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If science is right,
human beings only use 10 percent of the mind's capacity. That those who suffer
from stroke and permanent brain impairment can relearn tasks associated with the
specific area of brain atrophy confirms this belief. The mind is capable of much
more than we've discovered. There is creative energy there, but how do we begin
to uncover it and bring it to life within ourselves and those around us? Hannibal
lost an eye crossing what was once thought to be an impassable swamp. Even that
didn't dim his ability to outthink and outvision Rome. There
are a number of ways to increase personal and organizational creativity. It takes
effort, but the benefits are well beyond bottom-line considerations, because creativity
influences every aspect of life-even its quality and length. Increasing
creativity requires challenging the mind to stretch itself beyond what it believes
it is capable of achieving. It was Pablo Picasso who noted, "I am always
doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." Even
simple exercises can increase creativity and brain activity. In
1991, Life magazine ran an article on nuns who were in their eighties and
nineties. None of them showed any signs of what is common in the very aged Alzheimer's
disease. The one common thread between all of these women was that they worked
on jigsaw puzzles each day. In doing so, they apparently held off the ravaging
effects of brain deterioration. Science concludes that unless humans create new
neural connections as they age, brain atrophy is inevitable. For those in leadership,
the use it or lose it principle is just as applicable. Most
of us have formed definite neural pathways of thought. Habits and ways of approaching
situations in life create impressions and deep ruts in the brain. "We have
truly hard-wired our mechanism for thought . . . We can see that we need to create
flexibility in the brain to have flexibility of mind."14 If
you want your organization to develop creative solutions to previously unsolvable
problems, you are going to have to change old ways of thinking by leading the
way. That means some rigid structures need to become more fluid. To achieve employee
buy-in, they need to know they are going to be rewarded for creative solutions,
even if they ultimately fail. Why
not introduce games, puzzles, questions, or trivia competitions-not necessarily
related to the present working environment? Such activity will begin to stretch
the minds of those who work with and for you. This isn't as random as it sounds
because some puzzles stimulate right-brain activity (creativity and intuitive
thinking), while others stimulate the left (analytic and logical thinking). A
second means to encourage and develop creativity is through humor. Yes, funny,
silly, seemingly irrelevant, and absurd humor. Ever flown on Southwest Airlines?
Instead of worrying about taxi times and delays, you feel that you've booked a
seat in the audience of Comedy Central. The punch lines from the microphone seem
to lighten the atmosphere without undermining the serious nature of the business
of flying. Do they script their lines like a Disney ride? Hardly. Herb
Kelleher, twice named CEO of the year by Financial World magazine, says
creating a culture is their number-one priority. What kind of culture? "We
decided we were going to hire good people and let them be themselves, let them
be individualistic. We were going to create an environment where we pay a great
deal of attention to them, their personal lives, as well as their business lives.
We wanted to show them that we don't regard them just as work automatons. We wanted
to create an environment where people can really enjoy what they're doing."15
Southwest has successfully survived and profited while other airlines went into
bankruptcy after
the economic downturn and stock market decline. Herb Kelleher
and those at Southwest Airlines show that creativity doesn't have to be an economic
sinkhole. The
AT&T plant in Norcross, Georgia, celebrated achieving a major milestone (a
contract changed) by holding a parade throughout the plant. Employees working
on their own time made the floats from leftover supplies. Last in the parade were
the operations manager and the president of the CWA local not just shaking hands,
but hugging in congratulations of their joint accomplishments. Why do these things?
To increase morale. To lessen stress. To enrich camaraderie and teamwork. To make
work fun and something people look forward to each day.16 Improving
productivity and creativity through thinking outside the box can involve something
as simple as wit. Laughter and humor change the atmosphere, lighten the heart,
and increase company morale. Any one of those would make most employees rejoice,
but here is something else that CEOs can rejoice over. This kind of environment
has been shown to "have a direct effect upon the bottom line. Lower turnover,
absenteeism, lateness, error rates, increased production, accuracy (and) finer
quality. The overall results . . . higher profits and greater staying power when
things get tough."17 In
addition to exercising your brain, your body also needs exercise to increase creativity.
Time out of the work environment, away from the phones and computers, can do a
lot to clear the mind and stimulate new ideas. Exercise is known to increase oxygen
to the brain, and enough exercise releases endorphins into the body, increasing
productive output while creating what is known as a runner's high.18
Are you, as a leader, willing to encourage, even demand, your organization exercise
daily — even if it's just a half-hour walk around the plant, base, or building? Be
prepared for those moments when your mind is open and new ideas pour in. Carry
a notebook and write down your thoughts. Many great inventors have done this and
found that most of what they wrote was useless. But on occasion, there was a treasure
buried among the pages of worthless thoughts. Finally,
read everything you can get your hands on. Fill your mind with the knowledge of
many fields, not just your own. For in some field, far from your own endeavors,
you may find a new way of approaching a formerly unsolvable problem. If nothing
else, you will have learned a great deal that will be stored as "potential"
for your unwritten future. You
might say to all of this, "I'm not the creative type." You do a disservice
to yourself in believing that, for each of us has been endowed with creative energy.
