Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

by Tom Kelley

To maximize the creativity of your team, keep in mind the principles

1. KNOW EACH OTHER’S STRENGTHS.

2. LEVERAGE DIVERSITY.

3. GET PERSONAL.

4. PUT THE “RELATIONSHIP” BACK IN “WORKING RELATIONSHIP.

5. CRAFT YOUR TEAM EXPERIENCE IN ADVANCE.

6. HAVE FUN!

If you want a team of smart, creative people to do extraordinary things, don’t put them in a drab, ordinary space.

Check out this quote.

KEEP PEOPLE TOGETHER BUT NOT TOO CLOSE.

CONSIDER SOUND.

ADD FLEXIBILITY–IN THE RIGHT PLACES.

TAILOR SPACES TO EXPERIENCES

CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE THAT GIVES PEOPLE PERMISSION TO EXPERIMENT.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO GO BIG WITH YOUR SPACE PROTOTYPES.

USE DIPLOMACY.

To change attitudes and behaviors, it helps to first change the vernacular.

Check out this quote.

Our version of the alternative to negative speech patterns is the phrase “How might we …,” introduced to us several years ago by Charles Warren, now salesforce.com’s senior vice president of product design.

Leaders can’t dictate culture, but they can nurture

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter.

all leaders lie somewhere on a continuum between diminishers, who exercise tight control in a way that underutilizes their team’s creative talents, and multipliers, who set challenging goals and then help employees achieve the kind of extraordinary results that they themselves may not have known they were capable of.

Belonging to a strong creative team can be one of the most rewarding aspects of working life.

one whose products infuse delight into customers’ lives.”

TESTIMONIALS—NOT JUST METRICS AND RESULTS–ARE PERSUASIVE.

PROTOTYPING IS BOTH A POWERFUL INNOVATION TOOL AND A POWERFUL CULTURAL VALUE.

TRAINING ALL THE DISCIPLINES HELPS DISSEMINATE CHANGE.

In a world filled with so much creative potential, it is dangerous to assume that all the good ideas are found at the top.

To grow the creative confidence of your organization, create a culture of innovation. Draw on the power of multidisciplinary teams, encourage those around you to build on the ideas of others, and lead in a way that multiplies the capabilities of everyone in your organization.

CREATIVITY CHALLENGE #1: PUSH YOURSELF TO THINK DIVERGENTLY AND CREATIVELY.

CREATIVITY CHALLENGE #2: INCREASE YOUR CREATIVE OUTPUT.

When you generate ideas, you are balancing two goals: fluency (the speed and quantity of ideas) and flexibility (ideas that are truly different and distinct).

Few people think about it or are aware of it. But there is nothing made by human beings that does not involve a design decision somewhere. —Bill Moggridge

The best way to gain confidence in your creative ability is through action—taken one step at a time.

So set a creative goal, such as capturing at least one new idea or inspiration in a daily journal for the next month.

Try focusing your creative energy on a task where progress can take place quickly and you have a good chance of success.

EXPERIMENT WITH EXPERIENCES.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH A SUPPORTIVE NETWORK.

EXPLORE OPEN INNOVATION COMMUNITIES.

OpenIDEO,

EMBRACE CONTINUOUS LEARNING.

IDEO’s Human-Centered Design Toolkit

The d.school has a Virtual Crash Course on its website that leads you through a one-hour innovation workshop

START DESIGNING YOUR LIFE.

We’ve witnessed a number of successful techniques for navigating corporate cultures:

BUILD ON EXISTING PROCESSES.

DOUBLE DELIVER.

BE REMARKABLE ABOUT THE EXTRACURRICULAR.

CREATE AN INNOVATION LAB.