Index | Parent Index | Build Freedom: Archive

MANAGING AND MOTIVATING CREATIVE TYPES

How can we manage and motivate the Albert Einsteins, Sam Waltons, Henry Fords, and Walt Disneys of the world? Here are some ideas.  

Don't overload your staff with creative people.
Every business needs some people to be creative most of the time and most people to be creative some of the time. But, except in rare instance, few businesses need everyone to be creative all of the time. The routine, boring, day-do-day things have to get done. If you overload your staff with the naturally creative types, you do a disservice to your company and a disservice to your naturally creative people. Every staff and every business needs some free thinkers and dreamers, but if you have nothing but that, chances are you have a problem. Try spreading your creative types around by using them to seed less creative groups or rethink your staffing needs.

Provide your naturally creative people with freedom and structure.
If your naturally creative people are to flourish, you have to give them time and room to think, explore, question - time to create. But don't lose sight of the fact that you have a business to run. You have to produce a product, provide services, and satisfy customers. Thomas Edison once said that creation was "1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." The danger with your naturally creative types is that they will become so enthralled with the "inspiration" side that they will never get to the "perspiration" side of putting their ideas to work. It is up to you to provide the structure to keep them on schedule and to let them know when it is time to "stop creating and go with what we have."

Provide  each naturally creative person with  the right environment.
Some naturally creative people perform best when allowed to work on their own. Others need the stimulation that comes from being part of a group. There is no way to know in advance which environment works best for which person. You have to try them out and observe what happens. By observing them in different settings, you will be able to steer them to their best environment.  

Make "time to create" the "carrot."
Naturally creative people enjoy the creative aspect of their jobs.  It is what they want to do. If left alone, they will neglect the routine and "boring" to do nothing but create.  Maybe some of the routine and "boring" aspects of their jobs can be neglected, but not all.  Reports have to be written. Work must be documented.  Administrative paperwork must be completed. Customers have to be served. Routine things must be done if your business is to function. Be flexible with your naturally creative people. Give them time to be creative. But insist that they perform the critical routine and boring stuff first. Then, and only then, can they create. "Creating" is the dessert.

Invest in communication.
You should spend a good portion of your time communicating with all of your employees. But communication is particularly important with your naturally creative types. Perhaps more than any other type of employees, they need to understand your business and business demands so they can turn their natural skills to solving your real business problems. If left to their own devices, naturally creative people frequently will become obsessed with trivia. They'll spend enormous amounts of time and money solving problems that won't pay off for you or the company. Instead of letting them waste your time and their time, provide them with information and direction.  Define a real problem for the company for them to work on and turn them loose. You may be surprised at the results. But be careful: make sure it is a real problem. If it is "make work," they'll recognize it as such.

Provide your creative people with reinforcement and support.
Naturally creative people often appear to the rest of us to require little, if any, external reinforcement for what they do. They appear to be sustained by the mere act of creation itself. Plus, they are so creative often that we begin to ignore their creative efforts.  What would be extraordinary from someone else is ordinary and expected coming from them. Yet it shouldn't be. Naturally creative people are no different from your other employees in respect to their need for praise and recognition for the results they produce.  They might not readily admit that they need your support, but they do.

Previous | Contents | Next

Index | Parent Index | Build Freedom: Archive

Disclaimer - Copyright - Contact

Online: buildfreedom.org - terrorcrat.com - mind-trek.com