For many of us creativity was something that we gave away during the later stages of childhood.
As a child our inhibitions were far fewer – we were creative because creativity was fun and while it was a bonus if our mum placed our drawing up on the fridge, the results were not what drove our creativity, we did it because we loved it.
As a child we didn’t really care what others thought. Why couldn’t a tree be multi-coloured and pink? We jumped in and took a dive.
But as we continue to grow, we’re either told or realise that trees aren’t pink and we become more self-conscious.
We start to comparing and realise that our tree is very poor compared to other people’s drawings.
We decide that creativity may not be for us and we decide to give it away.
But this is costly, costly beyond what you could believe, because creativity is one of your greatest assets.
We become increasingly specialised. There is now a creative team who deals with creativity or the business sub-contracts a creative person for short periods.
But the creative person does not know the business, not like you do, they don’t know the customers and they don’t know the market, not like you do.
But you keep your distance because you have know your place, you’ve settled to the fact that creativity is not your thing, you have nothing to offer.
But this is bull. You know it. You do have ideas and your ideas are probably better and more meaningful than what’s being produced by the ‘creative experts.’
At Shades of Green we believe that many solutions already exist within the business and are being concealed in the team members heads.
Creativity is a cultural thing. It is to a large extent about risk taking. To encourage creativity a business needs to establish a culture with a free exchange of ideas. A culture where the driving force is not a fear of failure but a fear of mediocrity and an aspiration to be great. Ideas are ideas, the more the better, no ideas are too stupid, they come they’re gone, you keep the best one’s, begin to develop them and repeat the process.
To be great, a culture needs to be developed where team members are confident and encouraged to take risks, to put themselves out on the line, to risk what people might think for the good of the business, the vision, the idea of daring to be great.
There is no value to anyone by playing down how great you could be, playing it safe – not stepping on any toes.
Change comes from those who diverge from the status quo, pushing buttons and asking why? what if? how about?
Personal Growth cannot come without subjecting yourself to new areas of discomfort.
But you are greater than you can imagine and what at first seemed impossible is easily achieved, as you place one step in front of the other.
There is no secret to the success of entrepreneurs and great businesses, it is a mindset.
They take risks, they work hard, they make what seemed impossible possible, because failure was never an option, the idea of failure did not consume their mind. They just dove in and did it. Starting is often the greatest challenge. It can be overwhelming. Few things are more intimidating than a white canvas. But ignore what is not there and begin to think what could be. Replace fear with excitement. This is not difficult to do – it becomes nervous energy – but its positive, ready to take risks, take up the challenge.
You should remember that most innovations are not entirely new creations, they are more commonly a cross-pollination of existing ideas from different sectors, which when combined create something new. Your business has the foundations to be something great, it just needs a fresh perspective, a revitalised spirit and clearly defined vision.
Successful businesses have an interesting story, a mission and vision because products are only products. The greatest brands appeal to emotions, they appeal to ideas and aspirations. By selling the ‘dream’ they establish a strong connection and user loyalty. This is not only important to the public in the way they perceive your business, but it’s critical to employee satisfaction. Proud employees take pride in their work, they create better results, the business continues to get better, the vision becomes reality and the business attracts the best staff. The business grows and grows.
This change in mindset and assistance in defining your vision is the greatest thing that Shades of Green can instill in your company and team because everything you need, you already have.
Shades of Green can help reinvigorate your business and open your eyes to the possibilities.
