I’ve seen many managers inadvertently kill creativity in their employees either because they are close-minded, because they are focused on sales goals, or because of their frantic efforts just to get work done by a deadline. Some neglect to remember that their greatest asset is the combined brainpower of their people!!
A great manager maximizes creativity without killing it in the process. One way to stimulate creativity is to give employees new and challenging assignments, but not so difficult they feel overwhelmed. Be sure to give them specific goals but do not dictate how they should be met. They will likely use their creativity if you give them the freedom to decide how to climb a mountain. This is an effective way to ignite the fire under some of the employees who are average performers and turn them into top performers as they will feel they are contributing to the decision-making.
If you are a manager focused on how to obtain new ideas and solutions to problems here’s one way you can do it. Create a task force of people from different departments to assist you. Let them set up their meeting times, ground rules, and agenda. Each person should be the “voice” in their department. Be sure to include individuals with different areas of expertise, age groups, and thinking styles, as this diversity will stimulate discussion and help produce innovative ideas. You’d be surprised to see the strategic ideas these task force groups come up with. Think about the most progressive companies you know. They will likely tell you that the key to their success is due to “Employee Involvement.” Many have their emerging leaders tackle these issues.
High-performers are attracted to organizations that have a high level of employee involvement, where they can participate in idea-sharing and problem-solving sessions like those we discussed in our chapter on creativity. Establish self-directed teams or task forces to help in this area. Don’t make the mistake of asking only your top performers to partake in these sessions. All employees need to feel they play a vital role in your organization and also have a voice in the decision-making process.
One of my clients, a CEO in the telecommunications industry, uses an interesting technique for idea sharing. He has each of his executives practice hands-on role reversal with three different employees once a month for structured discussions. Here are their ground rules…
1. They must leave their titles at the door.
2. The executives must ask questions and listen.
3. Employees must be open and assertive in their discussions. The reason for the success of this practice is that it is ongoing and not a one-shot deal. It also stimulates employees to continuously generate more and better ideas and creates an understanding of each other’s pressures.
When employees offer suggestions and recommendations for solutions, the company needs to make sure they ACT on those ideas. I believe it would be insincere to ask employees to participate in decision-making and then ignore their input. If you determine that you simply cannot act upon employees’ suggestions, then honestly explain why their ideas cannot be enacted upon. Never say, “We tried that before and it didn’t work.” Instead, rethink the idea.
Whenever possible, find parts of their solutions that are viable or elements that can be implemented in the future. Be sure to praise your people for any ideas they offer to keep them creatively charged. They need to know their efforts are appreciated. When you do, you’ll be amazed at how they will come forth with ideas that can help your company survive through tough times, implement change, better serve your customer, and more.
Already applying employee involvement for creative solutions to problems and ideas for success? My questions to you are… “How well are you doing it?” “How can you do it even better?”
Photo Courtesy of (Baynham Goredema) – Flickr
About Christine Corelli
