When we think about creativity, we usually think about artists, designers, architects, at most researchers; but creativity is a “way of doing” and not a goal itself and for this reason we can apply it to any dimension of our work.
We can think about ouserlves saying “I am not creative”, just because we don’t know how to draw, but creativity is not tightly related to the artistic aptitude of a person. It has much more to do with the mental structure and there are methods to help us being more creative.
We already talked about how, at the beginning of a brainstorming, the most obvious ideas appear and only as the process moves forward – when we take the liberty and allow freedom, and there is no judgement -, appear the most original, unusual ideas and it is in them that we find originality and freshness.
In order to be creative within the strategy, one of the key principles is based in not taking anything for granted, in forgetting the standards, as if “It has always been like this”. It can be hard, because we have been taught to have an organized lineal mind but if we are capable to break these barriers, we will be able to be more creative.
An illustrative example of creativity when trying to solve a problem
Seven executive directors, with a high-level degree, a master and years of experience meet up in a room. The facilitator person in charge brings up the problem: they have to join together two ropes that are hanging by some nails in the ceiling. Each rope measures 0,5 m. and they are separated 1,5 m. away from each other.
They consider a solution such as soaking them so that they stretch out, to join them with a belt, etc. Until one of the executive directors goes up the chair, takes down one of the ropes and ties it to the other… this person has not taken for granted the fact that the ropes could not be taken down. So then, he has broken a barrier that the other participants had; he has been creative.
When you think about your next strategy, remember that the rope can be taken down!
