Creativity: Become a Broker of Possibility and Hope

A lot has been written over the years about creativity.  People who market professional services are thought to be creative.  Creativity is expected, if you want to enter this business.  What do you know about creativity?

Many think it is simply a right brain condition where creative people have strengths while left brain folks are better suited for the technical, numbers and details of the industry.  Viewing creativity as solely the realm of one side of the brain limits ideas and possibilities. It fails to respect how creativity impacts science and rational thinking. Creativity comes from an assortment of traditional and non-traditional sources.

Are you a broker of possibility and hope? 

If not, you need to look at your creativity in the context of emotional intelligence. The chart shows how both sides of the brain come into play. The quadrants of emotional intelligence include: Self-Awareness, Social-Awareness, Relationship Management and Self-Management.  Understanding each of these will enable you to unleash your inner and sometimes hidden creative forces.

You might be asking yourself how creativity comes into play with your relationships.  Vision, influence and leadership drive creativity to support your relationships. 
Have you gotten tired of people saying, “Think outside the box?”  The creative marketing professional doesn’t think outside the box, they create a new box.   Marketers don’t like to play on a level playing field.  They are under constant pressure to create a competitive advantage.  If they believe they are on a level playing field, they will look like Notre Dame against a larger Alabama team in the National Championship game.   The services that your firm delivers to clients are like hundreds of others.  How do you make yourself and your firm memorable to clients?  The internet has made it easy for clients to assess the capabilities of firms they want to do business with.   In an industry that considers sales a dirty word, the word creativity brings on images of crazy, outrageous, and unwise.  Therefore, your creativity must be tempered by your flexibility and adaptability.  Management realizes that traditional marketing and the status quo no longer build business.  A change agent must be a leader first. 

 Think about what these people had to say about creativity:

“A truly creative person rids him or herself of all self-imposed limitations.”
Gerald G. Jampolsky

“Creativity is a highfalutin word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday.”
Ray Kroc

“Creation is a drug I can't do without.”
Cecil B. De Mille

It is interesting that the movie make, De Mille, and the entrepreneur, Kroc founder of McDonalds, both viewed creativity as essential for their work.  You should feel the same way.

Six Myths Of Creativity

A groundbreaking study about innovation in the workplace uncovered six myths of creativity. The study, conducted by Teresa Amabile, a professor and head of the entrepreneurial management unit at Harvard Business School, was summarized in a December 2004 article, "The 6 Myths of Creativity," published in Fast Company magazine. Here is what she found:

• Creativity comes from creative types: The reality is that anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing some degree of creative work.

• Money is a creativity motivator: The reality is that money isn't everything.

• Time pressure fuels creativity: The reality is that time pressure stifles creativity because people can't deeply engage with the problem.

• Fear forces breakthroughs: The reality is that creativity is positively associated with joy and love, and negatively is associated with anger, fear and anxiety.

• Competition beats collaboration: The reality is that the most creative teams are those that have the confidence to share and debate ideas.

• A streamlined organization is a creative organization: The reality is that creativity suffers greatly during a downsizing.

How do these findings relate to the conditions in your firm?

You now know that both sides of the brain are important in the creative process.  Do you ever believe something in your gut but are afraid to offer the idea or proceed?  Intuition is one of the strongest ways to deliver your creative process.  There are other things to consider, if maximizing your inherent creativity is a goal in your career path.  Don’t second guess yourself or live in the pit of self-doubt.  Accept criticism but don’t accept it as an absolute. Observe and learn from your mistakes.  Become a risk taker. 

Break free from the naysayers, external constraints, internal biases and fear of reprisals or consequences.  Your curiosity should compel you to ask questions.  Marketers who are afraid to ask questions continue to play on a level playing field.   We are all solution providers and are, to one extent or another, creative people.  If you are having problems with this, stop asking “why” and start asking “why not.” 

You will be well prepared to become a broker of possibility and hope. 

 

 

6 Big Ideas for Marketing Services Professionals

1. Mirror , mirror on the wall, who is the Best Marketer of them all?

It is a funny thing about mirrors.  What you see is what you get.  What does your reflection tell you about your skills as a marketing services professional?   When Michael Jordan was winning championships for the Chicago Bulls, a reporter asked him whether he thought he was the best player in the league.  His response might help you understand your reflection.  He replied, “I don’t think I am better than the other players and I don’t think any player is better than me.”  Humility is  not always recognized as a strong suit for a superstar.  Everyone working with a team needs to know when to be humble.  If you have a problem with that, try the Jordan rules.

2. What are your limitations? 

Everyone has had the opportunity to take a personality test like Meyers Briggs or DISC.  The question every professional has to answer is whether you need to strengthen your weaknesses or build upon your strengths.  I like the idea of building on strengths. However, just as Clint Eastwood philosophized in the “Dirty Harry” movies, “A man’s got to realize his limitations,” resourceful  professionals realize that sometimes it makes sense to look for ways to strengthen weaknesses.  You might try self-taught programs and reading industry books.  Some people rely on a coach.  Others look for courses that cover the areas where improvement is needed.  The point is to do something , create a plan and track your progress.

3. Are men better listeners than women? 
Some studies would indicate they are not.  Yet, listening sets the tone for relationships and emotional connection. It allows empathy and creates interpersonal bonds. Successful people don’t master speaking but rather listening.  Has your success trajectory hit a brick wall? Listening skills might be what is holding you back.

True listening is more than an auditory process. It takes in all senses especially those involving hearing and observation. As a communication process, it commands about 45% of a marketing professional’s time.  Information is key to performance. Without listening, you can’t gather information.  Think about how quick your brain responds to listening.  People speak at about 125-250 words per minute. Hearing is faster at about 350 to 500 words per minute but processing and analyzing  what has been taken in is faster still at 800 to 3000 words per minute.  Studies show that more than 35 percent of businesses think listening is a top skill for success. Yet, less than 2% of people have had formal education with listening.

If improved listening skills could increase your success rate with clients, what would that be worth to you and your firm?

4.  Keep Your Credibility
I hear complaints all the time about people who don’t show up to appointments, are late for meetings, abandon projects, don’t respond to emails and phone calls as promised, and don’t honor commitments. These bad habits destroy credibility and trust.

Credibility can be lost in a blink of an eye and it can take weeks, months and even years to regain it.

Here are 5 easy practices that will greatly increase your credibility and trustworthiness.

1. Do what you say
2. Finish what you start
3. Be on time
4. Be polite and treat people with respect – say please and thank you
5. When you make a mistake, admit it right away and fix it right away

Amazing things can happen to your career when you follow these simple steps.

5.  Are you a Sun Tsu marketer? 

Is there anything professional services marketers can learn from The Art of War?  If you believe you are in a war against your competitors, the economy, regulations,  or company resources, there is a lot to learn from Sun Tsu.   Here is a taste of what you will learn, “To make yourself invulnerable to defeat lies in your own hands, but the enemy himself must provide you with the opportunity to defeat him.”

6. Make video part of your marketing strategy?  

Are you and your firm in the video age?  Industry professionals are starting to grasp the advantage that video provides in presentations and on websites.  If you haven’t made the transition, here are a couple of easy steps to get you going.    

Create sharable content.  Videos are shared when they educate or entertain.  It is often a good thing to do both.  Since YouTube is the second largest web search engine, use keywords.  Put keywords in Title Tag, Video Description, Category Listing, Keyword Tags, Subtitles, and Captions. 
Share socially on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.  Measure the results using Google Analytics.