And even if I were to believe you, I would remind you of something Warren Bennis
said: "There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one
can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish." Perhaps
your creativity will be evidenced in creating an organization in which future
Thomas Edisons create the technologies of tomorrow. Perhaps you will be the general
whose captains feel free enough to walk into your office and say, "I've got
a lot smarter, cheaper, faster, better way of doing this," without fearing
for their position. Fear
has a tendency to paralyze. Creativity and fear seldom coexist. Fear will sometimes
produce short-term results, but rarely long-term solutions. Creative minds believe
they can devise the plans and methods needed to overcome anything — anything.
How much are those kinds of people worth in your organization? I
remember reading about a math problem that had never been solved. A college professor
gave the class a final exam and put two problems on the board. The first one was
for their grade. The second one was the unsolved problem they could work on for
personal enrichment and extra credit. One of the brighter students in the class
(who seemed to lack the skill of punctuality) arrived late and saw the two problems
on the board. It was a take-home exam and so he picked up the problems and walked
out. The student didn't hear the instructions and assumed both problems were part
of the exam. He went home and worked nonstop on both and then turned them in on
the day they were due. While grading the papers, the professor was astonished
to see that this student had solved not only the first, but the second as well.
The student was pleased by the instructor's compliments, but didn't understand
the significance because he never realized the problem had been unsolvable. Too
often we look at problems that have never been solved and join the rest of the
world in agreement. Creative people don't focus on limitations; they focus on
possibilities. As
leaders, we must allow our subordinates to develop creativity if our organizations
are to break new ground in the face of stiff competition. It takes a creative
and fearless leader to cultivate such talent and provide the necessary resources
to achieve such breakthroughs. If
you want to be a great leader, you're going to have to destroy the box within
which many sit and make their decisions. I provided some examples of what companies
have done to increase corporate creativity. But what about your own? Studies show
that even during sleep, the brain continues to work on solving problems. So, your
own creativity could be increased by taking the time to hike along a mountain
ridge, or walk along the beach and feel the wind in your face as the water washes
over your feet. Then maybe you will be given a fresh approach to pursue; one that
will change your world and the world of those around you. Hannibal changed the
face of war during his lifetime. What might you do? A
PAUSE FOR A SPIRITUAL REFLECTION Most
of us never produce a life of creative achievements because we have not connected
to the Great Creator Himself-the source of all creative energy. If God endows
each of us with that energy, then it is up to us to find it within ourselves and
use it. If you leave it lying dormant, you miss those moments we define as extraordinary.
If we settle for common wisdom, then we cannot produce uncommon ends. If we listen
to what God is saying to us, then we open ourselves to the possibility of living
exceptional lives. Take
a breath. Maybe it's been a long time. Reflect back upon the dreams that once
lived in your heart. Perhaps it's been decades and you've given up all hope of
achieving what you once desired. Those creative dreams are seeds that have been
waiting for you to water them. If you would be a creative leader — a Centurion
leader — you must begin by being a creative individual. Like anything worthwhile,
it takes time. The oak tree takes nearly a century to reach its full height but
begins as an acorn. Those who are too fearful, lazy, or busy, end up growing,
if at all, to the size of a bush, stunted by a leadership philosophy called "expediency." Your
future can be so much greater than that. God is a destiny shaper and destiny maker,
and scatters seeds of creativity freely. The question is whether you believe it
and whether you are willing to water the seeds planted inside you. At the end
of your life, as you examine the significance of your days, will you see an oak
tree or a bush growing there? PATHWAY
TO CREATIVITY We
began with "the box" — a mystical box. But if it exists only in
the imagination, why do so few break out of its confines? While we can't hold
up this box and see it with our eyes, it is still as real as gravity. It's real
because we as leaders translate it into a reality that is defined, confined, safe,
comfortable, and approved. Go
outside the box? You'll be on your own facing nearly unlimited risk. Forget about
job security because at times you'll be out on the limb all by yourself. There
are no known road maps where you're going, but it is the road that all Centurions
must take. What awaits you? Potential — -potential for an extraordinary life
that leaves a memorable legacy. Why? Because it is our nature to admire the oak
tree rather than the bush. ___________________ From
the book The Centurion Principles: Battlefield Principles for Frontline Leaders
by Jeff O'Leary, ©2004. Reprinted by permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville,
TN. Click
here to learn more about this and other resourses. ___________________ 14.
http://www.enchantedmind.com/html/creativity/attributes.html
15. Thomas J.
Neff and James M. Citrin, Lessons from the Top: The Seach for America's Best
Business Leaders (New York: Currency Doubleday 1999), 188.
16. http://www.creativityforlife.com/article1056.html
17.
http://www.creativityforlife.com/article1056.html
18. http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/02/022101_leonardo.jhtml _______________ Jeff
O'Leary is a retired USAF colonel and founder/director of Mission of Joy, a ministry
to homeless and orphaned children in India. | 