A little more creativity please

You can see I’m a fan of regularly applying the skills of creativity: in thinking, writing and idea generation. 

The World Economic Forum said the top 3 skills we’d need by 2020 would be
- Complex Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity.

In their updated skills list for 2025, creativity features in half of the top 10 skills, in one form or another. 

And here we are… in a world where we’ve been adapting to a global pandemic, working from home, leading remotely, changing business practices, generating new products, serving customers in new ways and ... keeping it together!

Sir Ken Robinson said “...we don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out if it.”

It’s worth putting some of that creativity back in, and learning to be even just a little more creative! 

We need creativity now and for our future.

When you’re stuck for ideas

It’s tough running on the idea wheel, waiting, searching for ideas. 

We often need ideas for:  
- projects
- business or branding
- writing and blogging 
- product naming
- workshops and meeting activities
- presentations and pitches
- problem solving. 

Every day we need to draw on our creative abilities to add our opinion, get something started (or finished) or make something happen. 

If you’re focusing on doing the work of a task, it’s tricky to then switch over into a more creative way of thinking. 

We might expect the magic will just flow... but no 😢

While there are plenty of tips on how to come up with ideas, we don’t usually think of those tips when we’re under pressure to make ideas happen. 

I’ve shared previously my use of an ideas book: a journal or sketchbook that catches what I’m thinking about. I can fill a book every few weeks! 

Then it’s an easy flick through a few pages and something will connect. The power of our creative mind swings into action, connecting something with something else and ... boom... 💥 an idea is born! 

Wait forever for the perfect idea to show up or better still, collect them as they come to you, whenever they come to you. 

Developing a creative mindset

As problems and challenges persist for our customers, clients (and ourselves), a more creative mindset might help us and them out. 

How do you solve a challenge?

Do you go with what you’ve done before? Or seek out the possibility of a new solution and idea? 

Existing or well known solutions are safer; someone’s already done them, we can copy or replicate, change a few things and we’re good to go. 

Or are we?

The more we all keep replicating what’s already out there, thinking it’s working, the more limited our thinking becomes. 

Having the confidence to adopt a more creative mindset is risky yes, but with the risk can come incredible gains and rewards. 

The links to commercial success are clear. 

A more creative mindset helps us design and deliver better services, solutions and success for our clients and customers. 

How to work a little more creatively

Storyboards are powerful thinking and communication tools in films and advertising ... and we can use them too. 

Just as film creatives map out the proposed scenes of a movie, we can be story boarders too!  

A creative tool I use often with teams to think and work more creatively is storyboarding. 

Six cells or scenes are a starting point or a summary of a bigger and deeper story. 

🔲 Capture one point or theme per cell. 
🔲 Use a storyboard to take notes. 
🔲 Deliver your presentation or pitch with a storyboard. 

Boring notes? Nope. 
Boring meeting? Nope. 
Boring presentation? Also nope. 

We love stories! They hook us in and keep us engaged, curious to what’s coming next. 

Our colleagues and clients need us to be a little more creative - not just to hold their engagement and attention but to get to the most creative and effective outcomes we can. 

For something more memorable, practical and sensible... storyboard it.

Thinking we’re not creative enough

Many of us think we're not creative. 

At all. 

Perhaps it's more that we don't feel 'creative enough' to respond in the ways we need to today. 

We all have creative potential in us, but the cry of doubt, ‘I’m not creative’ is enough to make an idea run and hide! 

If we could be a little more creative than we are... if we could achieve a lift in our creative capability, we could tap into the clever solutions we’re truly capable of.

There’s little evidence that brainstorming produces more or better ideas. Group brainstorming in particular is a waste of time. 

So what do we do instead?


Focus on shifting your thinking to be:

🔶 CONFIDENT - From ‘I’m not creative’ to ‘I can be creative’

🔶CLEVER - ‘I can generate creative options’

🔶COMMERCIAL - ‘I can put these ideas into practice’

We have ongoing needs to generate ideas. solve problems and make decisions in more creative ways. 

And being confident, clever and commercial is a great path to take.