Leadership Roundtable: How to Think More Creatively

New leaders may be surprised to learn that part of their job is to think creatively about issues the business is facing, and to come up with new ideas. This can be intimidating, especially for those who don’t consider themselves to be creative. Creativity is a skill that can be learned, however, and we asked some creative experts about their advice for learning to think more creatively.

Coonoor Behal, founder of Mindhatch

Creative thinking in the workplace isn't just important, it's a requirement. The economy we are in right now is no longer about what you know, but how you think. At the individual career level, being a creative thinker can be be a huge boost for your options and the types of opportunities that come your way.Creativity isn't just about how you think at work — what you do outside of work can also be a huge benefit to how you operate and produce 9 to 5. When I was working at Deloitte Consulting, I was focused on building my "brand" as an innovator within the company. After word got around that I was performing improv comedy after hours, I got an immediate boost to my reputation as a creative person. I actually had firm partners sending people my way who needed help on the most creative proposals and projects. It was a happy accident that also played directly into my career goals.New managers, I think, already have a leg up because they aren't limited by what has been done before. I'd suggest try going with your gut and your instincts as a human being for your first two weeks, before you try to adopt so-called company "best practices" and do what everyone else expects you to do. As a manager, your main objective should be to create an environment in which your direct reports can think creatively and feel comfortable bringing their ideas to you and taking risks without fear of punishment.

Gloria West, Consultant at Success Labs

We’ve likely all heard that we need to get “out of the box” or “out of our comfort zone.” Being creative so that we can solve new problems, look at old problems in fresh ways, and embrace and participate in continuous improvement efforts are some of the ways organizations stay alive and growing. But we may not often hear how to be creative. We might think of it as a way of thinking, but we can also take action to be creative. Here are some examples.

• Carve out time regularly for creative thinking. Schedule time in your calendar — it doesn’t have to be long, maybe 15 minutes a day or 30 minutes a week — to let your mind wander as you consider business or people problems that need to be resolved. Use that time for anything but day-to-day work. Read articles about the topic. Find out how organizations in other industries or other parts of the world have solved similar problems. Then jot down a few bullet points about how those solutions or ideas could be applied to the issue at hand.
• Make it a game. Research games and exercises that you can do individually or as a team that provide a low-risk or fun opportunity to be creative. For example, try to build a water filter from only the objects in the top drawer of your desk. How would you do it? Gather your team and present them with a box of random objects they must use to make a square peg fit in a round hole. End the session by listing what take-away items or ideas could be applied to real work problems. Carry the energy created by the activity back to work.
• Foster creativity in employees by giving them the time and space to do so. Some people draw energy from interaction with others. Set up opportunities for them to brainstorm with co-workers, or employees from another department who can bring an objective perspective. For employees who prefer introspection and quiet time, leave them alone with a problem or activity that they can think through and then have them document their ideas or meet with you to discuss them.

Above all, go for quantity of ideas instead of quality. Leaders must listen and welcome new ideas, instead of criticizing them, no matter how improbable they seem at first. Tell employees to start their pitch with “What if we ...?” There will be plenty of time down the road to weed out the impractical or infeasible ideas. Show your employees that their ideas will be heard. Asking too many questions at the outset or insisting that all possible solutions must be “doable” can result in employees bringing only safe ideas that have worked before, instead of creative ideas that may ultimately turn out to be the word, concept, conversation or work that transforms the business.

Kathleen Lemoine, visual artist

We are all capable of creativity. Confusion arises when creativity is too narrowly defined or restricted to our ideas of "Art with a capital A." Creativity is simply a human response to daily life. I believe that recognizing, embracing and celebrating this aspect of ourselves is the best way to live life, but I also recognize that the creative impulse can be ignored, wasted or tamped down for many reasons, so at times it might need to be actively encouraged.On a very basic level, managers can encourage employee brainstorming and ideas that might appear to fall outside of defined company procedure. Managers can be open to listening and hearing the employee out and commending the impulse to to step up with ideas.Going further, without the pressure of a timeline, managers could set up a culture where the company's ongoing problems and goals are shared with the idea that collaborative ideas might rise up and be of value.My personal out-of-the-box idea is that every business should find a way to have an artist on staff — not to paint or dance or sing, but to give a truer understanding of what it means to be creative in life and business. Teams could be given the opportunity to participate in creative exercises led by individuals in the art fields.Do your company’s managers need to learn to think more creatively? Contact us to learn about our leadership development and coaching offerings.Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.