Three professors in Harvard Business School’s Entrepreneurial Management unit who focus on the study of creativity—recognize the romantic allure of believing it’s a rare quality bestowed on a chosen few, but all agree that notion has been debunked long ago, and rightfully so.
“Creativity does have a reputation for being magical,” says Harvard professor Teresa Amabile.
“One myth is that it’s associated with the particular personality or genius of a person—and in fact, creativity does depend to some extent on the intelligence, expertise, talent, and experience of an individual. Of course it does.
But it also depends on creative thinking as a skill.
“The desire to do something because you find it deeply satisfying and personally challenging inspires the highest levels of creativity, whether it’s in the arts, sciences, or business,” she says.
So what can leaders, managers and entrepreneurs do to promote a healthy, positive inner work life among employees?
Sure, a pat on the back or a company Ping-Pong table is always welcome, but what these Harvard Business School professors discovered was much simpler:
People have their best days and do their best work when they are allowed to make progress.
So…
1.) If you are leading, give your team room to make progress.
2.) If you are in a situation where your progress, your creativity is stifled, don’t hang on just for the paycheck.
Instead, look for the place where your passion intersects a need, and there you will find opportunity—that job, that calling—that will give you deep satisfaction while being personally challenging which results in the highest creativity.
Leaders that recognize this simple fact almost always have extraordinary teams!
Thoughts?
Takeaway?
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Twitter: kylereed
March 2, 2011 at 10:22 am #
That is huge, because I think I romanticize work a lot in the fact that you have to have all the tools and the setting has to be perfect to get anything done, or for that matter I have to be inspired to work.
But in all reality this is very very true. Progress helps me get stuff done. Because if I can check off a small task it allows me to move to the next task. The momentum of progress is the very thing that allows creative to accomplish things.
I wonder if that is the reason why the church struggle to embrace creatives and creativity? Because they have stunted the progress of creatives?
Just a thought
@Kyle Reed, It is not just a thought, it is a very important thought. Thanks, Kyle!
What I find gets in the way of this are stodgy HR departments and handcuffing labor laws. Having the ability to provide freedom for flexibility and creativity with an hourly work force has just about become impossible anymore. Very frustrating.
chris´s last [type] ..Soccer for the Freemans was a disaster!
@chris, Yes, that is a big problem! Thanks, Chris.
Twitter: keithjennings
March 2, 2011 at 2:05 pm #
We want to stand for something. We want to get things done. And we want to understand (and see) how the things we’ve done impact the world (or at least someone’s world). We are attracted to people, brands and organizations that fulfill these three needs. “Progress” is the energy/momentum flowing through these three.
No progress, no purpose. No purpose, no action. No action, no impact.
Great post, Randy! And great link! (Psst – You should check out Michael Schrage if you’re unfamiliar with his work.)
Keith Jennings´s last [type] ..6 Myths That Get Us Stuck Myth 4 – Being
@Keith Jennings, Awesome, thanks, Keith! Love this: “No progress, no purpose. No purpose, no action. No action, no impact.”
My struggle is figuring out the passion in the first place and then using it creatively to meet a need. I’m trying to observe where I naturally end up leading people in small ways–whether it’s directly related to my job or not. I’m taking clues from when I end up adding value beyond providing the product/service my firm offers or beyond the basics of my inter-office relationships. Connecting those dots and charting the value-adds is helping me figure out what makes me tick. I’ve always felt passions should be obvious, but I’m learning that’s not always the case. Maybe it’s simpler than I’m making it!
Brett´s last [type] ..Is There a Story Here
@Brett, Your struggle is good and can provide incredible rewards!
Twitter: me_b
March 2, 2011 at 2:26 pm #
You challenged me with that statement at recreate and now 2 weeks later I find myself in a place where the paycheck is gone (a little sooner than anticipated) and I am trying to find that place where my passion intersects the need. Thanks for the reminder.
Michelle´s last [type] ..One Word 2011 Update
@Michelle, Awesome, Michelle!! Hang in there!!
I definitely agree with this. I’ve had bosses in the past that micro-managed what I did, and it was not fulfilling at all. The best leaders I’ve encountered gave me autonomy, and made me feel I was building my own thing, even though I was working for a company. It actually felt like I was using my skills, contributing to something big, and learning and growing.
Henway´s last [type] ..Lending Tree Review
@Henway, Yes. Micromanagement is not a good thing!
Randy, Thanks for your insight. I haven’t really thought about what drives people to create something from a few scrapes of fabric , a few mountain stones or a blank piece of paper. Maybe we all feel the need to hold something created by our own hands. Remember looking with wonder at our first attempt . For me it was a lincoln log set on christmas morning. Oh how I remember to this day stacking each little log one on top of the other. Think how God must have looked at each of us the day we were created . Maybe this need to create is a God thing . A gift to us to drive a deep passion within all of us to pickup the modeling clay and see what happens.
@nordeck, Yes, indeed, Nordeck! I love this… “Maybe this need to create is a God thing . A gift to us to drive a deep passion within all of us to pickup the modeling clay and see what happens.”
Twitter: kennysilva
March 29, 2011 at 11:24 am #
Point #2 is important for us to recognize and appreciate as leaders. Daniel Pink says that we need to pay team members enough to take the issue of compensation off of the table. Anything above and beyond that has no direct correlation with fulfillment and happiness in the team member.
That’s when #1 comes in. We’ve got to invest in people beyond compensation. Develop their skills, empower them to stretch out and truly create something important, and lead them through the process.
Great points here, Randy. Thank you.
Kenny Silva´s last [type] ..9 Years- 9 Jobs- 9 Lessons
Twitter: andy_mcf
March 29, 2011 at 3:50 pm #
Couldn’t agree more. People want to give their best. Your first job as an employer is to find the right people for the right jobs. Otherwise, if you’re not disciplined about the process you may end up with people who (1) know they are in wrong role but who (2) remain for the safety of the paycheck. We owe it to employees and company alike to find the right jobs for people. Only then can we get the best from all for all.
Other posts on employee engagement: http://bit.ly/gS0v5U
Andrew McFarland´s last [type] ..Einstein’s Theory of Employee Rankings
Twitter: blfarris
March 29, 2011 at 5:00 pm #
This is related to Jim Collins’ idea of the Big Hairy Audacious Goal. If you make the purpose of your enterprise something really important, that aligns with the values of your team members (clients and suppliers) then the work gains meaning. You aren’t just shuffling papers, you are working for the greater good.
The difficult task is to create meaningful measurements for team members at all levels so that they experience PROGRESS toward those goals frequently enough to have meaning.