How to Stifle Creativity and What to Do About It

Teresa Amabile writes in the Harvard Business Review that "creativity is a function of three components: expertise, creative thinking skills, and motivation." I think she's right. Expertise is all about knowledge however it is acquired. Creative thinking skills has so much to do with ability to wonder, ask questions and consider the "other" possibility. Motivation drills down to desire.

I am a creative person. In fact, owning a creative agency was my first business venture. I thoroughly enjoyed starting my day with a blank sheet of paper. Dreaming of possibilities and asking "Why not?" brought me more business than I knew what to do with for a young guy with no official art training.

It is true that creativity can be shut down by managers or people who do not understand the creative process. All you have to do is develop a "No" mindset and you can kill creativity faster than the first 3 minutes of an NCIS show can kill it's next victim. Consider these creativity murderers:

• No challenge
• No freedom
• No resources
• No work-group features
• No supervisory encouragement
• No organizational support

Creativity: D.O.A.

To foster creativity in your company you only need to turn the Nos into Yeses. 

But in the small business environment it is often the business owner who has to be creative. Resources are frequently not available to employ someone who can dedicate themselves to being creative . . . and if they are available, creativity is strictly defined to technical tasks: design an ad, get the website up, come up with a slogan, write a brochure.

The creativity that a business owner requires is the creativity of vision and leadership. This is the kind of possibility thinking that walks out in front of the organization and takes it to new frontiers. 

This is the creativity that all too often suffers in the small business because of one key factor. 

Time.

If the business owner can learn time management, priority management and get out of the technical trenches of the day-to-day duties, then the owner can leverage the power of creativity to lead the business to new heights of success.

These Five Power Words Are Like Gourmet Aroma to the Discerning Customer

My friend, Jeff, has a nose for gourmet foods. He will walk past all the olfactory noise of a hundred competitors and isolate a single aroma that turns his head and makes him want to find out more. To watch him take a bite of gourmet chocolate is like watching the most beautiful story ever told. You want in on the experience and soon you are captivated by stories of jungles and cocoa and organic farmers.

Curiosity has been described by Edmund Burke as "the first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind." Those individuals and businesses that have harnessed the power of creating curiosity are the ones who lead us and make us thirsty for more.

What is their secret? What words do they leverage in crafting their message to awaken need and want inside of us? Are you effectively utilizing these power words in your marketing messages?

Power Word #1: How

How is that word that appeals to our need to learn, to do and to excel. It creates the desire to get me from where I am at to where I want to be in a practical manner. The promise and the allure of How boldly promises the message of exclusive knowledge, experience and membership. Consider how these messages create the desire to know How . . .

• How a bald barber saved my hair . . .
• How the XYZ Company grew by 150% in just six months . . .
• How can one word in your headline can drive traffic to your website?

Power Word #2: Why

The power of Why is the power of understanding. Human nature recognizes that the person who understands is the person in control. The promise of understanding framed by the power word Why is the promise of controlling one's life and situation. Create want and need using the power of Why as seen in these examples . . .

• Why social media will shape your business in the next two years . . .
• Why long term care insurance will let you spend more weekends at the cabin . . .
• Do you want to know why eating more meat is better for your golf game?

Power Word #3: These

Specificity is the intrinsic power of These. By isolating what needs to be in place and what needs to go you shake off the dead weight and tune up what is being neglected. Crafting a message using the power word These attracts a progressive and decision-making audience. Take a look at these messages . . .

• These 3 keys will make your business king at every networking event . . .
• These businesses thrived in the recession because of this one maxim . . .
• These people are better rested and more alert because of one common secret . . .

Power Word #4: Which

Choice is the power of Which! A menu of options, a buffet of choices, a variety to choose from! People feel better about themselves when they have the power to choose. Leveraging the power of Which in your headlines empowers the reader to choose. Which of these statements is strongest in your opinion?

• Which of these $10 best sellers do you want for only $1?
• Which businesses will still be in business next year . . . and which ones won't . . .
• Which healthcare plan will provide your family with the greatest peace of mind?

Power Word #5: What

Don't you want to know what's behind curtain number 2? Aren't you curious about what is the best bait for catching the largest walleye? Wouldn't you click on the link that promises to tell you what never to eat when flying? What business owner's wife wouldn't know what 3 things she had to do to be able to enjoy vacations with her husband?

*****

Creativity is one of the most desired qualities in leaders and top performers. Yet this one thing does more the stifle creativity than any other factor . . .

How Leading Businesses Create Their Market

Who hasn't felt the effects of the past few years? The results have been leading-edge businesses becoming more focused, strategic and creative.

Relying on your uniqueness or the greatness of your product or service is no longer enough to edge out your competition. The small business  has to creatively consider how to raise their market's awareness of needs and wants BEFORE providing the solution of the advantage of their product or service.

One powerful way to influence your prospects' needs and wants is by creating curiosity. By creating curiosity you grab the reins of the prospect's attention, amass an audience and warm them up to hear your message.

What is your company doing to create curiosity in the marketplace? Consider these three curiously powerful ways to cause people to want more . . .

Future Talk!

The future is everyone's concern. Provide data or anecdotes that say "Warning! Change ahead!" When we think about the yet-to-come future our concern becomes "how will this affect me?" 

One key to future talk is not to give an immediate solution but to let the market's imagination develop. As their perception of needs and wants surface, you position your company to be one of the solutions for the unforeseen tomorrow.

What information is your company privy to that would cause your market to be concerned about their future?

Party Time!

Good news is coming! Who doesn't like a party? Big, splashy, fun, . . . Invite your friends and get in on the action. When your company plans the party you create curiosity by leaking just enough information to let them know that good news is coming.

The party planning approach appeals to our desire to be part of a clan or tribe. Those who show up are the first ones to experience. They are the ones on the cutting edge of awareness, the first to enjoy the benefits, they become the people "in the know" and they become the go-to people for those who didn't get there first.

How could your company leverage the party appeal to it's marketing strategy?

Pssssst! 

Water coolers may have been replaced by more technologically advanced ways to communicate, but the basic appeal of being privy to "secret" information is alive and well. Do you want to create curiosity and gather a crowd? Just lower your voice, speak in hushed tones, and give just enough information to tickle the ears. Before you know it your company will be being discussed . . . and you have the power to introduce the subject!

What would turn your market's ears in your direction and make them curious to learn more?

These three proven methods for creating curiosity position you to speak to the wants and needs of your market. When you have created your audience, make sure your solution is credible!


And make sure you utilize these five power words that create curiosity . . .