Do These 4 Things To Foster New Creativity

This post on creativity is the final segment in my series on “How to be a Collaborative Partner."

Consider this: Dave Myers, an employee working for Gore-Tex fabric innovator W.L. Gore, was tinkering with some new ideas one workday—taking advantage of the company’s 10 percent daily allotment of creative time—when he wondered if one of their products, normally used to coat push-pull cables, could also be used to make guitar strings more comfortable.

While the coated guitar strings were only slightly easier on the fingertips, they did manage to keep their clear tone longer than guitar strings already on the market. Realizing this, Gore quickly launched its own brand of guitar strings. ELIXIR Strings are now the No. 1 selling acoustic guitar string currently on the market. It was because of the innovative mind of Mr. Myers, and that approved creativity time in his workday, that Gore was able to expand into an entirely new product market.

What could your company do with a little extra creative genius? By establishing a creativity-friendly work culture, the possibilities could be immeasurable. Here are four ways to encourage the best creativity from your employees.

1. Trust employees 100 percent

Trust fosters creativity. CEOs are more apt to invite and encourage creativity when they know they can trust their employees. Employees are more creative when they know they are trusted. At Fishbowl, when new hires walk into work on their first day, we not only give them a key to the building, but we also put our trust in their abilities. We trust those new employees 100 percent. What employees do with that trust, however, is up to them.

An employee who maintains trust won’t require micromanagement or exhausting follow-up meetings. That secure work relationship will be evident in the employee’s output, happiness, and how he or she contributes to the team. When you are able to trust your employees, you can easily support their creative endeavors while on the clock. With many companies offering daily “think time,” following on the heels of Google’s 20% time initiative, CEOs and managers can help foster creativity by inviting their employees to spend a portion of their day or week in creative mode.

2. Allow for failure

Scientist, inventor and Polaroid Corporation founder Edwin H. Land understood that “the essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail." In all his many successes, there were countless failures, yet he continued on to seek out other ventures. By allowing people to have the freedom to create, you also introduce the possibility for failure. Tell your creative, innovative employees, “If you fail, it’s OK,” then go ahead and watch them NOT fail. When you eliminate the pressure for perfection, you open up more ways for your employees to reach greatness.

Consider the perfect story of a failure-turned-success. Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M, had struggled to create a strong adhesive to use in the aerospace industry. Through his many failed attempts, however, he managed to create a light adhesive that would stick to a variety of surfaces without leaving a residue. With the collaborative help of fellow scientist Art Fry, the two men further developed their experiment, transforming what could have been considered a failure into a huge success. What was the product? Post-it Notes.

3. Help employees think like business owners

Encourage your employees to expand their creativity by thinking of themselves working for “Me, Inc.” At Fishbowl, we give employees training and job responsibilities, but then we tell them to push the envelope and do their jobs as if they were working for “Me, Inc.”

This belief allows employees to start thinking about business from a different perspective. They begin questioning their ideas like a CEO might. “Will this idea make money?” “What is the best timing for releasing this product?” “Are all departments and pivotal personnel aligned and ready for release?” If employees drive creative ideas as far through this thought process as possible, they will no longer think from an employee point of view. They will start thinking like an owner and get even more creative.

4. Support great ideas with resources

Sometimes our employees come up with great ideas that they feel passionately about but might lie outside the immediate needs of the company. These ideas have come from their personal time outside of work. At Fishbowl, we encourage our employees to bring their creative ideas to fruition. We invite them to develop and execute great ideas on their own time. If they come back to us with a viable product, we will support those business ventures. In fact, Fishbowl will occasionally form partnerships with certain employees to further those ventures.

“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all,” said inventor and author  Edward de Bono. “Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns."

With some thoughtful guidance, an encouraging environment, and a little empowerment, you can uncover the creative talent in your employees. In return, they will be happier, more productive, and more satisfied in their roles.