Change Agents Must be Bold

Executive Summary:

Change initiatives often come more from vision and desire, than from a solid plan.  Change agents, either organizational leaders or selected agents of the vision, must act boldly in the absence of detailed planning.

The Rest of the Story:

Though it is very common for business initiatives that drive change in business culture or direction to lack detailed planning, I find it difficult to concisely explain the phenomenon.  There seem to be a great number of reasons for it, and many of them show up all at once inside of any given organization.

Here are a few.

• Leaders don’t always know how to plan a behavioral or cultural change
• Leaders hire or assign experts, but that expertise is geared more toward technical know-how than change management
• We know what we want, but the path from A to B is not always clear
• Changing organization structure and metrics is relatively easy, but performance comes from changing behavior, which is hard
• Most of us have never been trained how to plan performance change through changing behavior
• Leaders engage consultants to advise, but consultants don’t intimately know or understand the business culture
• Sometimes we don’t realize that we need to change in order to improve, so we don’t plan on it occurring

I’m sure that with the above food for thought, the reader can add his or her own insights to the list.  The bottom line is that when we drive an initiative to improve business performance, something must change.  Our leaders expect and demand the change, but we often don’t have the benefit of a plan for how that change will occur.

Agents of the internal business change can represent a wide variety of roles.  We can be the executive leader, middle managers tasked to make it happen, or we can be individual contributors tapped on the shoulder to exercise our skills and influence to facilitate the change.

Not one of the roles mentioned is truly positioned to build a detailed change plan alone.  The executive is often too far removed from actual challenges and behavior to build an insightful plan.  Middle managers are stuck asking for permission and managing multiple authorities and expectations.  Individual contributors have no real authority at all.

So, as change agents in any of these roles, or any other, what are we to do?  I suggest two courses of action to take.  Both of them require boldness and initiative and a great deal of interpersonal influence. (Don’t worry; the simple fact that you were chosen implies that you have lots of each.)

First, work with your organizational leaders and contributors to identify holes in the current plan and begin filling them.  I know that it sounds obvious, but because of uncertainty on all fronts about what to do, we often don’t feel comfortable doing it.  Our impulse is to wait for instructions or to pray for inspiration.

Be bold.  Be courageous.  Be understanding.  Understand that the reason we don’t have the direction we would like is probably because those around us are just as uncertain about what is required as are we.  Approach them humbly and with a plan.

It does no good to point out problems and stand and wait for solutions.  Chances are, if we are the first to see the problem, then we understand it or feel it more than anyone else.  Therefore, we are probably the most qualified to propose a solution.  Do so. 

While we are waiting for others in the organization to catch up to meeting our needs for direction, or to digest our proposals for how to fill in the planning gaps, we can’t just twiddle our thumbs.  We are still trying to drive a change and momentum is vital.  We can’t pause.

Therefore, the second thing we must do is build our own plans.  By all means get insight and advice from peers, internal customers, leaders, and most of all from your own experience.  In a directional vacuum, build your own directions.  Then communicate that direction aggressively.

Chances are we have been told what is desired.  Probably, we have been given some interpretation of our personal responsibility for that desired outcome.  What we are likely lacking is a clear explanation of our authority, the tools or methods we can use, clarity of how resources or personnel will be made available or will cooperate, or what tactical strategy or priorities we should act upon.  Does that sound familiar?

As the first suggestion implies, don’t wait for those gaps to fill in, ask.  When no clear answers are forthcoming, make up your own answers.  Be bold.  Be courageous.  Be forthright with your answers and communicate your plan to everyone in your immediate circle of influence:  your leader, teammates, collaborators, and internal customers.

Here is an example of exercising both suggestions.  “Agent Q” is a contributor without direct reports, is tasked with improving certain business metrics.  That is the extent of the direction provided.  Where should Agent Q begin?

Agent Q’s first frustration is that the business metric itself is not clear.  Different leaders seem to interpret it differently.  So Agent Q gathers an understanding from the various leaders and diagrams them for a consultation with his direct leader.  In that consultation he demonstrates the confusion and, therefore, the challenge and proposes the simplest calculation of the metric to be the standard.

Agent Q’s manager agrees to help and provides his own insight to the metric and who to approach first among the executive leaders to establish the standard.  While that negotiation is going on, at least Agent Q and his manager are on the same page about the metric.  While it may still change, Agent Q is not prohibited by confusion from proceeding, and personal risk has been mitigated.

