Developing and maintaining a creative edge to your work is an effective way both to increase career prospects and keep the working day fresh. Regardless of the sector that you work in, applying a degree of creativity to your work will both get you noticed and improve your working life. Below are some tips on how to keep your work fresh through creativity.

Creativity is for everyone
There are some schools of thought that suggest that creativity is solely the domain of an elite group of free thinkers, the ‘creatives’. Whilst it may be true that some people are more innately creative than others, the truth of the matter is that more often than not, creativity is the result of hard work and a process. Creativity is a skill, and therefore it can be learned just like any other skill, providing you have the right process and determination.

What this means is that there should be nothing to stop anyone developing their creative abilities, and that any time spent stretching your creative boundaries will not only be rewarding in some way, but also make you more effective the next time you try.

Expand your horizons
True creativity centres around the ability to see things differently from how they currently are and develop effective solutions that did not exist before. In order to do this, you must first be able to think objectively and freely about both the situation and the areas that influence upon it. There is no point trying to address a problem creatively if your mind is still entrenched in the culture and processes that created it.

There are many successful ways to develop your ability to think freely, such as meditation or the concept of mind-mapping, whereby you literally draw a map of your thought processes relating to a subject, but the clearer you can visualise the challenge, the more profoundly you will be able to influence the solution.

Take yourself to new places
Sometimes, temporarily removing yourself from a traditional place of work can improve your creativity. It is said that Einstein hatched his famous theory of relativity not in the lab, but lying on his back in a field, observing the stars and letting his mind wander. Of course, it may not be possible or acceptable to lie in a field during work hours, but any place that is separate from your normal workspace will do.

It is often the case that professionals can feel creatively restricted whilst surrounded by the familiar psychological baggage of their normal workspace, so if you have a problem that needs a creative solution, why not take yourself and/or your team somewhere different and stimulating – you might be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Turn restrictions into creative challenges
An advertiser once famously said “Give me the freedom of a tight brief”, and in doing so highlighted an aspect of creativity that seems contradictory at first. How can someone be expected to think freely if they have all the restrictions of a brief to contend with?

The answer is that the restrictions actually inform the creative process and give it necessary parameters. The ability to think freely in a confined space leads to innovation, as the restrictions provide the necessary traction to kick your ideas against.

You get out what you put in
Creative individuals generally have a few things in common with each other, but one of the most common aspects that they tend to share is a genuine interest in life itself. Often, it is their very curiosity about the world around them, and their ability to ask questions about it that underpins their creative thinking. People that ask lots of questions tend to learn more quickly and intuitively than their less questioning counterparts, and therefore can use this extra knowledge and thought processes creatively.

The point at which creativity and reality meet
A lot of the above points relate to the individual creative abilities you might possess or wish to develop in order that you might shed fresh perspectives on your own work. Within any company there is the facility to be creative, although some celebrate this ability more than others, and it is important to keep your ideas rooted in a realistic appraisal of what is required.

Often in a brainstorm situation, you will enter into a two-stage process whereby you have the opportunity to suggest any ideas, no matter how outlandish, and then go through a process of rationalisation with these ideas to see which ones could actually work. This is a crucial part of the creative process, and it is worth working your own internal creative process to ensure both free thinking and critical application of these ideas in the real world.

Spread the word
Now that you have embarked on a journey towards greater creative application, and started to enjoy the experience, perhaps it might be time to get some of your other colleagues involved?

As long as your creative powers are put to good use, and produce clear benefits, in the workplace, your company should support the idea of a more creative workforce. With this in mind, why not organise a few creative brainstorming sessions within your business, and try and get everyone thinking creatively about the most pressing commercial challenges that your company faces?

The creative process is something that will add considerable value to you and your business, not just in terms of productivity, performance and competitive edge, but also as a tool for stretching yourself and colleagues, and increasing morale as you work together towards a common focus. A well-structured creative process creates opportunities for individual recognition and collective ownership of ideas, and these are essentials for success in any economic climate.

The ability to create genuine leaders within your workforce is something that will add considerable value to your business, both now and in the future. Strong leadership is critical to business development, at times being the essential difference between your business and those of your competitors. Leadership ensures clarity of focus and direction where your business needs it most, and you might also find that true leadership can flourish in the most unlikely of places. Below are some tips on how to find and develop the leaders within your company.

Nature or nurture?
For centuries, it has been fairly common practice to suggest that effective leaders were born rather than progressively developed. Much of the thinking that informed this view was challenged in the 60’s, not just by the business community, but also within other institutions, such as the Officer Training Programme at Sandhurst. People began to wake up to the fact that it was experience, and the different ways that people processed this experience that marked them out as a leader, rather than any inherent abilities from birth. It is important to bear this in mind, because it effectively means that, given the right conditions, anyone can be an effective leader.

