Know When to Stop
Sometimes there's only one right answer to a creative conundrum, from how the trade show booth should look to the and font for the new campaign. The simple, elegant, smart choice wins, and often the best answer comes up early on because it didn't too much thinking.
"Let's feature our customers" makes perfect sense for a barbershop looking to deepen its local roots. But the real creative work begins in fleshing out the look, feel and execution of the campaign.
—Michael Portman, Birds Barbershop
Take a Walk
When I want to get the creative juices flowing on our team, we go for a walk. We call these "walkies," where we go for 15 minutes and talk about life. Generally, the conversation always goes back to work.
There is something about nature that spurs a person to be more creative. It will help you see the world better. I find that being healthy and will always up the creative side in people as well.
—John Rampton, Adogy
Provide Special Incentives
We value the creativity of our employees in routine brainstorming sessions and always encourage them to think "outside the box." To show our appreciation for their creativity and implementation of a successful project, we reward them with special like a weekend getaway.
—Sean Marszalek, SDC Nutrition
Showcase Your Ideas
Our office has a massive whiteboard that we use to brainstorm and stay focused. Being able to walk into the office everyday and see your ideas in front of you is a constant reminder of what needs to get done. It is definitely an accomplishment to be able to something when it has been completed.
—Amanda Barbara, Pubslush
Don't Brainstorm
Brainstorming sessions with "no bad ideas" and "freedom of thought" suffer from the paradox of . The participants aren't given specific enough goals or parameters and often don't come up with the most effective ideas.
In place of a brainstorming session, we break each task down into very areas and have each team or individual attack each idea with a purpose. This gives them not only a starting location, but also a direction, and produces great results when combined with other teams/individuals who are given different tasks and directions.
—Brennan White, Watchtower