Next, Agent Q faces the dilemma of executing something to make some changes and some progress toward the metric.  A number of managers have thrown out suggestions, but no clear priority exists, and no resolution or starting place has been dictated.  Agent Q must decide for himself.

He knows that he must explain and support his decision.  He makes a tool.  He establishes his own means of listing the various projects identified and sorting them according to a reasonable measure of their probable impact to the business metric.  Then he gathers a little data and quickly ranks the projects.

With a means available to rank projects according to value, Agent Q uses that to interrogate the business and it’s systems.  By investigating the causes for the metric and current performance, he comes up with his own set of potential projects to improve business performance and adds them to the list.

Now, he goes back to his boss and shares his insights.  The work done is not weeks or months of work, it’s hours or a couple of days; just enough to sketch out a proposed plan.  Agent Q’s manager provides some additional insight and even provides some direction.  The picture Agent Q was able to present inspires the manager’s sudden decisions and direction.

Agent Q now has some direction and priority agreed upon by he and his manager, and probably by higher-level committees once the prioritization is shared and explained.  So, with the metric clarified, priority established, and some assignments made, Agent Q is ready to engage.  Unfortunately, no one has thought that far either.

When Agent Q goes to the process owners he must engage to make the improvements at the top of his priority, how will they react, and how can he count on their cooperation?  The good news is that the clear metric and explanation of how the project will improve the metric should go a long way toward opening the door.  If that doesn’t work, Agent Q will need to work the management chain for assistance.  Again, the clarity of metrics and priority should help that process too.

In the face of, more-or-less, telling the management chain above him what he needed, or what must be done to facilitate his success, Agent Q is not the least daunted by the fact that no standardization exists for the tools or methods his training compels him to use to solve the problems and execute his projects.  He simply begins by experimenting, sharing with his peers, and eventually the group settles on some best practices.

Life as a change agent is certainly more complicated, at lease in dialogue, than the example above.  However, the reality of what needs to happen and what can and does happen is relatively simple.

Change agents, for many, many reasons, often do not have the luxury of a detailed plan for success.  Sometimes all we have are a vague vision, some technical training, and a deadline.  When we don’t have the direction, priority, resources, or agreement we need to proceed successfully, we must create our own.  There’s no whining in leading change (we get enough of that from those who resist). 

Be bold.  Tell your leadership what you need.  Propose plans and courses of action if you aren’t dictated some.  Share your insights unreservedly.  Don’t wait; master your fate.  Exercise your interpersonal influence to the greatest degree.  After all, your influence is probably what landed you the role.

Stay wise, friends.

Leading Change, Changing Beliefs

Executive Summary:

What we believe greatly influences our decisions and our behavior.  Beliefs can drive us to resist or enable us to accept.  If you are trying to drive change in an organization, consider how to manage everyone’s beliefs to enable the change.

The Rest of the Story:

Beliefs are things that we accept to be true.  I say, “accept” because what we believe does not necessarily need to be proven, or even provable, they just need to fit within our personal realm of experience.  They are also very, very powerful motivators.

People go to war over beliefs.  Given that, should it be any wonder that peoples’ beliefs about their business, their teams, their leaders, or the changes we are trying to implement can be powerful forces?  If we are going to succeed with driving change, particularly if change includes an alteration of habit or behavior, we must somehow deal with peoples’ beliefs.

Here are some examples of beliefs that can greatly affect our ability to drive change.

• “If I pretend to play along, it will all go away soon enough and I can return to doing things the way I always have.”
• “These guys don’t know what they are doing.”
• “This new change won’t work.”
• “There isn’t any way to solve this problem, it’s too big, it has been around too long.”
• “I don’t trust you.”
• “These methods don’t really work.”
• “I know better than he does, and I don’t like what he wants to do.”
• “If I don’t cooperate, it will fail.”

Anyone who has tried to lead a significant change in process, procedure, or behavior has encountered most or all of these and more.  Perhaps the greatest threat to any change is the passive-aggressive behavior:  the behavior by which people appear to play along while consciously or not-consciously resisting or sabotaging the initiative.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard people either confess to the behavior or actively plan or try to recruit others to the behavior.  Naturally, because I’m often the recipient of such antagonism, I find it highly deplorable.  I also recognize that it is so typical that it must be natural to a degree.

