Five ways to inspire creativity within a hybrid workplace

When we don’t handle it carefully, the hybrid working environment can have us feeling like we are just checking off the boxes – rather than being our most creative and innovative selves. But, that does not have to be how the creative cookie crumbles. Instead, with some extra Tender Loving Coaching, you can encourage your employees to think beyond the work-from-home box and bear the incredible fruit of freed-up imagination. 

How can leaders inspire their team members to innovate when they’re not in the office?

I previously explored some of the ways we can lead and work more effectively when we’re not face-to-face. Now, let’s dig a little deeper into positive work-from-home and hybrid practices to look at how we can create here, there and everywhere. The following as some powerhouse ways to promote your employees to put their inventive caps on and create the kind of ideas worth seizing and setting into action. 

1. Carve out dedicated space for creativity. We are such a task-oriented society. We thrive on the ticking off to-do’s. While this is not a bad thing per say, what it does is relegate the nice-to-haves (but not considered necessary) tasks into the never pile. If you do not encourage your team members to take time to create, it will continually get pushed off until absolutely everything else is done. And, let’s be real, is everything ever actually done? 

So, whether it’s #GetWeirdWednesdays or #ThoughtfulThursdays, by setting aside some unofficial official time to create, you will make it the most fun to-do on your team’s list a more pressing priority. 

2. Create a culture of authentic self-reflection. In keeping with our worker bee type mindset, we are often charging towards complete without ever really taking time to look back on what we’ve accomplished. Leaders need to communicate with their team members about the importance of self-reflection. Make it clear this is not a practice of review for formal professional evaluation, but rather, a few moments each day to decide if we put our best thinking into something or just put it on the satisfactory shelf. 

You can create templates that will support this endeavour so team members can pull out key takeaways for problem solving and opportunity seeking for the next set of initiatives they encounter. Hindsight is 20/20 so they should be able to see how a more creative solution may have supported better outcomes and feel confident applying that fun new strategy next time.

3. Eradicate a fear of failure or you will fail to encourage creativity. No one – and I mean no want – wants to fail or, worse still, feel stupid. If your leadership team is not willing to fall on their faces (and laugh about it) in front of their employees, your teams will not truly feel safe in putting forward “out there” ideas. 

You can make this a game all about coming up with the most outlandish ways to address complex issues or engage in imaginative professional development scenarios where it’s no risk and all reward. Either way, the point is to prove to your team they have absolutely nothing to fear when they demonstrate the courage to create.

4. You cannot dive into diverse thinking when you’re swimming in a homogenous pool. One sure fire way to enhance the creativity in your organization is to mix up the thinking caps who are contributing to your thought pool. Authentic diversity is proven to increase innovation,  so if you look around your board room and everyone is bringing forth similar shared experiences, it’s time to shake up your hiring process. 

Analyze why you continue to hire the same thinkers and, if necessary, work with a consultant who specializes in elevating monochromatic workplaces into beautiful, productive mosaics.  

5. Near or far, make your creative spaces funky. Creativity breeds creativity. If your employees are stuck looking at four grey walls eight hours a day, they are less likely to feel inspired to inspire. If you are supporting a hybrid model of work, ensure your office has a designated space for thinking or, if desired and possible, interweave artistry throughout the entire building. Perhaps also consider carving out a little space in your budget to empower employees to beautify their home offices so their funky creativity stays fresh wherever they are.

Creativity is not a cost to your organization, it’s an investment 

If you feel like your organization is in a rut, it probably is. If every time you produce a new initiative, it looks like a slightly different shade of the previous year’s product, it’s likely time to look at how actively your business is engaging with the left side of the brain. Fear not: just because your creativity has fizzled a little, does not mean you can’t come back swinging with bigger, bolder innovations than ever before.

Sometimes, you just need a little whacky weirdness to get back on the visionary wagon. Luckily, I have spent several decades proudly cultivating an unabashed quirkiness I would love to share with your team. If you want to inject a little imagination into your organization, let’s chat about the best ways to go about it. Reach out to Ripple Leadership today and let’s make some waves.

Janic