstorming are the four most effective brainstorming methods.
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Celebrate the individualism that builds a sense of belonging in the company. Recognizing human assets for their unique achievements, appreciating their contribution, allowing opportunities to share their honest opinions and ideas are some of the main components of belongings.
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Create a positive work environment to increase employee engagement. Leading with vision motivates workers to act with passion and purpose, thus inspiring human resources towards a common goal.
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Share positive suggestions from staff members with senior management and act on the proposal to increase employee motivation to contribute. Reward staff members with monetary or non-monetary rewards for ideas.
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Apprehend risk takers who are creators, not observers. Define agile boldness to create a safe environment for risk-taking. Rank the best risk taker and reward not success but also failure.
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Give them the tools and techniques required to generate innovative ideas.
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Promote flexibility in the workplace by fostering work-life balance, adopting the right two-way communication tools, taking breaks, providing space for creative thinking/writing/brainstorming at work to reduce absenteeism, rotation and delay.
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Make the office space more lively, alive and bright. Choosing the right color schemes, light sources, ambient temperature, and cubic space creates an environment in which workers feel more relaxed and resourceful.
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Involve workforce in the psychological process of identifying, accessing, determining challenges, and developing problem-solving techniques to foster a team environment and persuade collaboration within the team.
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Encourage innovative office team-building games like Lego Quest, Marshmallow Challenge, Reverse Drawing, Clap-Clap, and Circle Drawing to keep staff engaged and connected. It also improves interpersonal relationships and promotes diversity in the organization.
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Stay committed to the organization’s values, mission, and goals, but allow flexibility for the forces to bend the way they need to, change your approach to work, and try different ways to achieve the goal.
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Build a culture of continuous learning that helps cadres adapt to new skill sets, acclimate to unexpected changes, and develop the habit of acquiring skills, knowledge, and abilities.
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Finally, as you recruit and select human capital, be sure to hire a diverse team with different skills and bring new perspectives to the business.
Tips for EMPLOYEES-
No. To generate relevant actionable ideas, knowing your company’s objectives, products and services is essential.
Y. Stay away from toxic people to eliminate negativity in your work. Nervous, nervous energy, negative views, bad mouth, what are all the traits of a toxic person?
p. Take a mental break from daily responsibilities to explore new ideas and avoid burnout. Set aside time in a day to brainstorm different ideas. During breaks, watch/listen/read some industry related topics to develop new thoughts.
Q. Excel by seeking inspiration from other sectors, industries and markets for an effective combination of imagination and strategic thinking.
A. As you watch/listen/read, keep a notebook with you or use a notepad on your computer or phone to write down all the proposals (even the weirdest ones), examine them, and grow them.
s. Look for several possible alternatives to address critical problems, think through each solution before making a decision.
t. Be curious and ask more questions. To boost your creative thinking and connect with the world around you, gain deep insights, develop more innovative solutions, be open-minded, ask for clarification, and don’t blindly accept what you’re told.
You Attend training sessions, seminars, or webinars on methods like lateral thinking, brainstorming, and mind mapping.
v. Taking the risk of facing the fear of uncertainty in order to achieve something despite the possibility of failure. Risk taking and creative thinking go hand in hand. If you make a mistake, admit it, own up to it, learn from it, and avoid repeating it.
w. Exercise, yoga, and meditation can open creative doors for you and make you feel less stressed, more calm/relaxed, keep your mind sharp, and relieve anxiety.
X. Do what delights you to be more stimulated and fervent by critical thinking and conceptual ingenuity.
Y. Use the 6 thinking hats technique by dividing different thinking styles into 6 ‘hats’: logic, emotion, caution, optimism, originality, and control.
z. The influence of intrinsic motivation is phenomenal when an individual performs an activity for its inherent satisfaction rather than external rewards or pressures. It pushes us to go beyond our obligations in our work. Stay internally stimulated, stay innovative.
I would conclude with the thoughts of Steve Jobs: “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them.” them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.