The 2 “Opposing” Roadblocks Tripping Up Your Organization

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Let’s talk innovation.

It’s not just a buzzword—it’s the lifeblood of any organization that wants to stay relevant and crush it in today’s wild business landscape. But here’s the kicker: there are two, seemingly opposing mindset roadblocks that I see tripping up companies left and right.

And guess what? We’re all guilty of falling into these traps!

1. The Big Fat Lie of “Not Creative”

Those super-smart tech-whizzes on your team who are tasked with innovating on demand? Odds are they don’t actually consider themselves creative.

And let me ask you: would you call yourself an “artist”? Most people wouldn’t.

But newsflash: all of those labels have nothing to do with what’s true, which is that just by virtue of being human, you are creative!

And this self-limiting nonsense we do to ourselves is like kryptonite to innovation. It’s the ultimate creativity killer, making us too scared to even dip our toes in the innovation pool.

2. Too Much of a Good Thing

On the flip side, we’ve got the “know-it-all” syndrome. You know, when we’re so darn good at what we do that we can’t see past our own expertise.

It’s like wearing blinders made of gold stars and certificates. It can make us unwilling to try anything new, because we know “the right way to do it.”

Ooh, that’s what Blockbuster thought, and look what happened to them.

That’s what Vanilla Ice still thinks, and not only is he on an I Love The 90’s tour,?he wants to convince everyone to go back to the 90s .

So while being an expert is awesome, it can also make us blind to new opportunities staring us right in the face.

Here’s the real mind-bender: we can totally be suffering from both of these at the same time! Talk about a creativity pretzel, right?

So what do we do about these mindset roadblocks, you ask?

This is where my?Create the Impossible??framework comes in to save the day. Let’s break it down:

1) Play Hard:?And no, I do not mean go to Vegas and get drunk. Embrace your inner four-year-old! Because innovation thrives when we’re having fun, taking risks, and in that beginner mind space.

So, let’s create spaces where people can brainstorm without judgment, where we can bounce the craziest ideas around the room like kids playing in a sandbox.

2) Make Crap:?Yep, you heard me right. We need to get comfortable with making a mess. Perfect is the enemy of done, folks! And we need the crap to fertilize the good stuff.

Encourage your teams to crank out ideas, prototypes, and solutions like there’s no tomorrow. Quantity breeds quality, so let’s get those creative juices flowing!

3) Learn Fast:?Here’s where the magic happens. Every “failure” is just a stepping stone to success.

Create a culture where people aren’t afraid to fall on their faces because they know they’ll get up smarter and stronger.

By embracing this framework, we can tackle both ends of our innovation paradox. We boost our creative confidence by playing and making without fear, while staying humble and open to new ideas through rapid learning and iteration.

Remember, innovation isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about being curious, persistent, and willing to look at things from a fresh perspective.

So let’s ditch the “not enough” lie, shake off the expert blinders, and dive headfirst into creating the impossible!

My superpower is empowering your most analytical minds with the mindset, skillset, and toolkit to achieve breakthrough innovation through my 3-Step?Create the Impossible??process.

When you’re ready to revolutionize your innovation game, book your complimentary?Impact Assessment Call ?and let’s chat about how I can help.

A version of this article originally appeared on the Creative Sandbox Solutions? blog.

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I love helping leaders Create the Impossible?! My keynotes, workshops, and retreats empower even your most left-brained employees with the mindset, skillset, and toolkit to deliver impossible innovation.

When you’re ready to supercharge creativity, ignite innovation, and create YOUR impossible, here are 3 ways I can help:

1) Download my FREE Leadership Assessment Tool to evaluate where your team stands in under 10 minutes!

2) Download the first 50 pages of my book, The Creative Sandbox Way? , to reconnect with your creativity.

3) Book your complimentary Impact Assessment call to identify what's possible for you/your team in the next 90 days and beyond, and develop a 3-step Action Plan that will get you results ASAP.

And be sure to subscribe to this newsletter for more tips on the intersection of connection, communication, and creativity.

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About Melissa Dinwiddie, M.Soc.Sci.

I’m a Keynote Speaker, Innovation Strategist, and Author, specializing in helping organizations that need to innovate quickly to Create the Impossible?, with my 3-step process. I can get even the most right-brained technical experts to tap creative veins they didn't know they had, and I love developing bold, resilient, innovative leaders, and building cultures of thriving innovation, all using the same principles that help artists create works of enduring impact.

I draw on 28 years of creative expertise, including my background as a Juilliard-trained dancer, a professional artist, and a trained improviser and jazz singer, to design interactive, playful programs that attendees rave about because they acquire new skills and behaviors and build connections while having a blast. I’ve successfully catalyzed transformation at organizations such as Google, Facebook, Uber, Stanford Children’s Hospital, Stanford University, Intuit, Salesforce, and more.

I’m the author of The Creative Sandbox Way? , an acclaimed book on creativity that has been called "essential for the bookshelf," "the owner's guide for the caring and feeding of the creative spirit," and "an adventure packaged as a book." Founder of Creative Sandbox Solutions? , I hold a B.A. from UC Berkeley, a Masters in Social Science from the University of Birmingham, England, and multiple certifications in LEGO? Serious Play?. I live in Silicon Valley with my husband and I love performing improv, playing ukulele and double bass, making art, crafts, and vocal loops, and chasing my two rambunctious kitties off the kitchen counters.