Inspiring Innovation

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.”
William Arthur Ward

Another week is coming to a close. Your organization or company is on track and your employees did a great job, but . . . you have this nagging feeling that you’re missing something important – it seems like that extra spark is missing. Has creative streak taken a back seat? Here are some tips to put innovation back behind the wheel.

Communicate your desire for new ideas. From entry level to top level, let your employees know that you welcome creativity. If someone has an idea that shows potential, let him/her run with it. Sure, you may experience a few bombs, but the winners will outweigh the failures and the failures still provide lessons for the learning.

Promote a fun work environment. Take a 15-minute break for an impromptu inter-departmental relay. Schedule once-a-month carry-in lunches and extend the lunch hour. Sponsor a quarterly drawing for door prizes. Employees who enjoy their work are far more likely to engage, which in turns ignites the creative juices.

Create connections between employees. When longstanding employees mentor the newcomers, it creates company bonding and builds a sense of team. When people “belong’ they feel freer to share new ideas, which sparks more new ideas, which sparks more new ideas, which sparks . . .

Set aside time for dreaming. Designate a portion of the workweek for brainstorming – no hold barred. Encourage your employees to keep a note pad to jot ideas that pop into their mind when they are busy with an important task – that way the idea will be there waiting when the must do’s are finished. This encourages mindfulness to the task without stifling creativity.

Encourage collaboration. Foster a focus on teamwork – innovation is empowered when an idea bounces around from employee to employee, gaining a multiple-pronged perspective.

Celebrate the winners. When an idea takes off and brings great results, throw an office party. Give credit where credit is due. Don’t forget a personal thank you to key players. Show your thanks and appreciation for an innovative spirit in tangible ways.

Take time for feedback. Discuss the crashes. When an idea blows up, talk openly about what went wrong and what can be changed for the future. Once again, thank your employees for their efforts and their creative desires. How you respond to the ideas that went wrong will determine how many new winning ideas emerge.

Success isn’t just about the bottom-line. It’s about creating and maintaining a work environment that engages employees and inspires fun, creative innovation, which in turn ignites . . . that bottom line.

Springborn Staffing is a great choice for Bangor and Portland, Maine companies who inspire innovation. We connect them with employees who thrive on creativity. Contact us today and we’ll find you the best match for all your employment needs.

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