Who are the least creative professionals - actuaries, air-traffic controllers,
civil servants? I don't know about the first two (and perhaps I am happy for
them to play safe) but I am re-evaluating my prejudices about the third.
I recently ran a half-day team-coaching session, focused on creativity, with
a group of eight senior civil servants. We warmed up exchanging accounts
of a recent professsional achievement that made us each proud. We got
loose with '10 ways to kill an idea' - with accolades for deviousness,
chutzpah and sangfroid. We got in the creative zone using de Bono's Six
Thinking Hats to focus on a real, current challenge. We then got down to
generating ideas for how they might meet that challenge.
The output was astounding in both quantity and quality. And I hardly used
any of my favourite creative prompts ("what would a six-year old do?",
"what would Machiavelli do", "what would you do if you were leaving
tomorrow?). How did that happen? What was present that enabled the
group to be so producative and so creative?
It started with inclusive leadership: the leader identified the need, focused
the group's attention on it and then got buy-in to invest time in becoming
more creative. And this style permeated our coaching session.
The group gave the session time and space - moving out of the usual office
environment, dispensing with tables, plenty of room to move, and - despite
competing priorities - gave it the time needed to work with relaxed energy.
They shared a compelling purpose.They focused on something that was
real, current, important, with a real customer and for which all
members of the group had some responsibility.
They had the right attitude and spirit - despite the seriousness of the issue,
the tone and feel of our work was playful. They were open, encouraging of
each other and non-judgemental. If they did come up with potential
solutions then they would be taken forward but for the moment they had
freedom.
So for three hours, these experts were novices too: using beginners' minds
to release their expertise. They suprised themselves, revelled in each others'
outrageous ideas, sparked off each other and saw each other in a different
light. And, who knows, they may have cracked a problem that has defeated
all their predecessors.
What do you think enables teams to be creative?
Let me know: stephen@gibsonstarr.com
