It happens to us all: One minute we have so many fresh ideas that we can not wait to share with the world; the next minute, the thought dries up and we wonder if we will generate an original idea. It has happened to me, and I'm sure it is too. A "desert of ideas" can be frightening and even paralyzing, especially for entrepreneurs and business owners, since new ideas are the basis of innovation.
And how can you reduce the number of times when creativity escapes you? The key is to release what I call your "Rainforest" (rainforest), an ecosystem of innovation in which new concepts can emerge and businesses move forward.
I share seven steps that I follow to release the ideas. I recommend that you also apply them:
Have confidence in yourself
I have found that there are few tasks more frustrating than being in a team where the leader is insecure and lowers the work of others. While having an occasional fear is completely natural, transmitting your insecurities to your team makes others have less confidence in you. And this freezes innovation. What can you do? Train your leadership, meditate, ask for advice from your friends and mentors, allow yourself to cry and express your emotions. I have noticed that being authentic about myself always works out well in the end.
Gather influential people
When I see a new building stand up towards the sky I imagine the process that its architects followed to design it. They were not only thinking about what happens inside the building; They also focused on how their inhabitants move in and out of it, with the goal of boosting the connection between them. That's your job when building a team. You need to adopt this connectivity, since the influencers that are more diverse (in talents or points of view) are the ones that create the most together.
Focus on the process
Designers like to say that context is equal to content. It's just another way of saying that the way you set the table matters. As a leader, your goal is to boost creative confidence by making your team feel comfortable enough to get out of their comfort zone. Do this actively by listening to them and using the improvisation trick of trying to say 'yes' to all ideas instead of 'no'. Operates based on the belief that there are no bad ideas, only early executions of good ones.
4 . Make it fun
Innovation is not a rational activity. It takes a lot of effort, failure and risks. If you do not enjoy the process, then why do it? Remember that travel is more important than destination, so make the process fun. In addition, sharing joy builds ties and drives the creative process.
5 . Write your social contract
Many teams operate without a written social code. Be different. Make the members of your team develop a social contract and have everyone sign it. The rituals unite people and help remind them of their promises. Your social contract must be different from mine, but here I give you some ideas for a code that you could imitate:
Break the rules and dream
Open the doors and listen
Trust and be reliable
6 . Give people toys
Toys make work more enjoyable. My team created a toy called the Rainforest Canvas to help people visualize their ecosystems. We have conducted worshops with their canvases all over the world, and they are quite clarifying. Each block on the canvas represents a critical part of your ecosystem, as leaders and resources. Team members should fill out each section with questions (for example, what resources are valuable, who are the leaders?) If they do it correctly, the results can be powerful. People see their ecosystems in a visible way for the first time.
7 . Unite social differences
Social barriers, whether caused by geography, language or lack of trust, can undermine relationships even before they begin. Overcoming those barriers is essential. Ask yourself who on your team is not collaborating with whom, what is blocking collaborations and how you can motivate those conversations. Perhaps the key is to modify incentives that promote better communication. Review your social contract with your team and align personal initiatives with community goals.
Thank you for visiting my post, we will continue with motivating things for entrepreneurs