19 Ways to Use Creative Thinking in
the Workplace to Up Your Credibility
Our world is changing
at faster pace than ever. In order to keep up, we are continually adapting to
new technology and the changing industries.
Employers are looking for employees who can
solve problems, think creatively and be a leader in every situation.
These 19 tips will help you find ways to
develop creative thinking and to use it to gain credibility as a leader in the
workplace:
1.
Set limitations
In order to increase your own creative
thinking, it helps to set limits for yourself, so you have to think outside the box to
come up with solutions.
Set deadlines, budgets or any other type of
limitation to increase your creative problem solving. This will build your
credibility as a creative problem solver as you come up with innovative
solutions.
2.
Change things up
If you find yourself falling into a rut and
doing the same thing every single day, then you will likely struggle to come up
with new ideas. This is why it is important to change things up
in your routine and break out of your rut.
Get your creative juices flowing by
exercising at a different time, or trying something new for lunch. Move your
desk to a different position or change your personal workspace.
Any of these changes will help spark your
mind and get the new ideas pumping again.
3.
Listen and care about others
When you show that you care about others and
listen to their ideas and thoughts, they will trust you more.
“Leaders who listen are able to create
trustworthy relationships that are transparent and breed loyalty. You know the
leaders who have their employees’ best interests at heart because they truly
listen to them.” — Glenn Llopis
Listening to your coworkers allows them to be
more open with you and feel that they can take risks and be creative.
Discussing ideas with your coworkers will not
only increase your own creative thinking, but also set the environment for a
more creative office.
4.
Find good mentors/critics
If you want your creative work to improve,
then you need to find a good mentor or critic who can give you positive
feedback and help you to keep moving forward.
As your work improves over time because of
your dedication and your mentor, people will hold you in greater respect.
Every type of creative work takes several
drafts before it is ready to go. With your mentors, you can find ways to
continually improve your work. Ed Catmull, president of Pixar said:
“Early on, all of our movies suck. That’s a
blunt assessment, I know, but I… choose that phrasing because saying it in a
softer way fails to convey how bad the first versions of our films really are.
I’m not trying to be modest or self-effacing by saying this. Pixar films are
not good at first, and our job is to make them go… from suck to non-suck. We
are true believers in the iterative process – reworking, reworking and
reworking again, until a flawed story finds its throughline or a hollow
character finds its soul.”
Use your mentor’s knowledge to bring your
first drafts to life.
5.
Try and fail, a lot
The best way to get better at things is to
keep trying and failing until you improve. This increases your creative
thinking and shows your coworkers that you don’t give up easily and are willing
to improve.
The ability to take failure and turn it
around is one of the best qualities of any leader.
The Harvard Business Review reported:]
“Darden Professor Saras Sarasvathy has shown
through her research about how expert entrepreneurs make decisions, they must
make lots of mistakes to discover new approaches, opportunities, or business
models. She frequently references Howard Schultz who, when he started Il
Giornale in Seattle, the company that Schultz used to later buy the original
Starbucks brand and assets, the store had nonstop opera music playing, menus
written in Italian, and no chairs. As Schultz has often said, “We had to make a
lot of mistakes” before discovering a model that worked.”
6.
Be consistent (no tortured artists here)
When you think of creativity, an image of a
broken-hearted artist or alcoholic writer may come to mind. Many people today
associate creativity with isolation, despair, alcohol and inconsistency.
Just picture Jay Gatsby.
While that is good for drama, that’s not
really how creativity works. Creativity is fostered through consistent effort.
Put in the work everyday and you will find your creative muscles and
credibility will grow.
As a leader in your workplace, you need to
show consistency in everything you do, not just your own work, but throughout
the company to build your business’s credibility.
7.
Be honest to yourself and others
Acting dishonestly is one of the fastest ways
for you to lose your credibility. Always be honest to the people around you and
to yourself.
If your coworkers feel that they can trust
you, then they rely on you more and work with you better. Honesty is what
builds a solid foundation for a successful workplace.[3]
During the creative process, it is important
to be honest to yourself. It’s easy to get carried away with fantastic ideas
but you will need to learn to be honest with yourself about what is and is not
possible.
8.
Collaborate
The best work usually comes from teamwork.
Katherine W. Phillips said,
“The fact is that if you want to build teams
or organizations capable of innovating, you need diversity. Diversity enhances
creativity. It encourages the search for novel information and perspectives,
leading to better decision making and problem solving.”
Show your coworkers that you value their
efforts and perspective. By working together, you can create new ideas and make
something better than you ever have before.
Collaborating will not only improve your own
creative thinking but will create a bond between you and your team.
9.
Use humor
As a leader, you want your coworkers to feel
comfortable to be creative and open-minded.
Humor has been proven to help people to relax
and feel more willing to try something new and helps foster creativity.
To improve your own credibility and help
others gain confidence in their own creative thinking, use an appropriate sense of humor to
lighten the mood when needed and to get those creative juices flowing.
