Could this seemingly endless recession claim yet another victim, our creative spirit?
As I see my friends, family and coworkers struggling to keep heads above water in an economy stuck in the muck I’m developing a new concern, that our creative spark may get lost. Fear and frustration seem to be driving personal and business decisions and caution is the new black.
Understandably our energy is flagging and the urge to retreat and withdraw is natural given the daily bombardment of poor economic news, but our creativity is the key that can transform our personal and professional lives. For a single individual to lose their creative energy is concerning but for business the loss of the collective creative spark would be devastating. Creativity drives new ideas, technologies and opportunities in every industry throughout the world, always has and always will.
Could the erosion of creative energy slow our economic recovery even further? If so, how can business turn the tide and reignite this vital spark that truly drives our economic engine? There is no single answer because every business culture is unique but the first step is to put it on the agenda.
Putting creativity on the agenda can begin with a simple commitment followed by simple actions. Build creative space into the workday. You delude yourself if you think employees must be relentlessly task driven or they are unproductive. If you fail to build in some breathing room you are depriving your business of perhaps your most valuable asset even if it isn’t reflected with a line on your balance sheet.
Some readily available and inspirational resources are as close as your local library or go to Amazon and type in “creativity”. You will soon find yourself inspired by the titles alone. Jump in and rediscover your own creative inspiration and assume a unique leadership role as the CCO, Chief Creativity Officer.