CHAPTER
16

Developing a Creative Mind-Set at Work

In This Chapter

• Why creativity is no longer optional in the workplace
• How to create when it appears there’s no opportunity
• Gathering ideas using the process of benchmarking
• What to do when you’re feeling burned out at work

Your boss may be putting pressure on you to be more creative or that directive may be self-imposed. Either way, rather than thinking of creativity as a separate entity, look at it as part of the everyday strategy that helps you thrive and drives your company’s mission and business. It’s the thread that keeps all of the parts stitched together. No, you’re not going to hit a home run each day in terms of originality, and some actions you take will be more useful than others in moving you forward. But incorporating creativity into each day of your work life—as opposed to making it something you do in moments of crisis or when sprucing up the mundane—takes some of the pressure off.

In this final chapter on the workplace, you learn the importance of maintaining the right mind-set, the subtleties of creativity, what can happen when you deliberately set out to innovate when it seems there are no opportunities, and the causes and solutions to burnout.

It’s a Matter of Perspective

Read the following statements out loud:

• I must be creative.
• I must think of something no one else has thought of before.
• My creativity must help the company’s bottom line.
• I must devise creative solutions to improve employee morale.

What feelings did these statements evoke inside of you? More than likely, they felt more like mandates. Whenever you demand something from yourself, you’re more likely to intimidate the creative sparks right out of you rather than light them up. Being creative is a mind-set. You will be more creatively productive if you produce the conditions that are conducive to being creative: giving yourself time to play, to laugh, to engage in activities you truly enjoy, to take reasonable risks, and to follow your passion. When you do these things, you’re supporting your inner being and putting yourself in a more relaxed state. That’s when creative insights are most likely to occur. It’s a mental shift to say “Every day I am creating” as opposed to saying “I must be creative every day.”

Keeping the need to create and innovate as part of your everyday mind-set will prevent you from becoming apathetic. Companies that are comprised of individuals who become complacent and satisfied with doing the same old thing are likely to lose customers and supporters and may eventually go out of business. It’s a thrill when you come up with a new idea that gets developed and implemented, especially one that makes a big difference to your internal or external publics. Remember how Chapter 3 talked about how motivation begets more motivation? If you can view creativity and innovation as opportunities that help your company thrive rather than something forced upon you, you can create some excitement of your own as you experiment with different ideas along the way.

Viewing Creativity as Essential

In college, some courses are required and some are electives. In the workplace and in general, creativity is often seen as something elective. However, if creativity were viewed more as a necessity well before higher education comes into play, creating would feel more natural, rather than an imperative being forced in the workplace. It’s not too late to begin viewing creativity as an essential while still allowing your ideas to flow organically. If you can develop and maintain this viewpoint, your attitude is in alignment with many businesses today. No matter the industry, profit or not-for-profit, creativity and innovation are being seen more and more as crucial components.

In an article by Robert J. Sternberg in Tulsa World, he identified three primary reasons why creativity is not an option for businesses:

• You no longer have a hold on local customers. You’re competing globally rather than only within your local community (think Amazon.com and other blockbuster consumer websites).
• Communicating with customers all over the world is far easier, thanks to the rapid rise of the internet.
• More competition has increased the speed of innovation.

CREATIVITY KEY

Can you think of ways your company has used creativity? Do not limit your thoughts to innovative products. Creativity can extend to services, customer retention programs, promotions, and even creatively designed bathrooms. Make a list of five examples of creativity that have taken place within your own workplace and then list at least three areas in which you believe there are creative opportunities for improvement. Identifying them is the first step toward taking action.

There are many examples of companies that have gone under due to lack of creativity and innovation. For example, brokerage firm E. F. Hutton used to have the slogan, “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.” Apparently not enough people, as it is now defunct. Compaq, Burger Chef, Montgomery Ward, Pan Am, and Woolworth’s are other companies that weren’t able to keep up with changing times.