10.
Be vulnerable
This goes along with being honest with
yourself and others. To be a creative thinker, then you have to be willing to
fail, admit your failures and be open to receiving critique.
This can be difficult especially in a
workplace where you want to show your strengths instead of weaknesses, but by
admitting yo ur weaknesses and being open to others, your credibility will grow
as your coworkers know that you listen and are adaptable.
11.
Have meaningful conversations
The best way to gain a new perspective is by
talking to other people. You have had a certain amount of experiences that have
shaped the way that you see the world.
Everyone around you has had different sets of
experiences that have shaped their perspectives. By engaging with these people,
you can learn more about their views. Try to walk in their shoes and understand
their perspectives, especially if you disagree.
Steer clear of shallow small talk and discuss
bigger and more meaningful topics with those around you. Ask about their
experiences, their hopes, their opinions and you will gain new perspectives
that will assist your creative thinking.
12.
Be constantly learning new things
Some of the greatest minds in the world (Bill
Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerburg) have said they dedicate at
least five hours every week to
learning new things.
They are passionate about growing their minds
and learn about everything from nuclear physics to politics. As they learn
about different topics, they look for ways to apply what they have learned to
their own industry.
Start your own educational journey today by
finding some books you would like to read or finding high-quality articles
online about each topic.
Keep in mind your own industry and how you
can apply what you learn to your job. You never know all the different ways
astronomy can help your marketing efforts.
13.
Experience it all
Steve Jobs once said that creativity comes
from experience. The more experiences you have, the better
connections you will be able to make to find solutions.
Try to experience as many things as possible.
You don’t have to go on some huge trip around the world to have more
experience; simply meeting new people and trying new things will give you more
experience that will build your creative skills.
14.
Give yourself some love
When I was younger, I was given the advice to
take the time everyday before I went out for the day to ensure I felt good
about myself and fully confident. Sometimes this took the shape of wearing a
new pair of shoes or writing in my journal that morning.
I was told if I could take the time to
prepare myself for the day, then I could focus all of my energy on the people
around me. This is something that great leaders do today.
Take the time to rest and prepare for the
next day, so you can throw yourself into your creative work and help those
around you.
Self-care can be whatever it is that you
need: a hot bath, going to the gym, walking your dog, reading, the list goes on
and on. Figure out what energizes you, and do it as often as needed.
15.
Take ownership
Accountability fosters your creative thinking
because you know that others will see your work and know whether you did it
well or not.
Creativity works best under some pressure, so
take your projects seriously by taking responsibility for them.
Your coworkers will have greater respect for
you as you take ownership for your work projects, even if you are disappointed
in the results.
16.
Be reflective
Hindsight is 20-20, so by looking back at
past successes and failures, you can get new ideas for your work.
Reflecting is a part of the creative process
and will help you as you continue to create and work. Learning from the past
sets an example for your coworkers and will improve your credibility among your
colleagues.
“Creativity requires us to be confident in
our areas of practice, whatever they may be. And reflection is an indispensable
part of observing, developing, digesting and being in dialogue with our
creative ’self’.”
17.
Communicate
Communication is key to any good relationship
and this includes the relationships between you and your coworkers.
Notice how your coworkers handle critique and
find the best way to give them constructive criticism. Notice how your
coworkers handle conflict, and find a positive way to help each of them through
it.
“Effective communication is one of the key
prerequisites for a thriving workplace. It drives fast, clear and precise flow
of information between individuals and groups. A lack of proper communication
can greatly decrease productivity.”
Communication is a skill that is vastly
underestimated and incredibly useful in the workplace. As you develop this
skill, you can become an impressive creative leader.
18.
Meet deadlines
We have all experienced those coworkers who
can’t meet a deadline with their projects. It can be frustrating and throw off
everyone else’s work.
To be a credible leader, don’t be that
person.
I’ve already mentioned that creativity works
best with a little bit of pressure. Use your creative thinking to finish your
projects on time, so you can meet your deadlines.
Your coworkers will know that they can count
on you to get the job done on time, which will likely lead to you getting more
projects.
19.
Respect others
No matter how brilliant you are, if you don’t
show respect for the people around you, your credibility in your workplace will
suffer.
The opposite is true as well, if you show
respect to each of your coworkers, your credibility as a leader will grow.
Michigan Ross Professor Jane Dutton who has
conducted research on the impact that mutual respect has on creativity said:
“Across our studies, we demonstrate that
respectful engagement is more than simply a nice way to interact, but is a
catalyst and cultivator of creativity.”
By creating a friendly workplace, not only
your creative thinking will improve but also everyone around you. With a work
environment of mutual respect, ideas can develop into something incredible.
Creative thinking and leadership abilities
are some of the top skills that employers are looking for. Start applying these
19 tips to your work, and you will see great results in your own work and with
your coworkers’ work.
Christina
Sanders https://www.lifehack.org/788835/creative-thinking
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