Reigniting Creativity In Your Work

Every summer, my daughter and I escape to New York for our treasured tradition of seeing Broadway shows. The creativity on display is nothing short of awe-inspiring—actors, designers, and stage crews working in harmony to create magic, eight times a week. Watching the passion and artistry of Broadway unfold made me wonder: how do these performers and crew members keep their work fresh and engaging, even when repetition might threaten to dull their spark?

If you’ve felt that the routine or volume of your work stifles your creativity, you’re not alone. In today’s fast-paced world, burnout is a constant challenge, and finding ways to reignite creativity is crucial for energy, engagement, and innovation.?

In this edition of Driven to Thrive, we’ll dive into four powerful strategies to reignite creativity in your work. Let’s start our journey!

Embrace "Beginner's Mind"

Broadway actors approach each performance as if it’s their first, engaging a “beginner’s mind” to bring freshness and enthusiasm to every show. This mindset invites them to view the performance through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time, allowing each line, song, and gesture to feel alive. In the workplace, adopting this mindset can help you see projects, challenges, and even routine tasks from new perspectives, often leading to innovative solutions.

The Wall Street Journal’s article, Innovating With a Beginner’s Mindset, brilliantly explores the importance of cultivating a beginner’s mindset—a willingness to set aside assumptions and explore fresh perspectives—can be the spark for game-changing innovation that can create a competitive advantage for organizations. Consider the telecom industry’s transformation: once seen as niche products, cell phones became mainstream when one company dared to experiment with pricing, resulting in skyrocketing demand and industry-wide disruption. Similarly, leaders like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Steve Jobs, who have been known to adopt this mindset have driven breakthrough ideas by regularly questioning established practices and embracing unorthodox solutions.

Questions to Ponder:

• How can you intentionally put aside assumptions or preconceived notions to approach your work with fresh curiosity?
• What would change if you prioritized questions over answers in your approach to familiar tasks?

Create Space for Reflection - The Power of the Pause

Broadway professionals often reflect on each performance, assessing what worked well and what could be improved. This intentional reflection fuels continuous growth and refinement. Similarly, taking moments to step back and reflect in the workplace can provide space for creativity to thrive. Reflection allows you to learn from past experiences, recognize patterns, and approach future tasks with renewed insight. A Harvard Business School study found that employees who spent 15 minutes at the end of each day reflecting on lessons learned showed a 23% increase in performance, higher customer satisfaction scores, and enhanced engagement.

Questions to Ponder:

• What recent successes or mistakes could you revisit to spark new ideas for approaching current projects?
• Is there a pattern in your recent work that you hadn’t noticed before? How could recognizing it lead to creative breakthroughs?

Collaborate and Cross-Pollinate

Broadway shows embody the power of collaboration, where actors, choreographers, lighting experts, and musicians bring their distinct skills together to create a production greater than the sum of its parts. This spirit of teamwork is also transformative in the workplace, where cross-functional collaboration often leads to innovative breakthroughs. Take the development of the iPhone at Apple, where engineers, designers, and marketers collaborated closely, each contributing unique insights to build a product that redefined the smartphone industry. Similarly, the automotive company Ford fostered collaboration across departments to create their innovative EcoBoost engine, combining engineering, environmental science, and customer insights to produce a fuel-efficient engine that also boosted performance. This collaborative approach enables organizations to leverage diverse expertise for truly creative solutions.

Questions to Ponder:

• Who in your organization or network could offer an entirely new perspective on your current project?
• Are there silos in your workplace that could benefit from cross-pollination? How can you initiate connections?

Harness the Power of Recreation

Engaging in recreational activities can be a powerful catalyst for creativity. Just as Broadway actors find creativity through recreation by engaging in diverse experiences and physical activities that stimulate their imagination and relieve stress, such as travel, dance, or outdoor activities, you can draw new ideas from activities outside of work. These recreational pursuits foster a playful mindset and provide fresh perspectives, enhancing their performances and allowing for innovative interpretations of their roles.

In fact, engaging in fitness, hobbies, or spending time in nature can significantly enhance creative thinking. My family and I moved to a wilderness preserve a few years ago; I have found that when contending with an issue that I want to creatively solve, running is the fuel that sparks my creativity. I will ask myself a question like, “How should I approach this problem?” I let it go and allow the energy of nature to bring the answer to my mind. Sure enough, just like magic, the answer will come to me like a flash of light. I love when that happens and it can happen for you, too!

By allowing yourself time to unwind and engage in a recreational activity, you will create mental space for fresh ideas to emerge. This break from routine can help you return to your work with renewed energy and a different perspective.

Questions to Ponder:

• What recreational activities bring you joy and could serve as inspiration for your work?
• When was the last time you allowed yourself to engage in a hobby or activity without an agenda? What insights did you gain?
• How can you incorporate more recreational time into your schedule to fuel your creativity?

Final Thoughts

Just like Broadway actors bring fresh energy to each performance, reigniting creativity at work involves seeing each project as an opportunity to innovate and adapt. The collaborative, reflective, and playful spirit that Broadway creatives bring to the stage can inspire similar practices in our daily work lives.

Imagine your projects and other work actions as a creative production where every team member contributes their unique strengths, and every challenge is a chance to try something new.

I encourage you to embrace each day as a new act in your creative journey, and watch how this mindset transforms your work into something meaningful and inspiring.

Here are some ways to access additional tools, advice, and tips to accelerate your leadership & career:

→ Review the numerous career-enhancing resources available on my website at aliciadreece.com .

→ Explore my best-selling book, Driven to Thrive .

→ Follow me on LinkedIn , and click the ?? at the top of my profile page to learn more about Drive to Thrive events and join the conversation on my posts.

→ Subscribe to receive my Driven to Thrive newsletters.

→?Enroll in one of my LinkedIn Learning courses: Coaching Yourself to Career Success and/or Align Your Career Goals to Your Authentic Self.

I’m rooting for you always!