From Karaoke Night to the Conference Room
When we hear the word “creativity,” many of us will think of musicians, painters, writers, and similar jobs while claiming “I’m not creative, I can’t do that.” Here at Unbound, one of our goals is to demonstrate that everyone has creativity, and with a little bit of exercise, they can develop the creative confidence to bring innovation to their organization.
The members of the UNBOUND team read a book called Creative Confidence. This book emphasizes that everyone has the potential to innovate and find solutions to problems, but we are often hesitant to share our ideas for fear of judgment.
To understand creative confidence, imagine a karaoke night. Even someone with an amazing voice may be nervous to go up and sing for fear of judgment. However, once one person does a song, others will feel more comfortable singing, and appreciation and camaraderie will develop throughout the crowd, creating an environment that encourages even the most reluctant of singers.
Creative Confidence calls this “Karaoke Confidence,” but we should find a way to bring this confidence into board rooms and team meetings. Employees should trust and value their teams, when ideas are shared the team should avoid harsh judgment and criticisms, workplaces should avoid hierarchies, and team members should build on the energy and ideas of others.
We have seen this transformation take place in a 75-minute workshop. At first, members of Unbound have to push to get ideas flowing, but once the first few thoughts are written down, the participants are sharing ideas and possibilities freely. They are communicating without fear of being judged, and by the end when they present, they have clearly established a sense of comradery around this new idea. When we do these workshops for college classes, the confidence the students develop while participating makes them more open to communicating with each other, even after the workshop’s conclusion.
When employees suggest ways to improve their organization, they are committed to the mission and have taken a leap of faith with their creative confidence. This creates a culture in the organization where ideas flow freely. We see the best innovation occurring when people of many backgrounds and perspectives ideate improvements and are confident to share them.
