Tag Archives: creativity

Pieces of Perfection

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Christmas Tree

I have a collection of porcelain Christmas ornaments that I have had for a number of years. They were all gifts that highlighted important moments in my life. Each year, I would carefully place them on our tree, making sure they were secure on the branch. And then one year, one of them fell, bouncing from branch to branch in a seemingly slow motion journey to the floor. After the initial pain of seeing something I held dear in pieces on the floor, I had a decision to make. Throw away the broken ornament and maybe look for a replacement, or try to glue the figurine back together as best I could, knowing it would never be the same?

As I pulled the scarred ornament out of its box this year, and positioned it on the tree so the unrepairable hole in the back was less obvious, I recognized that while it was less perfect than the other ornaments in the collection, it never fails to make me smile. As leaders, in our quest to have everything run perfectly, we can lose sight of the fact that sometimes the most imperfect part of our work can actually have the most meaning. That is where our effort can have the biggest impact.

Maybe your challenge isn’t gluing together broken pieces. It could be deciding whether to replace a fading ornament with something new, or taking a big risk to totally turn the tree upside down without knowing for sure how it will turn out. Too often, we unnecessarily set ourselves up to fail by making perfection the goal . . . in all things . . . at all times. Perhaps the best way to find fulfillment as a leader is to instead look for pieces of perfection . . . which may, in fact, be quite different than what you originally envisioned. It could be

. . . Improvising with Plan B when Plan A fell apart, and having it surpass all expectations

. . .Thinking you could never replace a key player who walked away, only to have an even better fit step to the table.

. . . Falling short on the original goals of a project, but making a connection that led to even bigger opportunities.

Pieces of perfection come into view when we let go of some preordained picture of what success is supposed to look like. Not to lower the bar on the impact you are trying to have, simply to recognize that there may be any number of ways to get there.

My Christmas tree is filled with mismatched ornaments, tarnished ones, and aging grade school creations that make my sons cringe . . . all hanging along side shiny new additions, and of course my porcelain figurines. I’m certain a designer would not call it a perfect tree. I’m equally sure that it is filled with meaning . . . and pieces of perfection.

 

Big Yellow Hats

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bigstock-Yellow-Rain-Hat-815670.jpg

When my (now 31-year-old) nephew was young, he loved Curious George. If you know the story, through the many circumstances in which “George was curious,” the man with the big yellow hat encouraged him to explore, but was always there to keep him from going too far afield. George learned a great deal because the man with the big yellow hat allowed him the freedom to try new things.

Are you a “big yellow hat” leader? Do you encourage your staff to ask why, experiment, test theories and take risks, even when you know that sometimes they will stub their toes? According to a new report from The Bridgespan Group two of the core components in building a capacity for innovation within your organization are a curious culture, and catalytic leadership.

George was allowed to live in a curious culture. He took risks, and when he “failed” it became a lesson-filled learning opportunity. For the skeptics out there who are thinking your organization isn’t a cartoon and you can’t afford to have your staff play around, I would respond that, yes, there are risks that come with innovating. There are also costs associated with always coloring within the lines drawn by others. Just recognize that if you want your staff to identify creative approaches to the challenges before them, you have to let them explore a bit and ask “what if.” You have to let them be curious.

And what, exactly, is catalytic leadership? Merriam-Webster defines a catalyst as “an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. Catalytic leadership provides the push needed to get the ball rolling in a specific, focused direction. The man in the big yellow hat always identified where they were going or what they were going to do, he simply allowed George the freedom to be curious along the way. Catalytic leadership isn’t about letting staff focus their energies in twelve different directions. It is about articulating a vision and priorities, and then letting your people grapple and experiment with the best way to get there. It is about mentoring and encouraging collaboration and hands-on learning. It is about allowing your staff to find a path forward.

Being a big yellow hat leader takes patience and the ability to embrace ambiguity. It requires a recognition that progress rarely happens in straight lines or amid a tangle of rules, and that one rarely knows the route to the end of the journey when standing at the beginning of it. It requires a clear vision of the destination and the ability to inspire others and serve as a role-model for embracing possibilities.

