In the world of covid-19 it’s even more important to focus on your teams’ creativity with more intentionality (maybe to jargon a word – but the number of syllables shows the importance of creativity).
As a leader, here are some tips of things that have successfully fostered creativity:
- Create free time and space for your team:
Ask your teams to spend 20 per cent of their time on things they want to do – areas they are interested in pursuing. If not 20 per cent, how about 2 hours a week?
- Brainwriting
Give your teams time in meetings to brain write and share – it’s a great tool for equity in your meetings.
- Listen and connect
We say this a lot – but really listen – and ask questions of curiosity – you never know what may come out.
- Flip the constraints
When someone mentions a constraint or issue, can you flip it into a question – ‘How might we achieve the [insert the end-game] with our funding constraints?’
- Keep reflecting on the vision or goal
Make space for meetings where you and your team reflect on your visions and goals. Encourage your team to share their ideas of the future - it doesn’t have to be every meeting, but it will build.
What are your ways of fostering creativity?
What works for you?
There is a huge amount of uncertainty in the aid sector right now. We need to help empower our teams and refresh our approach to making change happen. Our course, Unleashing your inner leader, covers empathy, coaching, worldviews, decision-making in uncertainty, prioritisation and networking. The course begins on 11th January 2021. Book before 1 December 2020 and receive a 20% refund after purchasing. Learn to lead from wherever you are.