But what about companies that have succeeded and innovated? How did they do it? For example, one company went from near bankruptcy to billions in 13 years. Do you know which one? Yep, you probably guessed it: Apple. While Apple has always had its critics and always will, you can still learn from lessons from one of history’s greatest business comebacks. An online Business Insider article addressed how Steve Jobs returned as the CEO and put an end to products like the Newton and formed a partnership with Microsoft. He is quoted as saying “We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose. … This is about getting Apple healthy, this is about Apple being able to make incredibly great contributions to the industry and to get healthy and prosper again.” Despite the fact that both decisions were controversial, Jobs was willing to step out and take a risk, one that obviously paid off with products like iTunes, the iPad, and the iPhone. In terms of the latter product, customers are demanding and expecting more novel features and will even stand in long lines to be the first to buy the latest version, regardless of inclement weather.

So why don’t more companies innovate and create like Apple? For the same reasons you may be hesitant: fear of failure, lack of patience, feeling threatened, declining motivation, being unwilling to take risks, not having the proper mind-set, and so on. However, if creativity is viewed as a day-to-day priority rather than something used only in times of crisis, you and your organization will be able to work through these roadblocks and be successful.

Creating Something Out of Nothing

While it’s one thing to hear success stories about major million-dollar corporations and their innovations, what if you own and operate a small business with very limited resources and few employees, if any? Creativity goes well beyond the initial idea. In fact, what you may think of as a small idea can turn into a much larger and more successful initiative for your workplace.

For example, as a professional who has spent most of my career in the creative field of public relations, I was approached by a local chiropractor from a nearby small town who felt he needed more exposure in the community. This came at a time when the economy was faltering and many businesses and individuals were hurting financially. This chiropractor, whom I’ll call Keith, wasn’t doing anything in his practice that would be considered unusual or innovative that would warrant any media attention, so I told him we would have to consciously create something that was meaningful.

I suggested we create some kind of community outreach project. The challenge was that Keith didn’t have many resources himself as a one-person office and dwindling revenues, but keeping an open mind, I knew it was still possible for the two of us to co-create a project that would serve both the community and his practice. I advised Keith to think of charities and causes he truly cared about; anything less would come across as a self-serving promotion, and the public would see through it. I suggested he take his time and reflect on this—again, removing any pressure that he had to be creative in that moment.

In the meantime, I began researching opportunities by reading the two major daily newspapers in our area, looking at televised news reports, listening to the radio, and seeking online stories for ideas. The recurring, dominant theme focused on the challenging economy. Specifically, there were many reports about how food pantries were struggling to keep their shelves stocked to help not only unemployed individuals, but also the “working poor.” I brought this to Keith’s attention, and he felt that helping the hungry was a cause in which he had a genuine desire to help. So we set out to create a community outreach program that would ultimately help adults and children in need. That became the intention (see Chapter 4 for a refresher on clarifying your intention).

We then brainstormed some ideas on how he could gather donations in his office and discussed them with employees at the local food pantry. We learned the program we were proposing had never been done before and they were very open to working with us to implement it to fill their void, particularly in the summer months. We called the program “Five for Free,” which took place over a five-week period in the month of July. Anyone who made a Thursday morning appointment and brought at least five cans or boxes of food received a free office visit for chiropractic services. His office was normally closed on Thursdays, but he was willing to stay open during July and donated all of his time as part of the program. Because of the high response rate, he extended the offer to the entire day on Thursdays. In addition, each patient was offered an additional four visits for another five cans or boxes of food per appointment that could be made any weekday.

INSPIRATIONAL INSIGHT

“Without the playing with fantasy, no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.”

—Carl Jung

The program caught the media’s attention in a big way, providing Keith with more positive exposure than he expected. All four local television networks—ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX—ran stories on their newscasts. The benefiting charity shared these segments by posting to its website and on YouTube. The local major daily newspaper printed a front-page article, and the other major daily ran a full-color photo along with a profile on Keith and his efforts. Several monthly and weekly publications also picked up the story. In all, Keith’s office collected a half-ton of food, or 1,000 pounds. To cap it off, a local massage therapist read about the donations and decided to create his own version of this program and also offered free services in exchange for food donations.