How exactly does one become a big yellow hat leader? The first step . . . is to be curious.

Permission to Fidget

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Hand Clicking Pen

For those of you who think this leadership stuff is all nose to the grindstone, laser focus, serious business, I’m here to burst your bubble . . . well sort of. Leadership certainly can be those things, but sometimes the best way to get there is to fidget. No, that is not a misprint, and I am not pulling your leg.

In spite of what your teacher, your mother, or other responsible person who was trying to corral you in your youth may have told you, sometimes the best way to focus is to fidget. Seriously, there have been studies on this stuff  Whether it is because sensory-motor activities allows us to fully engage our brain, or the fact that doing things with your hands increases creativity and memory, a little fidgeting may be just what you need to get the job done.

What exactly do I mean by fidgets? It could be stress balls, tangles, or silly putty. Some entrepreneurs have made classy looking fidgets for those who have an image to uphold — you know those metal mazes with a stylus, the mini sand gardens with rakes and rocks, Newton’s cradle balance balls. Fidgets. Those without specifically designed tools fidget too. Twirling paperclips, spinning your rings, clicking your pen, drumming your fingers or shaking your leg. Yes, you are fidgeting. And then there is chewing gum, walking around during meetings, doodling . . .

What would happen if you as a leader sanctioned fidgeting as a way to support your people in their work? (and gave yourself permission to do the same!) How? Maybe you have a basket of fidgets in the center of the table at meetings. For the skeptics out there, just try it and see what happens to the tone of your discussions. Could you have more stand-up or walking conversations? What about providing fidgets for people to have at their desk, or even having a “best fidget” contest?

I believe it is important to take your work seriously, but not yourself. If squeezing a bag of liquid-filled balls helps you focus enough to work through the daunting challenges before you, that’s a good thing! Sure some people will think it’s silly, but who cares? Part of your job as a leader is to create an environment that helps your people get their jobs done. And if it makes people smile along the way, all the better.

Leadership is hard work. The expectations are high, and the challenges are many. Luckily, you’ve intuitively known how to focus on the task at hand since you were a little kid. Maybe it’s time to give yourself, and your team, permission to fidget.

Creative Focus

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This week, I dove into in Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” issue. I always find this annual round-up motivating because the snippets on each honoree’s accomplishments open one’s mind to possibilities, and to looking at seemingly intractable challenges in new ways. Seriously, if a researcher can find what appears to be a cure for ebola by infecting tobacco plants with the virus, or another company can find a way to eliminate nuclear waste with “molten salt”, surely I can take another look at some of the persistent challenges that face my own industry and organization.

I happened to be reading these stories right after meeting with a number of colleagues about impending changes in how we do business, and so was especially struck by how hard it can be to look past how we have always done things to see the possibilities of the future. When entire organizations are built around doing things a certain way, having someone suggest going in a totally different direction can be a bit jolting ( . . . unless of course you are the one proposing the new path!) And yet, if “the way we have always done things” is not resulting in significant progress toward solving the problem at hand, don’t we want someone to find a better way?!?

For argument’s sake, let’s assume the answer to that question is yes. So if the goal is to find a better solution, how do these “most creative people” do it? Creative focus. That’s my takeaway from reviewing this year’s list, and those from the past 10 years. And while it might seem natural to start with the creative part, I’m guessing the people on Fast Company’s list start by finding their focus.

How focused are you on the real challenge before you? So often we direct our attention to the wrong thing . . . we work diligently to build the best product or program, and that becomes the goal, rather finding new ways to look at the problem. Sometimes, we have to stop trying to build a better buggy and instead consider that maybe there is a better way to get from point A to point B. One of your key jobs as a leader is to define the focus for your organization — and that’s actually much harder than you might think. Are you a residential program or a child and family-serving organization? The options before you will be quite different depending how you see yourself.

