The Savvy Professional: Creativity

Technological advancements affect almost every aspect of our lives and impact modern businesses. As business operations grow more complex, so are the skills required for success in the modern workplace. While every professional needs a variety of technical skills to perform well on the job, these alone are insufficient. Employers look for employees who would add value beyond merely getting the work done and who would seek to contribute on a higher level to the company’s overall success. One such skill is creativity, which is applicable to every job, not just for creative professionals. Employers value creative thinking because it drives change in the workplace. Steve Jobs defined creative people as those who are able to “connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.” In other words, creativity is the ability to see the world in new ways and to make new connections that result in new and better solutions. Ideas are a dime a dozen, the proof is in the implementation. Creativity requires execution. What separates the dreamers from the truly creative is the drive to turn an idea into a reality. 

Innovation is the byproduct of creativity; it is when an idea is implemented resulting in a better process, product or service.

Creative people always look for ways to leverage opportunities. They say that hiring talented people is the first step in building a creative work environment. The next is to allow them to generate new and fun ideas to improve the business. We are all born with the muscle of creativity. Like any muscle, it needs to be strengthened and stretched. And like any other skill, if you want to improve your mastery and become more creative, you need to practice. Here are some ideas:

1.    Become an idea-generating machine

Set aside time to brainstorm work-related ideas. This could be as little as one hour a week to think about ideas you have, nothing is outside the realm of possibility. Try and come up with at least one new idea a week: a new strategy, a more efficient process, a new project, etc.

2.    Work to your strengths

Think about ways you can do your job better and more efficiently utilizing your talents and skills more fully. If you are not sure what those are, ask friends or colleagues. Alternatively, you may want to consider taking the Gallup’s Strength Finder Assessment ($15 for the basic package.) See: https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/

3.    Use the time-travel technique

Think about a career goal and visualize yourself as you have achieved a desired positive outcome. Now work your way backward identifying the actions you’d need to take. Focus on the “what” not the “how.” Things will then begin to unfold.

4.    Seek inspiration and fuel up on creativity

Find the time to take mental breaks and to do the things that inspire and energize you. Allow your mind to wander and find your thinking space to unlock your creativity.

5.    Get perspective

Think about what others would do or say and consider different perspectives on the issue at hand. Try and identify new angles.

Creativity sparks innovation in the workplace. Employers look for candidates who use good logic and creativity in answering interview questions. It’s all about being able to answer the question with confidence and showing how you arrived at your answer. Google is notorious for its nontraditional interview questions requiring creative thinking with many other employers following suit.

Sample interview questions reported by clients:

1. What would you uniquely bring to our culture?
2. We strive to do more with less. Tell me about a recent project that you made better, more efficient, or less expensive.
3. Can you tell me about a time you tried to solve a problem with ideas and methods that had not been tried before?
4. If you woke up and had 500 unread emails in your Inbox and could only answer 100 of them, how would you choose which ones to answer?
5. Explain a database in three sentences to your 95 year old great aunt.

Check out “Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?” by William Poundstone:

https://www.amazon.com/Are-Smart-Enough-Work-Google/dp/0316099988/

I invite you to record your answer to any of the questions above and share with me via Google Drive, Dropbox, or your favorite collaboration platform. I will respond to everyone within 3 business days but can commit to providing detailed feedback only to the first 5 who contact me.

More about interviewing skills in my next blog posts. Be sure to follow the savvy professional series for job search and interviewing tips and offers for free feedback and critique.

Email me at info@choicefulpath.com.