[23 July 2021] Day 53 of the nrp* in Malaysia
This 6th tip in the empowerment series is to help employees with their creativity and think out-of-the-box, as cliché as it sounds. You must encourage your employees to explore their potential and unlock the opportunity for increasing their creative thinking abilities.
Since the pandemic started, we have seen so many examples of people using their creativity to stay connected, to continue their business activities, as well as to continue learning.
Why is creative thinking important?
Creativity is an invaluable problem-solving skill that we can call upon in our everyday chores as well as in sophisticated projects. A companion to critical-thinking, it helps people look at problems and situations from a fresh perspective so as to develop novel solutions beyond existing assumptions. It improves the overall workflow.
Creative thinking requires curiosity, optimism, and imagination. Sometimes, the problem is not the lack of creativity but that the environment does not promote it. Ideas are not heard and proactive sharing is not part of the culture.
Creating an environment where creativity can thrive
As a business owner or manager, it is good to create a safe culture in which new and even illogical ideas can be shared. It means you need to be open about inviting ideas and opinions. Equip your employees with brainstorming skills so that it becomes part of their toolset.
In order to for this environment to be thriving, it is important that everyone understands that all ideas can be shared but they may not be implemented as is. Raw ideas are just that — raw. They don’t have to be well-thought out at this point. No judgement should be made yet.
By being transparent about the process, employees understand that their ideas can be adjusted, re-arranged, scaled or merged with other ideas.
You need to make sure that this is seen to be done. Else, it’s taken as just the stereotypical lip-service. Rejecting ideas or ignoring them at an early stage are killers of innovation.
Take the time to respectfully listen so that they know they are valued.
Be the trusted manager they deserve and see your business thrive with continuing innovation.
(Read the other parts about empowerment)
(*nrp stands for National Recovery Plan.)
(Feature Image by Sanu A S from Pixabay.)
About the Author: Gina Phan is a consultant and trainer with Zinfinity Consulting. She currently conducts courses in workplace performance skills. Click here to contact her, follow her on Facebook or connect with her on Linkedin.
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#trainergina #ginaphan #gp