This community outreach program began with the objective of creating more positive exposure for the chiropractor. It became more about helping out a charitable cause and at the same time Keith’s generosity garnered a plethora of media coverage, which brought attention to him and the need for more food donations. This story illustrates how creativity isn’t always about million-dollar budgets and advancing technology. It starts with a desire and a willingness to create, even when it appears that limited resources will prevent you from innovating.

What perceived limitations is your business facing? Can you think of steps you can take to begin addressing them using one of the creative thinking techniques you’ve learned or an idea you may have gleaned from this example? Do you feel better equipped to tackle what may seem like an impossibility? Let the ideas start to fly! I challenge you to take one situation that’s happening right now in your workplace that seems to have no fix and begin working on making something happen out of nothing.

Wipe out the notion that creativity requires millions of dollars, millions of ideas, or a million-dollar idea. Instead, check in periodically to notice if you’re willing to be open minded, to see what’s not there, to take risks, and to infuse yourself with the passion to make a difference.

Getting Inspired Through Observation

Another way you can get in the creative mind-set for work is through observing what others are doing. One process is known as benchmarking. This involves staying on top of your industry’s best practices—in other words, the companies that stand out to you with their creative ventures. You can even identify companies or nonprofit organizations that aren’t directly related to your type of business, too, to gather tips. Look at companies or brands you respect and appreciate and see what techniques they use, what risks they take, and what small changes they make that lead to big results. Again, most ideas are spin-offs of existing ideas, so study, learn, and improve upon what you see other companies doing.

DEFINITION

Benchmarking is a technique used by people in business to track and evaluate other companies’ most effective methods, systems, and procedures. This allows them to improve upon and incorporate these practices into their own organization.

Another good practice is trendspotting. By paying attention to trends—the general direction of what’s happening in the marketplace—you’ll gain a better understanding of whether you’re on the right track and what’s to come. What are people talking about? What online articles are generating the most comments from the public? The internet has literally become a free-for-all when it comes to people voicing their opinions, so check out articles, blogs, and other forms of social media to spot trends. Even comedy shows may be good sources of information for you, as the television hosts tend to capitalize on current events, which can be an indication of where things are headed.

Closer to home (or your business), begin to make more observations about the people whom you admire for their tenacity to create. You may find them within your own organization, leaders of different businesses, dedicated volunteers—anyone who inspires you to want to continue to improve your creative output. What is it about them that inspires you? How and why would you like to be more like them? It’s a healthy practice to have a business hero or two. When you need an inspirational lift, you can look to them.

Causes of Creative Burnout

If you’re not mindful, taking on new, creative initiatives in the workplace can eventually lead to a feeling of burnout. This is different from the blocks you identified in Chapter 6 that kept you from creating. I’m talking about that feeling of saying to yourself—usually in the middle or toward the end of a project—“I can’t do this anymore.” It reminds me of being in labor with my first son. Going into the twenty-fourth hour, I remember saying that very line. I was done, or at least I wanted to be—but then again, there was no turning back! With many creative projects, there’s no turning back either. You’ve come too far, but you feel like giving up, or you simply need to be reenergized and reinspired before continuing.

When it comes to burnout, it’s important to understand what caused it. How long have you been feeling this way? Has it been building over time, or did you all of a sudden throw your arms up in the air and proclaim “I’m done! I’ve had it!”? What’s the primary feeling of your burnout? There’s a difference between feeling bored and feeling beleaguered. Both can be the result of burnout, but it’s helpful if you can put your finger on your innermost feelings to help you better address them. The following are some of the main contributors to burnout:

Your lifestyle. Simply put, have you been taking good care of yourself? The creative project itself might be a lot to handle but your other work and personal responsibilities may be pressing down on you as well. Are you so busy working or taking care of others that you have neglected your own needs? Have you been getting enough sleep—and do you even know what “enough” is for you? Are you eating the foods that nourish you or are you reaching often for junk food? Many people like to burn the candle at both ends, not thinking about the consequences until that burnout hits. Being surrounded by any kind of emotionally charged situations also feeds burnout. For example, working on a creative task while dealing with a divorce, the sickness of a loved one (or perhaps yourself), or any distressing circumstance involving drama can lead to an overall feeling of burnout.

