Reconnecting The Creativity of The Crowd
This course is the answer to ‘The People Problem’ at work.
And yes… it’s about creativity. Because The People Problem is so great that it requires great creativity to solve it.
Every organization suffers from The People Problem.
Why?
Because the People are bored. They’re bored by yet ANOTHER version of…
The Vision
The Strategy for the Vision
The Change Management Program that will support the Strategy that underpins The Vision.
Meanwhile, here you are burning the midnight oil trying to find a better way to describe The Vision, a better motivational speaker to whip up support for the Strategy, a better team to implement the Program for Change.
You’re becoming exhausted.
Because what you’re doing is impossible. You’re trying to create and sustain all the energy and enthusiasm to push things forward. And last time you checked your name wasn’t Sisyphus.
You know that within every member of the workforce is untapped energy that, once released, would make the task much easier.
You’ve watched Tony Robbins and got excited about unleashing the power within, but every time you try to activate it you’re greeted with a wall of indifference ranging from mild complaining to destructive contempt.
You’ve read all the popular books. And you’ve bought a whole pile more… that are sitting unread on your bookshelf waiting till you have the time or energy to read them.
Everything sounds so wonderful in THEORY. Creativity is a nice IDEA but reality falls short. Meanwhile back at the board, everyone’s shouting about INNOVATION.
But don’t worry. Help is at hand.
Creativity is no big deal. You don’t have to become as moody as Don Draper or as bonkers as Lady Gaga. You can be quietly creative which just means you become very effective and very popular – you have solved the people problem after all.
How to create an epidemic of creativity in the workplace, that benefits everyone.
Creativity is not the God given gift of a select few (though some have had more practice). It is a skill we can all learn.
Successful creativity involves a three-part process.
1. The ability to produce ideas.
The word ‘produce’ makes this sound as if we come up with the idea, when in actuality we ‘receive’ the idea, a second before our mind generates it.
Part One, is about increasing our receptivity so that we are more tuned in to the realm of possibility and potential, rather than focused on the problem and our lack of resources.
Everyone benefits from Part One, because they feel a greater sense of value. The practice of tuning in to the possibility instead of the problem, allows them to become aware of skills they didn’t know they possessed and this feels good.
This means they stop projecting the feelings associated with lack of value onto colleagues, either in a direct way (becoming the office saboteur) or in a passive aggressive way (eye rolling and deep sighs).
2. The ability to make quality decisions.
Creative people have more confidence to make choices unrestricted by fear of the consequences.
We live at a time of ever increasing complexity and limitless choice. Each choice involves a loss, creating ‘demons’ that tease and curse us, or make us look backwards to the ‘what ifs’.
Part Two is about slaying these demons so that we can move forward and make choices without the agonising self-doubt.
Everyone benefits from Part Two, because they learn to feel safe around their own decision-making capabilities. This means they no longer have to avoid responsibility, constantly monitor for scapegoats they can blame if things go wrong, copy 50 people on every email they send, or read 50 unnecessary emails (in case they are the weakest link on someone else’s list). Note all this frenetic activity is unproductive and takes up a LOT of energy.
3. The ability to execute ideas in a way that adds value or meaning.
Unlike the way it is portrayed by the media, powerful creativity is a team sport. And a team driven by creativity is a very different team to a hierarchy with a few ‘special’ people at the top and everyone else jockeying for position at the bottom.
There’s a gap between the idea and the execution of that idea… a pause. Managed correctly, this gap is filled with creative tension… we have a goal or desire, but it hasn’t been achieved yet. This means we can tune the idea on its way to completion.
Managed badly, this gap is filled with an unbearable psychological tension, so must be avoided at all costs. This is the feeling of energy in the body. It can make us uncomfortable, causing us to search for quick hits to ease the anxiety. We can fall into familiar default patterns of projection, blame, avoidance, procrastination, hasty decisions, competition, scarcity, stress, anxiety, sick days.
But avoiding or getting rid of this energy robs us of a powerful resource that we can use – if we develop our ability to hold it and direct it in a more creative way. There are tools and techniques available to do this.
Everyone benefits from Part Three because the skill of managing energy is an invaluable one that benefits the whole of life. Our work relationships improve. Home relationships improve. Life improves. It really is the gift that keeps on giving.
There’s no work life balance any more. There’s just life… or lack of life.
In summary… from reactive to creative…
AWARENESS
DECISION MAKING
ACTION
If you’re a leader, this course is for you. It will help you become a better, more creative, more innovative leader.
But above all, it will help you create a followership. Because you need one of those, if you don’t want to die of exhaustion.
And because you may find that the people you lead don’t actually like the way they’re feeling about work right now.
For a free consultation to discuss tools, techniques and facilitated conversations that dramatically impact the productivity and wellbeing of your business contact me at this address.