In Defense of Creativity in the Workplace
Last week, I had the honor of being included in an article profiling owners of “creative” businesses in New York City which were started in response to the unstable economic environment (thank you Stephanie Grayson for a terrific write-up!).
Among the various issues explored in the article is the notion of how “creative” people approach their work differently from more “business-y” types, and if the two competencies can really exist simultaneously within the same individual. Not only do I believe this is true, but I’d like to expand on this notion a bit further, and argue that workplaces of all types can benefit from a healthy dose of creativity, to lube up the daily grind.
Despite being what I’d humbly call a “creative” person, my own personal employment journey has taken me to places and roles which wouldn’t be called “creative” by any stretch. My first job out of college was doing statistical sales data analysis for a pharmaceutical company – otherwise known as hell for people like me, who loath spreadsheets and feel most at home when outside the box.
One could argue that there’s really no room for creativity when it comes to crunching numbers (Enron-type accounting practices notwithstanding). However, seeing how this was my job and I wanted to make the best of it, I sought out the one area where I could indeed be creative, and volunteered to train sales reps on how to use their data capture software – moving me from the cubicle to the front of the classroom, where I developed my own curriculum and excelled as a corporate trainer.
Although my data-centric job was a far cry from “creative,” both the company and I benefitted by letting me expand beyond my defined job role, in order to creatively instruct sales staff on intensely wonky software. At subsequent roles working within the public relations industry, I again was allowed to use the creative side of my brain to help both my firms and their clients.
In addition to the intensely structured, high-stress work environment PR folks famously face on a daily basis with media monitoring, development of corporate communication materials and pitching to the media – all under tight deadlines – we were encouraged to come up with creative, unique and otherwise out-of-the-box ideas for generating positive press, opportunities which I jumped at any chance I got. The end product of these bonus creative efforts was better results for clients, and more job satisfaction for us PR firm employees.
Granted, I eventually wound up starting a professional live trivia company in NYC, a super-creative job for sure; however, I do believe that a healthy element of creativity can go a long way towards any company’s bottom line, regardless of industry or corporate culture.
Do you agree or disagree? Please share your thoughts below!