“To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play and the childlike desire for recognition.”
~ Albert Einstein
Growth – an ever-evolving and continuous process – is an outcome of a successful innovation. As a thing of creativity evolves from an Idea, the organization should welcome new ideas and suggestions.
The CEO should invite and appreciate the participation of everyone – from top to bottom in the hierarchy – throughout the organization when it comes to innovating and implementing practices to accomplish the organization's goals.
There should be a system in the organization to support and facilitate idea creation as well as encourage employees to come up with something new and productive.
Check out these business tips for a CEO to help him promote creative thinking and idea generation within the organization.
Create and foster an environment that nourishes creativity
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”
Mary Lou Cook
Develop an environment in the organization where everyone is allowed to voice his opinion. Fear is the major deterrent in the creation of an innovative culture. Individuals that act on their own in an organization bring out the best innovations.
Make sure your innovation driving programs are not rigid. It is the "self-organizing" creativity, rather than the "command and control" that makes innovation the “RULE” not the “EXCEPTION”.
Brainstorming – Evolving Innovation
The brainstorming exercise empowers you to deal with a business challenge, dilemma, issue or opportunity effectively.
Conduct brainstorming sessions and meetings more frequently in your organization. To set higher standards and practices in brainstorming exercises, you can take advantage of the services of reputed CEO peer groups.
Consider establishing an Innovation Team
Establishing an innovation team will drive the company's effort to encourage creativity at the executive level. Set specialized, compelling goals for people across functions. A diversity of thoughts and imagination spark innovation.
The innovation team can implement a user-friendly idea management software package for your intranet where every individual across different functions can post and share ideas.
It should be the responsibility of the management to timely review, assess, select, implement and reward the deserving ideas. CEO Clubs advocate the creation of innovation teams to promote creative thinking in an organization.
Embrace and celebrate failure
“It took Edison over 2 years of failed attempts, 3,000 different theories and the testing of 6,000 types of fiber for a carbon filament that finally lead him to a carbonized cotton thread which burned for 15 hours.”
Every successful innovation is the result of a series of failed attempts. Failure is an obvious outcome of efforts, and it should be embraced and celebrated with equal enthusiasm as for success because it takes you one step closer to success.
Otherwise it would be difficult for you to carry on with your innovation. It is the responsibility of the CEO to cheer and boost the confidence of his associates even after a failed attempt.
Involve as many people as you can
The success of an organization stands on the endeavors of each and every individual working in it. Every employee possesses a unique set of skills and expertise that makes it important for a CEO to try and involve as many people as possible while inviting ideas to develop an innovation-based company.
You can also get vital guidance at CEO associations where stalwarts from non-competitive business come together under one roof to share their experiences. Executive team coaching is a great option when it comes to seeking business related assistance.
Tom Bordon is a freelance writer who writes about CEO club and, CEO conferences . His articles focus on guiding CEOs, COOs on how to manage their time efficiently and make new business plans, and strategies in a CEO association or CEO association CEO peer group.