The Magic Key to Tapping Creativity

Have you ever considered the idea of letting your employ­ees take charge of doing a job the way the way they think it should be done?

Let them put their creative talents to work. Most people use only a fraction of their potential brain power. Why not give your employees a chance to use more of theirs?

Avoid the philosophy, “We’ve done it this way for years, so why change a good thing?” That’s “dead end” thinking and often leads to frustration and complacency.

With a reasonable amount of structure, your employees should be able to use their creative talents quite well. Of course, you will have to be somewhat flexible, and from time to time live with a few mistakes, but the increased productivity can be worth it.

The key here is good communication. Ask your small business employees to share the idea with you before they try using it. Ask your other employees what they think of the idea. If it sounds like it has some real potential, try it.

What if we had stubbornly resisted Thomas Edison and his idea of the electric light bulb? Why, we would all be sitting around watching television in the dark! All kidding aside, many times our employees will figure out a better way to do the job than it has been done in the past.

Giving your employees the freedom to do the job as they think it should be done communicates your trust in them. People in general like to be trusted. It bolsters their self-confidence. Trusting and believing in your employees allows them to believe in themselves. Remember, when you concentrate on building your people, you will build your small business.

1. In which jobs can you allow your employees to use their creative talents?

2. How could your customers benefit by your employees’ abil­ity to creatively handle their jobs?

– Tom