How to Fuel, Shape and Scale Creativity

It is well established by now that creativity is one of the main differentiators between sustained high-performance companies and the rest. For marketing, creativity is easily the most important attribute, and all good marketing leaders are obsessed about driving creativity through their organization.

So….how do we fuel, shape and scale creativity? Here are ten tips that may help.

1. Have an inspirational, but rooted, Purpose. A strong purpose energizes the team and unleashes their creativity. It is important that the purpose be real and authentic, and the organization walk the talk. Brands - and people - with a Purpose thrive.

2. Build a fierce sense of pride around the brand. Build the brand’s purpose internally at every occasion. Start with the WHY in every piece of communication. Develop a cohort mentality (“we're in this together”) in the team.

3. Hire Sparks. Don’t just go by the degree or the college or the companies on the CV. Hire people who are passionate about doing things, and have diverse and eclectic interests. See how they express creativity in their past projects, as well as their personal passions. You can’t just “switch on” creativity when you get to office.

4. Drive outside-in thinking. While processes are important for any function to run smoothly, be careful of too much focus on how things need to be internally. Including activities like trend-spotting and wargaming into the normal cadence at work helps keep the focus on the customer and competitor. Instituting “Licence to Operate” based on hours spent in the market, or role-playing as a salesperson, or just meeting customers, helps ensure the marketing team remains grounded and connected with the real world.

5. Celebrate and reward creativity publicly. While this is an obvious sort of point, it’s surprising how many attempts get bogged down because we add layers of effectiveness, and teamwork, and try to make the acknowledgement reasonable and fair. If it’s great work and it’s creative - just acknowledge and reward it. Create space to celebrate creativity, e.g., do a review of the annual Cannes Festival, invite your agency partners to share their views about why a campaign won.

6. Encourage experimentation. Start a quarterly “Whats New with You” session with every team. Encourage teams to share their discoveries (positive or negative) when experimenting. Set aside a reasonable budget to encourage teams to experiment in a small way with whatever seems to interest them for their project.

7. Break down silos. Nothing stifles creativity faster than the doesn’t-belong-here syndrome. Force collaboration across teams by running task-forces and SWAT teams. Institute rotations in career development plans. Half of creativity is just being able to see things from another point of view.

8. Build the creative muscle. Like other disciplines there are some basic rules for creative work - whether it is in designing UX, or advertising, or writing copy, or developing point-of-sale material. Put in place a few basic training modules and insist everyone complete them. It may seem pedantic, but it pays off. It also helps people speak the same language across the company when they refer to creative work.

9. Champion a hands-on culture. Nothing saps creative energy like people who critique but don’t give any suggestions. Encourage people to roll-up their sleeves and get stuck in, rather than stand by the sidelines and comment. While is it important that every one be clear who is accountable for a job, it is even more important that the people who are reviewing the project actually contribute. If they are not expected to contribute, then don't include them in the reviews.

10. Have fun. Anyone who has led or done any creative work will tell you that joy & creativity go hand in hand. There is a rush in the doing and a strange satisfaction in beholding the finished product. Enjoy the process and encourage your teams to do the same!

What are some other tips that have worked for you?