The FireFly Whiteboard - Effective Meeting Facilitation Strategies, Team-Building Tools, and Training Techniques from Kimberly Douglas, President of FireFly Facilitation.

Become a Creative Mythbuster

In my most recent blog, I identified three myths that handcuff our creativity. Myth #1: Creativity is something you either have or you don’t. Myth #2: Being creative is something you do as opposed to something you are. Myth #3: There are a limited number of creative geniuses. In the words of Galileo: “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.” As a leader, you ought to be the Chief Creative Mythbuster in your organization. It’s your duty to help others move path the myths to rediscover their unique creative abilities. Here’s your first assignment as Chief Creative Mythbuster. Gather your team for a meeting and be sure to hand each person a coin. In the center of the table have all of the supplies to make ice cream sundaes (ice cream, chocolate topping, caramel topping, nuts, sprinkles, etc.) Have each person flip a coin to illustrate Myth #1. Those with heads are “creative;” they can create their own sundae. Those with tails aren’t; they have to sit and watch. As the “creatives” design their sundaes, talk about how we often view creativity as an either / or proposition. Just as it’s almost impossible to look at both sides of a coin at the same time; so also it’s impossible to see the creativity that everyone has when you subscribe to Myth #1. Explain how it’s not the job of a select few to come up with ideas. Affirm that you’re relying on everyone to contribute his or her creativity to the team. (After you’re done illustrating, it might be a good idea to let the “non-creatives” make sundaes, too!)

The Three Creative Myths

Did you know that all fireflies glow when they are first born, but some actually lose that ability when they become adults? How amazingly similar to what happens to so many individuals! Enter into the world of small children, and you’ll instantly be whisked away into the realm of imagination. First, you’re attending a tea party at the palace of a princess, then you’re selecting your gown for a royal ball, and the next moment you’re hiding from monsters. Each of these make-believe scenarios is accomplished with minimal props and none begins with a brainstorming session. Children don’t have to be coached to be creative. They just are. One of the tragedies of maturing is the dampening of our creative spark. Somewhere along the way our imagination quits functioning reflexively, and we have to plan to be creative. In particular, we shun creativity at work. Our days revolve around routine. We check the usual boxes and go about our business without plugging in to the illuminating electricity of our creative potential. Why do we abandon creativity? Most likely because we’ve bought into the three creative myths.

Myth #1

Creativity is something you either have or you don’t, like blue eyes, brown hair, or left-handedness. It is, most believe people, a trait you are born with or without.

Myth #2

Being creative is something you do as opposed to something you are. This mindset lends itself to fairly harsh judgment of our own creativity based upon the value of output versus the ingenuity of the thinking.

Myth #3

There are a limited number of creative geniuses, a la Pablo Picasso. The negative impact this myth inflicts upon teams can be devastating. When one or two individuals on the team are held up to be the “creative” ones, the remaining members shrink back to the sidelines, waiting to hear what has been decided. In my next post, I’ll pass along ideas to help you combat these myths in your organization.

Aim Small; Miss Small

When archers draw a bow, they’re far more accurate when they zero in on the bull’s-eye than when they broadly aim to hit the target.

The same applies in golf. When players concentrate on landing the ball at a specific spot near the pin, their shots are more precise than when they target the green in general.

What’s true for archery and golf translates to strategic planning as well. The sharper your focus is, then the smaller your margin for error will be when you execute. Put simply, “Aim small; miss small.”

What can you do practically to shrink the scope of your goals so that you’re laser focused?

If everything is important…then nothing is. Identify the three strategic priorities for you team. Don’t get bogged down on specific verbiage, but make sure everyone agrees with and can articulate your strategic priorities.

Knowing what not to do can be just as important as knowing where you’re going. What distractions will tempt you to veer from your strategic priorities? Dialog about them, and list them. Instill in your team that these activities are taboo.

Decide upon metrics. What is unmeasured goes undone. Set your criteria for success. Don’t feel constrained by numbers—qualitative goals have every bit as much merit as quantitative ones. However, make sure your metrics are simple and concrete.

Track performance together. Evaluating results as a team provides instant accountability—no one wants to look bad in front of peers. Also, talking through results helps you to decipher problems or opportunities buried beneath the facts and figures.