The resistive behaviors, including the passive-aggressive ones, are driven by fear, discomfort that accompanies change, and by beliefs.  The key to managing the behaviors is to manage beliefs.  One very important lesson that I have learned is this.  Do not try to change another person’s beliefs.  Absolutely, do not try to convince another person that his or her beliefs are wrong.

Telling another person that his or her beliefs are wrong, or that they need to change, is a quick way to turn that person into an enemy.  Any cause for change already has more enemies than friends.  We don’t need to make more.  We also don’t need to waste our energy engaged in an argument that we can’t win.

Instead, it is better to seek first to understand our people’s beliefs, then challenge them to experiment with a new one.  Accept their beliefs and the fact that they have them.  Affirm them if possible.  Once we have made the effort to understand, we can then ask others to do the same.

Such a strategy offers several benefits.  By understanding our people’s beliefs it gives us a better perspective of their feeling and behaviors.  It enables us to approach them more wisely and address their concerns more effectively.  It also helps us to understand what cultural and historical obstacles we must overcome.

When we actively take the time to understand others’ beliefs and why they have developed them, we bring ourselves closer to our peers, subjects, or constituents.  It helps to dig deep and ask questions.

• “Why do you believe that?”
• “Is that a simplification, or is it really that black and white?”
• “Do you perceive any alternatives?”
• “Do you like it that way, or do you just think that is how it has to be?”

If we can go the final step and affirm their beliefs, or at least affirm their explanation for why they believe what they do, then we have just demonstrated a willingness to put ourselves in their shoes for just a short time.

When we have made the effort to understand, and to try to experience what another experiences, then we have earned the right to ask another to do the same.  Not only can we better address their concerns and discuss their beliefs, but we can also reasonably ask them to try to see things the way we do.  Also, we might learn something about our won plans in the process.  Remember, it’s not a ploy to negotiate; it’s a real opportunity to understand.

We don’t want to ask them to suddenly change what they believe.  We do, however, want to ask them to try what we believe.  There is a big difference. 

We believe that an alternative process, procedure, system, or behavior will make work life better for a great many people.  Ask those people to try it with you and see if it is so.  Don’t suggest that their existing beliefs are wrong.  Do suggest that they could try something new, genuinely try it, not passively-aggressively pretend, and then participate in determining how it might be genuinely improved.

Because beliefs are built upon our experiences, by experiencing a new way, we can begin to formulate beliefs about the new way that are post-experience derived instead of pre-experience supposed.  We must get our people to participate.  Then, if our changes are truly beneficial, and our people experience that benefit, they can begin to construct positive beliefs about the changes we propose, the methods by which we design those changes, and trust that our interests also serve theirs.

Beliefs are a powerful force.  Do not try to attack that force.  It will devour your initiative.  Instead, acknowledge it.  Try to understand it.  Then politely ask your people to try what you believe.  You will find that your change initiatives meet somewhat less resistance and that what remains is not insurmountable.

Stay wise, friends.

Design for Six Sigma the Wrong Way

Executive Summary:

The right way to use Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is to proactively mitigate or eliminate variation in product quality and performance and, by association, production processes.  The wrong way to use DFSS is to turn it into a rigid, inflexible product development checklist that forces every project to execute exactly the same tasks, every time.

The Rest of the Story:

The purpose of the Design for Six Sigma method is to proactively predict and minimize the variation in our products.  Particularly, we want to minimize variation in performance and quality.

When things vary we are inviting something to occur that is outside of acceptable norms.  Something will be too big, or too slow, or too weak, or too late, or too red, etc.  When that happens we must expend energy, time, resources, and money dealing with or correcting the fact that something was too something.

This recognition that variation is a root cause of unnecessary expense or cost or waste within a business is the philosophic principle behind the Six Sigma methodology and DFSS.  Six Sigma declares war on variation.  Design for Six Sigma is the battle plan for eliminating variation from our products.  Good.

As we institute Six Sigma and DFSS we naturally come to the realization that product development is a business process that experiences a great deal of variation, and also unnecessary expense because of those things that tend to vary out of control.  Naturally, we aim our Six Sigma and DFSS tools and methods and skills at that process and we fire away.  “Be gone thou wicked process variation!”

Our intent is good.  Our insight is good.  Unfortunately, our most common solution is poor.  Often, we make the mistake of turning our DFSS problem-solving framework into a product development process and checklist with a declaration that every project shall follow the process exactly the same way every time.  That should eliminate the variation, right?  Wrong!

