| Developing an innovative spirit in the workplace | | | | get to know them better, and give them a sense of |
| doesn't require extraordinary measures. As a | | | | pride in the organization. |
| manager, you can experiment with simple ideas that | | | | 6. Vocabulary Expansion |
| merely break routines, allowing your employees | | | | Ask your team to bring a rarely used or obscure |
| permission to drop the facade that we all don to | | | | word to the next meeting. Have them use it in a |
| some degree when we punch the clock. Here are a | | | | context that is applicable to your business. |
| few ideas that will help you lighten things up for your | | | | 7. Memory Exercise |
| staff and get their creative juices flowing, if you | | | | Read a list of 10 or 15 things, preferably something |
| have the courage to take the leap. | | | | related to your business, your industry, or to a |
| 1. Dart Board | | | | customer and give an award to the person who can |
| Start every staff meeting by allowing everyone a | | | | commit the most items to memory. This exercise |
| shot at the dart board. Best shot gets to kick off | | | | can help your staff become more familiar with your |
| the meeting, appoint the moderator, or tell what | | | | organization and with your customers. Memory |
| they did over the weekend. Starts things off on a | | | | development is also a key to developing new |
| playful note and gets your people out of their chairs. | | | | customer relationships that will help your business |
| For safety purposes, stick with the magnetic or | | | | prosper. |
| Velcro variety. | | | | 8. "If I Ran This Place..." |
| 2. Colored Markers for the Flip Chart | | | | Ask your staff what they would consider the ideal |
| Sounds simple, but we are programmed from an | | | | job, the ideal workplace, and the ideal location. You |
| early age to correlate the amalgamation of colors | | | | can't transform your place into utopia, but you might |
| with the awakening of our imaginations. If you need | | | | gain some insight into feasible, marginal changes that |
| further evidence of this phenomenon, observe a | | | | will improve things. Now that you have them thinking |
| classroom full of first graders the next time a | | | | without barriers, ask them what they would do first |
| teacher instructs them to put away their math books | | | | or different if they ran the company, office, or |
| and take out their crayons. And experts agree that | | | | department. You'll be surprised by the answers. |
| the key to creativity lies in the ability to awaken the | | | | 9. Show and Tell |
| child inside each of us. | | | | Have your staff bring something that they've |
| 3. Music Creativity | | | | created, that they are proud of, or from their |
| Ask each team member to write a 4-line verse to a | | | | childhood that the group would find interesting or |
| song that relates to their job duties, hobbies, | | | | funny. Demonstrate an interesting or unusual talent, |
| business ideas, etc. Go around the room and ask | | | | perhaps. We loved this game when we were in |
| them to sing, rap, or simply recite (military cadence | | | | kindergarten, and for some reason they made us |
| perhaps) their verse. Print thecompilation in the next | | | | stop playing as we got older. |
| company newsletter to get a little PR for your | | | | 10. Top 10 Lists |
| department or office (others in the organization | | | | Until David Letterman decides to pursue intellectual |
| might want to transfer in when they realize that | | | | property infringement, go ahead and try this one. |
| you've given your staff permission to have fun). | | | | Give a topic at your staff meeting, and ask for the |
| 4. Music Creativity II | | | | answers the following week. Remember to keep it |
| Ask your staff to bring in a CD with a song that | | | | clean and non-offensive. Have your staff rank the |
| describes their personality, work attitude, or how | | | | answers and use a point system to determine the |
| their weekend went. Play excerpts before the | | | | winner. |
| meeting for a laugh. | | | | We would never ask our employees for quality |
| 5. To Serve Mankind | | | | without offering the resources, direction, systems, |
| Ask your staff to convey what they did over the | | | | and commitment to develop procedures that ensure |
| weekend that was a service to another person, | | | | improvement in that area. Yet we ask employees for |
| charitable organization, or noble cause. Vote to | | | | creativity or to "think outside the box" all of the time |
| determine whose action was most heroic and award | | | | without giving another thought as to how to initiate |
| a gift certificate to the winner, let them leave work | | | | the creative process. Take the first step and give |
| early on Friday, or take a longer than usual lunch | | | | your staff permission to shake things up a bit at your |
| break. This will encourage your staff to think of new | | | | office. You're likely to see some changes - for the |
| ways to develop a sense of community. It will also | | | | better! |
| help your people feel good about their co-workers, | | | | |