The Creative Collective

Managers tend to favor employees for whom they have a natural affinity. In other words, we often have a positive bias toward people that we perceive to be “like us”. When we can overcome that bias, we build stronger teams by incorporating diversity into their makeup. Your strengths may make up for my weaknesses. Sharing my experience with you will make you a more complete professional. When I am out of ideas, I will be grateful for your burst of creativity. We should all strive for the push and pull, the give and take of a diverse team.

Diversity comes in many forms. It may be as a result of education – for example, a degree in Engineering versus Music. Each generation has a markedly different perspective. Where people were raised – North, South, East, West, or outside the U.S. - introduces a broad range of cultural customs, which can be made more complex by ethnicity. Every personality is different. Diversity is the spice of life, and necessary to move our endeavors forward.

If we all thought and behaved the same way…well, it’s hard to even imagine. We might continue on with the status quo in ad finitum. Blah.

Embrace the differences inherent in your team. Make sure that you are capitalizing on them. Understand where everyone is coming from.  Listen to “crazy” ideas. Try something new. Color outside the lines. Surprise and challenge each other, and do the kinds of things that can only be accomplished via a creative collective. Not only will you be more successful; you will have more fun.

Creative Juices

When you have things to do that require creativity, but the muses are evading you – how do you get the creative juices flowing? Deadlines and stress can get in the way of your normal inspiration. Don’t sit there staring at a blank piece of paper or computer screen in frustration. Take action to kick start your imagination. Brainstorm with friends or colleagues… Play with children – creativity comes naturally to them… Go to a museum… Enjoy a game… Read something inspiring… Commune with nature… Let your mind wander… Doodle… Listen to music… Take a long walk… Meditate… Exercise. There are many tools available to foster creativity. Check out www.mindtools.com for some very interesting ideas and resources. When you are really flummoxed, you may be too tired to be inspired. Sleep on it. Amazingly, creative ideas are often released by the unconscious mind during sleep. Keep a note pad and pencil on your nightstand. What do YOU do to keep creative juices active?