Put your problem-solving expertise to work on that for a moment.  Where does the variation come from? 

There are two sources.

1. Variation in the various tasks and processes and behaviors that we engage to design and develop products
2. Variation in the scope and complexity and needs of each product development effort

If there is variation in our engineering change order process, or in our supplier selection process, or in how we establish and document our requirements, or how we organize our drawings and documentation, that variation will greatly impact our performance with regard to developing product designs.  Such variation, by all means should be reduced or eliminated and our ability to execute will improve.

However, no two product development projects should ever be the same.  They should always be different.  We should never expect to do the same project twice because every new product should be new and different from every other.

The scope, complexity, technology, expertise, people, time, resources, suppliers, and production processes for a new project will be and should be different from the other projects.  This kind of variation is good!

Now, let’s back up just a little.  How, by dictating that the DFSS method is now a process and associated checklist that, by policy, shall be followed the same way for every project, did we reduce or eliminate either of the two sources of variation we identified above?  We didn’t!

All we accomplished by establishing such rigidity is force every little, simple project to suddenly become a great big project.  Oops!  We don’t even know if we really put in the right details for our really great and complex projects to be done well.  Lastly, we just made everyone associated with product development really turned off about DFSS.  Does that sound right to anyone?  Am I the only one to have experienced this?

By all means, we should attack the sources of wasteful variation we identified.  We should absolutely apply our Six Sigma and DFSS expertise to reducing variation in how we execute engineering change orders, supplier selections, requirements identification and management, etc.  Doing so will definitely help.  But we must understand that these things will continue to vary because our project demands will always vary.

It’s OK.  Remember, it is good that our product development projects should vary in scope and complexity.  With that in mind, our DFSS execution should not be fixed and rigid, but should also vary.

Some projects will require designed experiments, some will not.  Some will need statistical sample sizes and new process capability studies from suppliers or new manufacturing processes, but some will not.  Remain vigilant and protect and promote the understanding that DFSS is a skill and a tool set to help us solve the problem of designing products that do not vary.  We use only the tools and methods we need, not all of them every time.

Take a good look at your own DFSS practice.  Did your organization get the right message, or did it make the common mistake?  Don’t be embarrassed to answer truthfully.  It’s happened to the best of us.  Recognize it and work your influence in your organization to help others recognize it and help you correct it.

If you have not instituted DFSS because you are afraid of stifling creativity or driving an overabundance of rigor, understand that it is not DFSS that creates what you fear.  It is how people and organizations institute it that creates what you fear.  Used properly, it is a powerful tool with excellent stimulus and tools for enabling and driving creativity and improved designs.  It is only when DFSS is used the wrong way that it becomes a burdensome roadblock to execution or innovation.

Stay wise, friends.

Beginning the Lean Journey

Executive Summary:

So you are just beginning your first venture into the realm of business and process improvement.  Read this post offered up by friend and colleague D.R. Callentine.  He describes his own experience and discovery as one just starting out.  His message is “right on the money.”

The Rest of the Story:

After a certain point of reading books, attending seminars, and even dipping the toe into the pool a few times, you will realize you just need to jump in and get started on your Lean journey.  The first thing you will find is that the flood of information, terms, forms, templates, software, books, tools, and every other form of product marketed to assist you on this bold excursion will have you swirling around and around as you attempt to understand, organize, and apply it to your business situation.  I feel your pain as I am caught up in this confusion as I write this. However, as with anytime we are lost and looking for direction, it helps to keep our eyes focused on one firmly anchored point, even if it's unclear if that point is our actual desired direction or destination.  Once firmly fixed in our sight, we can begin making progress and then evaluate and correct as we push forward.  In that same sense, it doesn't really matter whether you standardize on and embrace DMAIC, 6 sigma, 8Ds, A3, 5Ys, or any of the other methods a bunch of guys came up with ahead of you.  However, what is important is to realize that whether you embrace these items or create your own version, you will need to find a standard, common way to approach this process.  You can use their language or invent your own so long as everyone understands what is being said.  One thing to consider though: inventing your own language will require an interpreter should you need to converse with anyone outside your company or should anyone move to your company from another organization.

