Are you getting creative or holding on to status quo?
The time and opportunity for creativity is upon us. I believe that if you aren’t taking the opportunity to think differently about your work, then you are going to be left behind during this pandemic and after it subsides.
Let this article be your wake up call: How are you thinking differently and who can help you create the new way forward?
I have been inspired by the innovation and co-creation that is happening in my community. Universities and Colleges are using their technology and 3D printers to co-create Personal Protective Equipment for front line medical professionals. And they aren’t doing this alone. They have co-created this solution with local businesses that include a brewery, a laser lab, medical practice, sail-makers, two distillers, tools manufacturer and fabrication shops from our region (Times Colonist, April 11). Wow, just listing that out has my mind spinning on how incredible it is that these diverse businesses have created a solution to a problem in our community - the provision of safety equipment for medical personnel.
In his article “Innovation in a Time of Crisis” (HBR, 2020) author Larry Clark states that “courage is defined as when purpose overcomes fear”. I would add that our shared purpose, to find solutions in a crisis, eliminates barriers such as overthinking, waiting to be perfect to get started or trying to solve the problem alone. The conditions we see right now are ripe for collaboration; bringing everyone’s strengths to the table and staying curious about what might be possible, together.
Here is an observation from my coaching conversations these past few weeks. Everyone is looking for ways to be productive, helpful and in service to their community. The challenge I see is the struggle to break decades old paradigms, and thinking in new, creative ways to continue to deliver on our purpose or mission.
There are specific steps and skills that will help you get out of your own way, and create the conditions for a co-creative solution to emerge:
Be inclusive - invite a diverse group of people with unique perspectives and strengths to the conversation.
Start with the end in mind - decide what success looks like at the end of the meeting or the project. What problem are you trying to solve together - then start. For example, is it a meeting to co-create ways of working from home? Is success the design and launch of a new virtual program?
Listen with the intensity you wish to be heard. If you are facilitating the meeting, then listen more than you talk. It’s difficult and as leaders, we feel like we need to enter meetings with lots of great ideas, decisions and information. Yes, we need to bring context, but you will learn more and find the threads and connections when you create the space for thinking to emerge from the group.
Ask questions more than you provide answers. Coming into a co-creative meeting with curiosity is essential, and asking open questions is the tool in your toolbox that you are going to want to access. When you arrive with all the answers, you immediately limit creativity and new options will struggle to emerge.
I believe that the most courageous move a leader can make right now, is to create the conditions for co-created solutions to emerge. This will feel risky, uncomfortable and messy, and that’s because it is! Sit with this discomfort and do it anyhow. See what emerges and try again the next day. If nothing else, this process will help people feel engaged and energized about what is possible, rather than spinning on the fact that everything they “used to do” isn’t working anymore.
I created the FREE 7 day Courageous Leadership Micro Course to support you as a leader. Enroll in the course, download the framework and use it as a guide and remember that you don’t need to do this alone.
Share your co-created solutions with us by commenting below and inspire others to find unique solutions to deliver on your purpose!
