Sky must be limit for creativity
Truly inventive ideas thrill me. I marvel when somebody figures out a way to push the boundaries and sees something most of us couldn’t see if we looked at it for years.
A few weeks ago, I saw the movie “Chicken Little.” Certainly, it was a little juvenile. It was supposed to be. Yet, I left the theater mesmerized by the inventiveness of the people who asked a simple question: What might have caused Chicken Little to think the sky was falling? Following that thought to a logical conclusion created a delightful movie.
Similarly, I am currently reading “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire (Regan Books, 1996). The author’s deliciously ingenious mind leverages the Wizard of Oz and creates a magnificent backstory for the wicked witch of the west. The book is difficult to put down because Maguire’s originality creates a delightful, stunning world. Certainly the Harry Potter stories by J.K. Rowling have the same effect. Imagine creating the sport of Quidditch out of whole cloth!
A thoughtful Winston-Salem, N.C., reader kick-started these rambling thoughts on innovation and creativity when an article in his newspaper gave him hope about business creativity.
The article was about a speech by Ken Thompson, the chairman and chief executive of Wachovia Corp. Thompson said, “Wachovia nurtures creativity in three ways — by creating an environment where it is safe to make even a major mistake; by analyzing competition to spur creative responses; and by establishing a work atmosphere that encourages employees to think creatively.”
My reader commented: “I think that this is what is wrong in many bureaucracies (not just government, but private business as well). People in leadership positions are unwilling to take responsibility for their subordinates’ work and allow them to make mistakes without a severe penalty. So, people don’t reach and do their best to serve the customer.”
Amen. In today’s highly competitive world economy too many companies are dampening creativity rather than encouraging it. The leashes executives put on their employees too often appear very tight and very short. Executives pay lip service to the need for innovation and many of them stomp and spit and chew, but they don’t get inventiveness because they have no tolerance for mistakes.
Thompson’s approach at Wachovia should become the national standard. Making it “safe” to make errors should become our mantra. However, a careful look at most companies will reveal that one mistake can curtail a career. At other places, the minute something goes wrong there’s an internal investigation to “hold someone accountable.”
I am not proposing that mean-spirited, badly researched, reckless ideas and actions be ignored or rewarded. I am suggesting that if creative and innovative risks are taken, top executives should squarely support those ideas and stand behind them whether or not they are successful. A couple of failures can easily pave the way for a giant success. And, more than one company facing bankruptcy completely rethought itself back to success simply because it was up against the wall.
Inventiveness is as important in business as it is in literature and Herman Melville’s admonishment that “it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation” should be the mark of modern day business.
That will not happen if somebody is standing there making fun of every wild idea — such as finding out why Chicken Little thought the sky was falling. The executive who understands the need to release people to think crazy “what-if” thoughts is likely create a successful business and nurture successful, fulfilled employees.
Tip for your search: One of the best ways to unleash creativity is to use what some people call a “mind map.” Put your problem on the white board and then have the group “think out loud” in pictures, shapes and lines. Build off each thought and get as far out as you can.
Resource for your search: “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander (Penguin, 2000)