Let's get back to establishing that single fixed point to aim at.  There are so many whizzing by, how do you choose?  First let me say that most of these marketed items, though not intentionally, will make you feel as though there is something you still need to learn about basic problem solving, process mapping, or simplification.  Don't let that feeling gain a foothold and don't abandon your skills as a problem solver thinking there is something you lack.  Instead, I suggest focusing on a single, stationary point to help you navigate the maelstrom of information and helpful suggestions.  Many of the marketed solutions are so big and broad or complex that it is difficult to truly focus on them.  The point I propose is simple.  Though it seems small, it is prominent enough to see from a great distance and shines bright enough to penetrate the densest of hazes.  May I suggest you focus on this single statement: "Variation is the Enemy".

"Huh," you say?  How on earth does that help me make sense of all this stuff?  How do I organize and decide what things to buy, adapt, create, and learn to make meaningful progress?  Well, let's just look at all these tools and simply ask, "What is the problem all these things are trying to solve?" At first glance it might appear that they are all trying to solve different problems.  Some help you identify problems.  Some help measure.  Some are means of control or feedback or analysis or mapping or identifying waste.  Well, perhaps that is how they are to be used, but the fundamental problem they all, every last one of them, is trying to solve is this:  standardization.  They are all attempting to get you to standardize on a method for doing all these other great things.  They are an attempt to eliminate variation, the true enemy, as you engage in the battle against waste, problems, and defects.  It's not that any of these items do anything fundamentally different than what you instinctively already know how to do (though some will no doubt give you great new ideas such as statistical analysis or how to implement a control plan).  They all are simply trying to get you, and the others in your company, to go about it in the same way.  They are all selling a methodology for conforming to a process.

So, as you are trying to grab hold of the swirling mass of buzzwords, just remember, "Variation is the enemy".  Before you can streamline the messed up processes in your organization, before you can effectively identify and eliminate waste, you need to take just a few moments to establish the process by which you will do this.  What is the problem you are trying to solve?  The first one should be this: how do we as a company effectively and methodically identify and eliminate waste?  Like any problem, you follow a simple and methodical approach.  It may be slow, but it works every time.  Occasionally the problem and its solution will be obvious, but you will still want to capture it, measure it, and control it following some kind of standard.  So, keeping in mind that variation is the enemy, evaluate the various tools and approaches on how effectively they will satisfy this truth.  You might start by asking yourself, what is the biggest need I have in attacking this monster?  Do I need a sword or a shield, a horse and a falcon?  To evaluate the various tools, you might ask, “Is it easy to understand and use?  Will people have access to it?”  If people cannot find it, use it, or understand it, it is likely that this tool, no matter how good it might be, will not be effective in solving your problem (variation).  Having a $100,000 piece of software that few have access to and fewer still know how to properly use will only serve to add to your problems, not address them.

Start simple.  Focus on standardizing and eliminate the variation in your company.  Find simple, basic, understandable tools, or adapt them so they work for your situation.  There is no single tool that will work for everything, so keeping it simple to use and understand will make it all the more powerful as your company will easily embrace it and unconsciously begin the journey to eliminate variation and, ultimately, wasteful practices.

D.R.

Stay wise, friends.

Making Deposits to the Creativity Bank

Executive Summary:

Creativity is the power that enables invention, innovation, and good problem solving.  It often defines the success of our products, services, or business.  Take some time and give some serious thought to how you ensure your business has a solid pool of creative juices from which to draw.

The Rest of the Story:

Think for a moment about the products, services, business models, or businesses that you most admire.  Are any of them obvious, humdrum examples; or are they ingenious and different?  Creativity is a resource that those we most wish to emulate exercise in abundance or with authority.

What do you do for yourself or your business to develop your creative, problem-solving talent?  Have you considered the potential impact that creativity and creative people can have on your business?  If not, do so now and read a little further.

If we distill the challenges of business success down to a single, simple axiom, it might be thus.  Success in business comes from our ability to solve problems.  Think about it.  Our products and services sell because they solve problems or otherwise improve things for our customers.  Successful business models solve problems for organizing, managing, and executing business.  Successful marketing solves the problem of reaching new customers.  Successful sales solve the problem of convincing customers to buy our offerings.  Successful process improvement solves the problem of making what we do easier, more efficient, and more effective.

Everything we are about, in every sort of business, is solving problems.  To solve problems we must understand problems.  This requires observation and learning.  Once we understand problems, however, we must have the ability to visualize a practical solution as well as the ability to manifest what we imagine into a real solution.  The ability to visualize a solution and make it into a real thing is all about creativity.  Have I got your attention?

