Stop having 'meetings' now!
Once upon a time, before the office, before strategy and before formal career paths. People just lived and then they worked. Life was simple and we put a lot down to fate and fortune.
Things have moved forward a long way from that. A few industrial and social revolutions later, we have a somewhat different outlook on living, time and success. We leave less down to luck and plan so much of what we do, especially at work.
But what happens if we go too far? What happens if we try to plan the unplannable? There are still things we can't legislate for or shouldn't in the interests of time and CREATIVITY.
Some of the best companies in the world are taking creativity seriously. It's going to be huge in 2020 and beyond. Unfortunately, once something becomes valued, we often tend to over exploit it. Should we force people to be creative, can we find a formula that will break open the ideas part of our minds?
Our greatest ideas often come to us in moments of inspiration but they also pop into our heads in the shower. Not necessarily in a structured ideas session or brainstorming workshop.
The addiction to and culture of meetings doesn't serve us as well today as it did 20 years ago. Either we need to stop serial meeting from 9 till 5 or we dramatically change everything. When we have them, where we have them and how we behave in them.
People shouldn't only open up and exchange in a formatted way over in meeting room 3. What about those serendipitous moments at the water cooler, on the stairs or those chats off site.
I'm all for redesigning the workplace with the workforce and their needs at the centre. The idea that there are just creative people and noncreative people is also outdated. Creative culture isn't binary. It isn't a 0 or 1. It's much more nuanced than that.
The chances are if you've got this far into the article... you are more creative than you think.
Big Tip! Don't push creativity, let it pull you.
Please share your creative thoughts with the community in the comments.
Alex
Founder at Richard O'Neill Storytelling
4 年Depends how creative the meeting is. Have had some which were waste of time. Had one last week which was amazing.
Our platform and growing army of affiliate marketers help businesses who serve SME's generate dramatically more revenue.
4 年Almost everyone has a creative thought now and then. But, in my experience, if you're more intentional about creativity and utilize methods of thinking creatively, those elusive 'A-HA' moments happen WAY more often.?
Retired from 35 years in recruitment and HR services
4 年Deep