Interviews and assessments
If you are serious about finding and developing leaders within your organisation, then this process must start at the very point of recruitment and continue throughout the duration of the employee’s time with you. If you use an effective recruitment consultancy, preferably one that specialises in your industry, they should be able to guide you in this respect, informing you of whether candidates have shown previous leadership potential and their prospects for the future.

Leadership is for everyone
One of the most common and expensive errors committed by businesses is to focus leadership development solely on more senior management personnel. In taking this approach, a purely ‘trickle down’ concept of leadership may emerge, and many valuable individuals may be overlooked. Managers can ignore team leaders, for example, and any others within the organization that may respond well to fresh responsibilities.

Leadership is a state of mind that combines initiative, responsibility and experience, and is not necessarily correlated directly to the people presently in positions of authority, so look carefully amongst your teams and encourage it wherever you find it.

Develop a strategy
Unless you are very fortunate, much of the leadership potential that lies within your team members may be undeveloped, and it is often helpful to develop a strategy to bring these qualities to fruition. This is not a short term fix, but rather more a philosophy that permeates many of the UK’s most innovative companies, and the institution of a strategy today will certainly have a positive impact on the team members of tomorrow. Your strategy must be clear on the distinction between leaders and managers, as both have a role to play, but must also contain a coherent plan to develop and nurture the leaders amongst you.

Training
Any strategy that aims to develop leadership qualities within individuals and teams should include a programme of internal and/or external training. All training costs your company both time and money, so try and ensure that your leadership training courses are well focused and fit in with your company’s overall strategy and ethos. The training should have a practical focus, and allow its students the ability to flag up and deal with any leadership challenges that they have experienced.

Career development
Essential training elements aside, leaders can only truly develop by gaining actual experience of leading itself, as there is no substitute for first hand knowledge. As a company, the most you can do in this respect is give individuals the opportunity to lead and see how they perform. These opportunities must be realistic, yet challenging enough for the individual concerned to feel stretched by the experience. Give an individual the right opportunities to lead within your company at the right time, and you will reap the benefits.

Each one teach one
It is true to say that virtually all great leaders in any field are also great teachers, as the two skills are often closely aligned. It is therefore a good idea to try and engage proven leaders within your company within a process of training, teaching or mentoring, as this will help spread the influence of current leaders, in addition to creating new ones. A virtuous cycle can be created where individuals begin to take positive new initiative regarding their own performance, guided by more experienced practitioners.

Cultural conquests
Good leadership is not just about taking bold steps towards a brighter commercial future: it is also about humility, hard work and respect. At Sandhurst, the officer’s motto is ‘Serve To Lead’, indicating that all individuals are responsible, regardless of seniority, for the collective progress of the group. Without respect from their peers, the ideas of leaders are nothing. Infuse a culture of finding and developing leaders at your business, and you may find that the overall impact on company culture, morale and performance can be striking.

October’s Temp of the Month goes to……Alexandra Coughlin.

Alex is a bright, enthusiastic and pro-active candidate who is always reliable and makes a great impression wherever she goes!

Alex graduated from De Montfort University this year with a BA Hons in Advertising and Marketing Communications, whilst working part-time in administrative roles. Since graduating, Alex has been temping to gain experience within the industry, and is currently at leading international online advertising agency, Advertising.com (now know as Platform-A) on Reception until December. Alex is a hard working, conscientious and down to earth person who would be an asset to any company. Well done Alex!!!

What our clients say:

Since Alex started temping at Advertising.Com (now known as Platform-A) she has been unbelievably brilliant at everything that has been thrown her way. She has supported various departments (Marketing and Facilities) within the company as well as handling the day-to-day reception duties and helping out with the launch of Platform-A. She is not only a hard working and enthusiastic person; she is also a delightful joy to work alongside!
Platform-A (formally Advertising.Com)

The Prize

Each Regan & Dean Temp Of The Month receives a £50 gift voucher, some flowers and a permanent entry into the temp ‘Hall of Fame’ on our website, accompanied by a photo and the client feedback that made their nomination so successful.

Nominate your Temp Of The Month Today!

Each month, Regan & Dean will assess the performance of each temp, using their reliability, punctuality and attitude, in direct conjunction with feedback from the client. The temp who we feel has made the most significant contribution to a client’s needs will be awarded the monthly prize in recognition of their achievements.

Any business can nominate their Regan & Dean temp for the award - it’s a simple process which is a great way of commending and saying ‘thank you’ for their work. Email thea@regananddean.com to nominate your Temp Of The Month today!