I perceive that creativity is as much a learned skill as it is a natural talent.  People who engage in creative activities with other creative minds do indeed pick up some of the method and ability through observation, mentoring, and exercise and practice.  At the very least, recognize that people who are really good at solving puzzles or playing games generally are those who practice solving puzzles and playing games the most.

Regardless of where we individually start on the creativity and problem-solving talent scale, we can increase our ability with practice.  (Keep a finger on this thought because we will return to it)  While some of us may have a talent for creativity, it is a skill that can and should be nurtured and developed, just like any other.  The ability to draw on our creative talents, on-demand, and turn our ideas into real solutions is absolutely a skill.  This skill is what we should be trying to maximize for our businesses and ourselves.

There are a wide variety of things we can all do to increase the creative capacities of our teams.  Let’s discuss them in three contexts:

• How to improve our existing capabilities
• How to increase or acquire more capability
• How to look to the future 

To improve our potential for creativity at work, we can address three things.  We can practice and exercise, we can improve our tools, and we can increase our access and understanding.  By the way, these things we can do for ourselves, personally, as much as we can do them for our teams.

To exercise creativity at work, encourage and enable creative problem-solving games and exercises.  My favorite tool is to engage others, in small groups, in thought experiments or games.  Pick a real or imagined business problem, common problem, or political problem and pose it to your colleagues.

For example, go to lunch with two or three peers and challenge them to help you solve the problem of keeping more industry local instead of transferring it to other regions.  Let the ideas flow.  Discuss the challenges, roadblocks, and behaviors and attack them with possible solutions.  You don’t have to actually solve the problem at lunch.  The point is to exercise your skills to understand the problem and envision solutions.

Here is another idea that works well.  Challenge your product development team to develop a better pencil sharpener, or your marketing team to promote your daughter’s cheerleading squad.  Offer a prize for the best and most creative solutions, such as a prime parking space or the privilege of throwing water balloons at you at the company picnic.

In addition to exercise, go shopping and invest in problem-solving tools and methods for your business and your teams.  Tools and methods don’t solve problems; creativity solves problems.  However, tools and methods can help us to understand problems, organize information, communicate problems and solutions, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our problem-solving efforts.

Creation is an inspired activity.  However, even inspired inventors and artists have tools and methods that help them to create and to feed the inspiration.  Many of the problem-solving tools and methods available to our businesses do the same thing.  Examples many of us have heard would be Lean, TRIZ, Six Sigma, Value Innovation, Value Engineering, or Axiomatic Design, just to pick a few familiar titles.

To maximize our creative talents and skills, and make the best use of our tools, we can increase access to the problems as well as the talents and improve our communications.  It’s no good to have great problem-solving talent and skill if that talent and skill isn’t directed at the problems.  Begin a practice of sharing real business problems and customer problems with your business personnel.

Sharing business challenges with more than your elite business experts has several benefits.  It gets your greater team thinking about the big picture, enhancing their interaction and understanding and expanding their perspective.  It works like the other thought games mentioned above and encourages problem-solving practice and exercises skills.  Finally, it vastly increases the brainpower and creativity invested in solving your problems.  Also, sometimes someone who is not confined to tradition or paradigm can solve the problem better.  An idea for a great product or service doesn’t have to come from engineers or marketing teams.

There is something very powerful we can do in addition to exercising and enhancing our existing creative capabilities.  We can acquire more.  There are two ways.  We can contract it or partner with it, and we can hire it.

Don’t balk at the idea of engaging outside expertise to help you solve problems.  Today there are a plethora of consultants and agencies with a myriad of expertise from solving process problems to inventing new technologies and products.  These resources possess highly focused and practiced skills in specific problem-solving arenas.  You would be hard pressed to mimic or replicate those skills within your own organization.  If you need a short burst of creative genius to solve a specific challenge, go engage it.

If you want to increase your internal capabilities, hire creativity.  When you hire new personnel, I hope that you do more than run through a checklist of experience and credentials and check for a pulse.  Do you actively, purposefully seek creative talent?  Make a point, from here on out, to ask candidates to demonstrate or describe their most creative solutions.

Consider this.  As much as we can exercise our creativity, as mentioned above, many of those among us with the greatest creative talents and skills have developed those skills since childhood.  It is relatively easy to teach someone how to use specific software platforms, or to mentor them in specific systems or build their experience.  It takes much more work to teach someone to be creatively excellent.

