Not too long ago my mind hit a dead stop. I was being presented with a sales challenge and found myself with no viable solutions. As the leader of a marketing team, this is not a situation you want to find yourself in.
I came to realize that at that time my creative thinking ability had become stunted and I needed an antidote stat. Why did I see this as such a dire predicament? Because creative thinking is what separates leaders, innovators and visionaries from those that are “just doing their jobs.”
Creative thinking is often defined as a way of looking at problems from a unique perspective that allows for unorthodox solutions. It’s these solutions that are driving the most radical developments in technology and commerce today. It’s these solutions that are rapidly creating problems and challenges for marketers everyday.
Now we’ve come full circle, back to being presented with a sales problem and my creative thinking ability is stuck knee deep in the mud. Feeling stuck in this way can lead to complete inefficacy as a marketer and it’s important that you take immediate steps to dig yourself out and clear the path to providing new solutions.
For me, the block started with an inefficient staffing structure in response to the rapid growth we were experiencing. In other words, I lost my focus and found myself deep in the weeds.
There are other things that can block creative thinking, such as getting caught up in office politics or mismanagement of time. Each of these things can create a block that will cause you not to provide new solutions, explore new technologies, offer new ideas and ultimately exceed the expectations of those around you.
As a leader, it’s vital that you are inspiring and fostering creative thinking. It’s incumbent on you to be the impetus that develops their ability to find nontraditional solutions and builds their confidence to conceive and vocalize new ideas.