INSPIRATIONAL INSIGHT

“There’s nothing that kills creativity faster than burnout. We are undermining ourselves and our own effectiveness by buying in to the myth, the collective delusion, that burnout is the way to succeed. It’s not.”

—Arianna Huffington

Taking on too much. The entire creative process—from ideas and the incubation of them to experimenting, analyzing, and implementing them—can place demands on your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual energies. Pushing the limits of any of those areas can lead to burnout, especially during busy times in your workplace. An overloaded workflow can zap your zeal and throw your balance off.

Information overload. In these high-tech times, information overload can be a contributing cause to burnout. Just considering emails alone, the average corporate worker will send and receive 125 emails per day in 2015, according to the Radicati Group. Add in additional computer and phone usage, text messages, radio, and television, the amount of media that flows to individuals and households in a year is 6.9 zettabytes, or 6.9 million gigabytes, according to a study produced by the Institute for Communication Technology Management (CTM) at the USC Marshall School of Business and visiting researcher James Short. The study didn’t even include workplace consumption—only individuals in and out of the home. Too much of a good thing can be, well, too much!

Continuing to work on something you really don’t care about anymore. It’s also common for you to start off your creative activity with a bang. You’re off and running, feeling energized as you reach different milestones, and like a marathon, you get to the midway point and you hit a wall. The enthusiasm you felt in the beginning has faded as you grow tired. Hmmm … it seemed like such a great idea at the time, you think to yourself. It’s not so much about the initial inspiration now as it is about finishing the race, while wondering if you’ll ever desire to do this again. This is especially common with people whose professions depend on creativity every day, such as graphic designers, photographers, and writers. If that’s you, you may still be productive with your craft but you may feel like you’re just going through the motions.

When it comes to understanding burnout and its causes, think of yourself as a smartphone. It takes on tons of creativity in a day—checking email and running apps of all kinds, serving as a voice recorder and MP3 player, taking requests and talking back to its owner, and more. Sooner or later, its battery drains and it has to be recharged. You are no different. So how do you plug in to recharge? What are the best ways get your game on again?

Helpful Remedies for Burnout

How you address your burnout depends on a variety of factors. In particular, just as with identifying your blocks, once you uncover the reasons for feeling less energized and motivated, you can start to figure out how to work through these feelings. Plus, if you can learn to spot the clues of creative burnout as it’s just starting to build, you can address it while it’s still manageable.

CREATIVITY KEY

One mental technique that may be helpful in working through burnout is to remind yourself that the feelings you’re experiencing are temporary. Nothing lasts forever. Situations evolve and change, and you will be a wiser person for having had a challenging experience. For more serious burnout you can’t overcome on your own, you can always work with a therapist, spiritual counselor, or coach.

Now that you’ve looked into the potential causes of your burnout, consider some of the following solutions. Acting on one or more of them doesn’t mean you have to ditch your creative project. You can still come back to your endeavor and focus like a laser beam. In the meantime, though, take time to feed your hungry soul.

Refocusing Your Attention

Sometimes all it takes to work through a burnout period is to adjust your focus. The following recommendations all deal with creating a change to refocus your attention. Change occurs when you make it happen, so try one or more of these to see if they begin to elevate your spirit:

• Shift your concentration to an activity that has nothing to do with your current project. This could be taking a few minutes to temporarily divert your attention or switching it up altogether by spending the next few hours on a different work initiative.
• Break up your routine—to, during, and from work—in some way, however big or small. Just make it different! A routine provides safety and security, but doing things the same way every day also can lead to boredom.
• Stagger your more intense work with mundane tasks in between. Ideally, break away from work entirely with mini-breaks throughout the day. Don’t feel guilty about it either. What you’re after is bringing back some of your creative spark.
• In your off time or during work breaks, read books that inspire you and have nothing to do with work. If reading tacky novels takes your mind away and relaxes you, go for it!
• Revisit the activities and interests that inspire you and make you feel good. Determine what it’ll take to commit to one of them and then do it!
• Read through your “gratitude file” (see Chapter 9). You did set one up, didn’t you?