We are better off hiring highly creative problem solvers that might be missing a couple of credentials.  Not needing to train someone in a specific credential is convenient, but bringing on the ability to solve difficult problems effectively is very powerful.

Now consider a bigger picture.  What if you could ensure that your future employees received training and mentoring, encouragement and skills in creative tools and problem solving so that you could hire them?  We don’t often recognize it, but it is taking place in our children’s schools all the time.

The art, science, and shop programs in our schools engage professional educators for the specific purpose of teaching our youth how to be creative and encouraging them to exercise and develop their creative potential.  We often consider these programs secondary in importance to the “standard” academics of reading, writing, and mathematics, but I’m not sure that it is correct to do so.

Sure reading, writing, math, history, social studies, etc. are all very important, but it is our alternative courses that show us how to look at problems differently, how to observe and study, how to use limited materials at our disposal to invent or problem-solve, and how to think beyond the obvious or the pre-programmed.  In our schools we have professionals whose responsibility and passion is to show us how.

Without going off on a tangent about public school systems and the challenges therein, I want us to consider what we have discussed above concerning the power of creative problem solving.  A single Web post is not enough writing space, or attention span, to discuss the whole spectrum of possibilities and challenges.  Instead I will encourage you to take some time this week and think very devotedly about the real power and potential, and where our development of these skills comes from.

To fuel your thought I offer you the following observation that should be valid regardless of your national loyalties or regional location.  The U.S. economy and industry has led the world for generations in significant part because of the innovative and inventive nature of it, because of the creativity.  Some of that creativity-turned-economic-success came from investments made to it during cold war arms races and space programs.  Some of it was enabled by a root culture that values creativity and encourages entrepreneurial success.

If you decide that investing in the greater future is something that you would like to do, then I offer a handful of very pragmatic ways you and your business can make a difference.  If your business has the collateral to make a significant contribution to your local school district, it can be a real game changer for that district.  Don’t be afraid to discuss with the district leaders how the contribution should be allocated and used.

If you are interested in encouraging students to consider your business as an employer, focus on the colleges and high schools.  If you want to make the greatest difference in your community and your youth, infest at the elementary school level where interests and talents begin.

Another way to support local creativity programs is to set up a scholarship through your school district Parent-Teachers’ Association (PTA).  Your business can specify the nature of the scholarship and partake in the selection of the recipients.  If you can’t provide a scholarship on your own, you can work with the PTA to pool your contribution with other businesses’ to provide the scholarship.

If significant tax write-offs are not in the cards for your business, there are some very affordable options to consider.  There are a wide variety of programs for schools of all levels that support arts and science, but which require some sponsorship to be made available.  Two that I can recite are Young Rembrandts and Science Matters. 

After-school, supplementary programs may be facilitated by volunteers or trained professionals.  Either way, the supplies and materials must be made available from some budget.  For some schools the school budget can carry the program or the PTA can, but for some it is simply not possible.  Generally, these programs can be funded for a single school for a few hundred dollars.

Lastly, your business could consider sponsoring a chess club, science club, art club, or other after-school program.  Send one of your personnel to the school once a week, maybe your personnel rotate the responsibility/privilege, to facilitate the club.  Many schools would be very accommodating of these volunteer-led activities.

If your business makes a program or scholarship available to youth in your area, it might go unnoticed by many.  But then again, a student, or a sibling, or a parent might very well notice and remember that your company demonstrated its belief in the power of creativity and, since they share the same value, might make an effort to become part of your company.  I know that is a lot of “mights” but it is hard to put tangible benefit numbers to our investments in society and culture.

Certainly, we can see that even volunteering personnel’s time at a school can cost your business some little amount.  Scholarships and district program sponsorship can cost significantly.  Even the small investments in tools, methods, and exercises can be considered a cost.  Don’t look at them as costs.  They are investments.  Each one, large or small, is a deposit in your creativity bank account.  One day, you will be very glad for your investment when creative solutions by skilled problem solvers begin saving you other expenses, improving your business effectiveness, or developing your breakthrough product and service offerings.

How far you want to go in terms of investing in creativity is up to you, but I strongly urge you to meditate on the ideas I have posited in this post.  The creative capacity of your business might very well be your greatest and most powerful resource.  Take measures to maximize it.  Exercise and encourage it.  Hire it.  Contract it when you need more than you have.  Consider where it comes from and how a small investment on your part might make a big difference to your community and potential future resources.

Stay wise, friends.