With Ramadan now behind us and businesses ‘back to normal’, it is a good time to think about using the right hand side of our brain and to start being creative.
In times of a recession, we need to utilise our latent abilities. Now, it is of even greater importance to fully utilise the skills that we have. You might have decided to cut back on staff benefits that may be seen as not being directly related to sales – but that would be a mistake. This is the time to motivate and inspire everyone within the organisation to ensure that all are working as a team.
Many feel disillusioned when there are staff cuts backs and fewer contracts. As a manager, you may experience pressure, yourself, and may also be feeling demoralised. If so, this is the moment to summon up all of your reserves and dip into your individual ‘creativity box.’
So where can this be found? The answer is that we all have reserves of mental strength that are often unused although some will have to work harder than others in order to counteract feelings of stress and anxiety.
For some, every day is a new opportunity. For others, it is just another 24 hours of trying to resolve our personal problems. We are all different. However, it is usually not that our inner reserves are finished but because for a short time, they become inaccessible and it is then that we may need an external coach or counsellor to help us regain our confidence; to think clearly and to be able to focus on the challenges that face us. Like a digital camera, when we are able to focus correctly, the picture suddenly becomes clear.
Achieving Success in a Recession
So what can industry do at this challenging time when recessionary pressures need to be managed effectively? We need imaginative strategies to create a ‘creative culture’, although I fully appreciate that HR budgets are under pressure and the supply of resources is limited.
But, in times of adversity, those who can access and use their hidden strengths will survive whilst those who fail will fall at the first hurdle. That means that YOU need to be a survivor!
Here are my 3 Top Tips for Personal Creativity
1. Look at situations with a fresh perspective
Don’t accept the old way of doing things. Sometimes you have to ‘let go’ of the past in order to bring in the future. But ‘letting-go’ of the past is not necessarily easy and you may need some help along the way to recognise and agree to new ideas.
2. Question assumptions
We are often too lazy when it comes to challenging assumptions. We need to challenge them and not to accept them without query. Ask the question! At one time, it was thought that no-one would pay more than AED5 for a cup of coffee. However, thanks to Howard Schutz and his Starbucks chain, customers will pay over AED15 for a latte. Always query that which is held out to be fact!
3. Nurture new ideas
Ask your team to be creative and make sure they are integral to the process. A new idea needs to be nurtured and supported if it is going to survive and we need to invite and encourage new ways that can improve productivity and/or morale.
So what ideas are you putting into practice, post Ramadan? Why not share them here? Do leave your comment in the blog – we would love to hear from you.
[Reprinted with the kind permission of Gulf News]
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