Leaders have to make deeper changes to their strategy that would put them on a steadier ground for the unexpected changes and surprises that the world throws at them. When changes occur in the business environment quick action is expected but that isn’t enough. Deeper changes are necessary.
Creative IQ is extremely vital: Short-term mitigation strategies such as redirecting marketing efforts towards Android devices or investing more in organic SEO are all well and good, but the most important takeaway from the iOS bombshell is that organizations need to be more nimble and agile. Creativity is the deeper and more foundational skill that underlies them.
The only way to raise the collective creative power of your organization is to make creative thinking an integral part of your company’s DNA and ecosystem.
Often, we are all conditioned to think that creativity is a prerogative of few select people who come up with world changing ideas in privacy.
Encourage irresponsibility: It’s widely taken for granted that leaders must focus on productivity and efficiency if they are to be responsible, even to the exclusion of creativity.
Organizations need to foster environments for divergent thinking, the kind of thinking that makes new ideas possible. Divergent thinking is not actually irresponsible, not unless you subscribe to limited notions of productivity.
Professor Gerard Puccio, believes that divergent thinking is not actually irresponsible, not unless you subscribe to limited notions of productivity. In other words, people don’t truly get creative with divergent thinking because they are too conditioned to “be responsible,” so they interrupt their own creative thinking processes with convergent thinking.
Create safe spaces: Fear is one of the biggest impediments to growth and innovation, and the task of forward-thinking leaders is to create safe environments. Create a culture in which employees not only have permission to “play” in designated times and spaces but are rewarded for doing so.
Leaders should show their vulnerability. Admit the things you don’t know. Openly confess the fear of saying something ridiculous and then go ahead and say it anyway. How else do you expect your employees to share their “irresponsible” ideas unless it feels safe to do so?
Converge: Once you have created safe spaces, it’s time to integrate divergent and convergent thinking. Once you have a rich body of creative ideas, switch gears and separate the workable ideas from the unworkable ones. Don’t call any ideas “good” or “bad” as that will only reinforce fear. Ask questions such as: Do any of these ideas actually solve our problem? Do they present viable paths forward? How can we test them?
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