Creativity: The Inside Track

I love consulting to organisations. Quite often, I get the privilege of sitting in and observing their leadership meetings to see where they can make improvements that really shift the needle.  

Recently, while working with one blue-chip company, the discussions round the table got me thinking about that well-worn word in all organisations - creativity. While listening to them talk, I saw that there was a real opportunity for them and their people to be bolder and braver in their approach, and I wondered what was stopping them. Perhaps it was the fear of not knowing how something would be achieved that was holding them back? Perhaps a more primal fear of the unknown? Or maybe no one had ever really shown them how to extract the most out of their creative brains.  

Out with the old  

For years we’ve been delivering workshops for organisations to help teams tap into their inner creativity. But it’s always a shock to me when their most ‘creative’ teams - groups of people who have reputations for being innovative - lacked the basic understanding about how they could unlock their brain’s creative potential. I’d think: 

 “Surely these people would know all the right answers?” 

And while their instincts were often pointing them in the right direction, there were still massive gaps waiting to be filled. Creativity know-how that neuroscience is revealing and that these people could (and should!) be capitalising on. 

Creativity - the inside track.  

Creativity is generally agreed to be the ability to generate something original and useful. Whether that be a piece of art, a business strategy or a solution to a problem. It’s a fundamental feature of our human intelligence that’s grounded in our everyday mental capacities.  

In other words, it isn’t something special that’s reserved only for the most artistic amongst us. It’s a reflection of our everyday creativity that’s built within every human brain.  

Although there is still much we don’t know about how creativity works; we do now have some great answers to the question “how can I be more creative?” (check out our knowledge hub for more articles on creativity). 

Where to turn for inspiration. 

Although you might turn to your “creative teams” for inspiration about how to be more creative, there are other places you can also look. Even places you might not think to look. Take people with ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder), for example. It’s a heterogeneous condition, where the symptoms can vary from one person to the next (much like most mental health disorders - see here for my Linkedin course on mental health). But some people with ADHD are able to be very focused (so-called hyperfocused) and pay a great deal of attention to some things over others. This can be really useful when it comes to being creative and innovative. 

Science shows that two core symptoms of ADHD, inattention and impulsiveness, can play an important role. For example, inattention can lead to mind-wandering, which can, in turn, lead to new, useful and creative ideas. Studies have confirmed this by showing that some people with ADHD can generate more unique and unconventional names and ideas compared to those without.  

Similarly, their impulsivity means people with ADHD are often more willing to take risks. And although this has to be in moderation, it can mean that they have less fear when it comes to approaching new things. They are more willing to go against the status quo, and this also opens up learning opportunities that can further enhance their creativity. 

Well worn but still critical 

A well-worn word it might be, but the reality is that we always need more innovation in our world. There are so many problems that we need solutions to. Most organisations we work with recognise this and take steps to help their people become more creative.  

However, there’s still a massive gap, and therefore an enormous opportunity, in how many organisations do this. They choose to rely on old-hat ways of improving creativity rather than turning to what we now know about how the brain works. And only by building a brain-based approach into their business rhythms or their physical environments will they really start to move the needle significantly in their people’s creativity, as well as other aspects of their performance.  

Mind focused or mind wandering? 

So often, we are asked to choose between whether we should be focused on the task at hand or allow ourselves to indulge in mind-wandering. I even see this as a parent where I find myself reminding my daughter to keep her mind focused on her homework rather than daydreaming.  

But the reality is that both these brain networks are equally important. We need to spend time in both states to get the best out of our brains. And both need to be cultivated to ensure we can solve the everyday problems (and the bigger issues!) that we all face every day at work and in our lives more generally.  

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