Then, once you have your focus, you need to support your staff in exploring creative solutions. Do you give them permission to pursue the “what ifs” and consider solutions from an entirely different perspective? Again, sounds good in theory, but not so easy in practice. What if they come up with a solution that makes your current approach obsolete? Are you really prepared to go back to the drawing board after you have made significant investments in doing things one particular way? If you feel a bit shaky on the answer to that one, please refer back to step one.

Creative focus is not for the faint of heart . . . and neither is leadership. But, as the editor’s at Fast Company can tell you, for those who have the courage and determination to take that leap, the list of possibilities is endless.

Lessons from a little red car

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chevy_cavalier2002_1The first car that I bought on my own was a red Chevy Cavalier. When I saw the car I fell in love with it, and quickly rationalized that the fact it had no power windows, no air conditioning and no power steering was really not that big of a deal. (This from someone who had never driven a car without these fairly standard features.) Within the first couple days of purchasing the car, I quickly learned that when you don’t have power steering, it is much easier to turn the car if you are already rolling.

I’ve applied that life lesson to many a new project or change initiative. I have never seen a plan on paper — no matter how much time and energy went into its creation — that didn’t have to “adjust the steering” a bit once it started rolling. And if that’s the case, why not just get the basic framework in place and then pilot the project with the intention that it is a learning experience that will include adjustments on the way toward the end goal.

From my perspective, there are many benefits to getting the car rolling through a pilot project approach.

1) Speed. Piloting a project allows you to get from concept to hands-on application much more quickly. It generates excitement and enthusiasm among participants that they (who are usually much closer to the actual work than the administrators who typically develop plans) have the opportunity to shape what the project will ultimately look like. Sure some of the ideas won’t work, but when you give staff permission to “fail faster” you will get a better product more quickly, and with more buy-in.

2) Permission to work outside of current systems. Systems and processes are critical to the smooth operation of an organization, but can be the death knoll for an innovative start-up project. Now let me be clear, pilots still have to meet certain basic standards of operation. However, providing some latitude keeps a project from being mired down in systems and processes designed for a different kind of project — which can ultimately suck the life out of what, if allowed to flourish under its own power, could be the next big thing for your organization. Pilots need to be allowed to color outside the lines. If you decide to take the project to scale, then you can decide where the lines should be for this new approach.

3) Honest feedback. When staff know that the plan is to “get the car rolling” and then make needed adjustments as they go, they are much more willing to raise concerns about things that aren’t going as planned, and often have suggestions about how to improve the situation. Why does this happen more readily in a pilot? First of all, staff know making adjustments is part of the plan, so it doesn’t feel like the project failed if they have to make a change — that’s supposed to happen. Also, when people spend huge amounts of time putting something on paper, they become convinced that they have identified the best way to reach the stated goal. That makes it much harder for someone to speak up when an aspect of the plan isn’t working (you know, that whole kill the messenger thing). Pride in a plan can significantly diminish the final project. We focus on pride in the final project, and expect that there will be several course corrections in getting there.

4) Increases comfort with ambiguity. Change is a constant today, and yet many of our organizations are so laden with rules and requirements that staff come to expect that they will be told exactly how to do something. Creativity and critical thinking are muscles that have to be developed, and pilot projects provide the perfect opportunity for staff to get comfortable with exploring options and living in the “gray” rather than black and white. This has positive ramifications for the organization far beyond a single project as staff become more comfortable with asking “what if.”

5) Minimum risk for maximum reward. Pilots are little projects. You aren’t trying to change the entire organization/system/world . . . unless of course you do. Just because someone hasn’t done it before doesn’t mean that your organization won’t come up with a game-changing idea. Even if you don’t, you win because your staff is more prepared to deal with a volatile, ever-changing environment (see #4 above). And if you do . . .

I was lured in by a little red car and learned the lesson the hard way, but you don’t have to. It’s really not as difficult as you might think to get your car rolling before you try to turn the wheel. And once you’ve figured that out, take a deep breath and enjoy the ride!