4 ways to boost creativity at the office
When we hear the word ‘creativity’, activities like crafting, painting or sculpting will probably pop up in our minds. However, there are numerous ways to express our creativity. We all have it hidden somewhere. Creativity is the quality of using our fantasy to come up with inventive ideas. When you let your mind wander for a while and allow every thought you have, you are able to think outside of the box and maybe become the new Einstein. Many organisations could use some more creativity on their workfloor. Creativity opens the doors to new possibilities. It is in fact the force behind every great success. Not one company became successful by copying their competitors. No great product were created, without a brilliant first thought. It is clear that creativity is a good thing for your business, but how can you boost your employees’ thought process?
1. Time for a change
Imagine that you would do everything exactly the same, every single day. Would that boost your creativity? Probably not. We as humans need new stimuli to switch into creative mode. You can use various methods to encourage creativity within your company. Create creative workgroups for example and mix them up. By listening to someone else’s idea’s, your employees will be able to see matters from a different perspective. And this, my friends, can enable their creativity switch.
2. Take five
Science shows that we are most creative when we are able to choose our own working methods. Assignments that seem too complicated will feel restraining, this suppresses our creative mind. Fortunately you can prevent this by enabling your employees to choose their own approach. On top of that, we as humans want to feel safe enough to tell our co workers our creative ideas. We want to feel appreciated and encouraged. We should never be afraid to speak up. A safe, creative environment makes sure that your co-workers don’t hold back their brilliant ideas. Wouldn’t it be a shame if that million dollar idea was never heard?
3. Take five
Did you know that the best ideas arise when you are in the shower? Or on the toilet? This is easy to explain. When we retreat to that happy square meter, we put our brains at rest for a few minutes. This allows new, refreshing ideas to enter our minds. These ideas have probably been stored in your brain somewhere. When you relax your mind, these ideas are suddenly able to make their entrance. We have all been to that point where we are trying to forcibly squeeze out the solution to our problem, but it just won’t work. In fact, it will completely block your creative thought process. At moments like these, it is better to take a short break. Take a stroll, watch a cat video or drink some coffee with your co-worker. Ideas will come to you. I promise.
4. Embrace failure
We are all afraid of failure. We might be afraid to show all we got, because it might not be good enough, or it might not lead to the results we wished for. Let me tell you this: S**** perfection. There is nothing wrong with failure. A mistake will help you to learn and grow. Great things never came from comfort zones. Never kill an outrageous idea. It will help you in your creative process. Do you really believe that Einstein came up with E=MC2 without creating some false formules firstt? Me neither.
So..
Now that you have read these tips, you can get out of your chair and change something, right NOW, within your organisation, your workspace, or your mind. Creativity is the key to success and we all have it hidden somewhere. Yes, you do as well. And now you know where to find it.
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