Involving Other People

One of the biggest complaints people have in any kind of relationship—work or personal—is they feel like they’re not being heard. Therefore, it might help to get back into the swing of things by turning to other people for help. Here are a few ideas:

• Tap into your co-worker’s brain and see if she can offer a fresh perspective. This works especially well if you’re feeling immobilized. Work collaboratively in discussing how to inject new life into the project or into yourself.
• Ask your boss for a mental health day and spend the time doing something fun and relaxing.
• Call or make lunch plans with a friend who has been in your shoes before. It helps to feel like you’re being understood by someone who gets it.
• Don’t assume that your boss knows what you’re feeling or thinking. If necessary, have a heart-to-heart talk to take a load off your mind and get you back on the road to recovery.

CREATIVITY KEY

If you’re struggling with a particular project, consider switching one or more of the involved tasks that are troubling you with a co-worker for a period of time before resuming work on it. The company may be better off to have someone with fresh eyes and energy working on it, and you also may be able to breathe new life into the other employee’s project, too.

Getting Physical

Feeling good physically in your body and your workspace can positively affect your mood and decrease your stress level, helping you overcome burnout. Consider doing one or more of the following suggestions:

• Address your basic survival needs of getting the proper amount of sleep and healthy nutrition. A lack of sleep and poor eating habits are enough to throw you off balance. If necessary, see if vitamins and supplements make a difference.
• Commit to some form of exercise. It doesn’t have to be long; in fact, quick bursts of intense workouts have been proven to provide health benefits.
• Take a quiet walk or one with stimulation, where you listen to music or an audio book using ear buds.
• Organize your workspace in a different way. Just as with changing your routine, making physical changes can give you a new perspective.

Centering Yourself Inwardly and with Love

Especially if you’re still uncertain as to the cause of your burnout, it can help to take the time to understand what’s really going on inside of you. Here are a few more steps revolving around self-reflection and treating yourself kindly:

• Are you doing your “morning pages” (see Chapter 9)? Even if you haven’t committed to that practice, a great way to gain a better self-understanding is to write down your feelings. Sometimes just getting them out on paper can help to release them.
• Allow yourself to be still and meditate. There are a number of smartphone apps that offer free guided meditations, or you may opt to meditate on your own. Even taking five minutes at your desk in the middle of the day may be enough to fortify you.
• Build small treats into your workweek. For example, allow yourself to go out for lunch once a week to a restaurant that offers your favorite type of food.
• Step outside to get a breath of fresh air now and then.
• Hug a pet. Feel the unconditional love.
• Be gentle with yourself and remember to laugh!

CREATIVITY KEY

Yet another way to look at your role in the workplace may be to see yourself as being there to motivate other employees. Perhaps some of them look to you as a role model. Knowing that you are helping to shape others’ careers and perhaps influencing them in their personal life, too, may help your attitude by giving you more of a sense of appreciation. Perhaps you’ll even feel more invigorated now! Positively assisting others may create more meaning in not just your work life, but your place in the world as a human being. When you can create more meaning, you naturally feel better and your attitude will slowly begin to improve. Think of other ways your job holds meaning that you may not have ever considered, however small. They may just make the difference you’ve been needing. Attitude is everything!

The Least You Need to Know

• Treat creativity as a given in the workplace—a priority that is part of your everyday strategy.
• Competition in the global marketplace means that creativity and innovation are no longer optional in the workplace.
• When you think there are limited possibilities to produce something innovative, dig a little deeper and put your creative thinking cap on. Involve others in the process and you may find that the impossible has become possible.
• If you don’t take the proper steps to take care of yourself, burnout can occur. Pay attention to the signs and take the necessary steps to prevent it.
• If you’re already feeling burned out, some of the solutions include refocusing your attention, seeking help from others, getting proper rest and exercise, and being loving with yourself.