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Tag: challenge

A group of three coworkers leaning in toward a laptop computer on a table, examining something there together A group of three coworkers leaning in toward a laptop computer on a table, examining something there together

Five Ways to Spark Creativity in Your Team

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Creative Thinking, Development, Teams. No Comments on Five Ways to Spark Creativity in Your Team

Tapping into creativity is a constant challenge.

In a business climate that can turn on a tweet, creativity is not just an asset, it’s essential. But I’m not just advocating creativity for creativity’s sake – companies need creativity to solve real business problems. As a seasoned leader shared with me recently, “The half-life of ideas is decreasing rapidly.” So what’s our response?

We need more and better ideas. The good news: Creating new, value-added ideas is what teams do best. However, creativity in a team environment is not automatic. There are some things that leaders can do to increase the creative output of their team. Here are a few ideas to get you started…

  1. Expect (and Respect) a Creative Team – When you establish the role of your team, be sure to highlight the expectation that the team will create fresh, new solutions to the problems you face, and respect their process.
  2. Teach Them How to Be Creative – The skills of creativity can be learned. To learn them, they must be taught. Schedule time to conduct training for your team. This can take many forms. It can be as brief as a micro-session on effective brainstorming (before your next brainstorming session) or multi-day training sessions. The point is simple – train your team on the skills of creativity.
  3. Give Them Opportunities to Practice – Creative thinking and problem solving are skills – just like golf, tennis, or a foreign language. Like any skill, you get better with practice. Look for opportunities for your team to practice the skills you’ve learned. Practice builds competence and competence builds confidence.
  4. Celebrate Creativity When You See It – The actions that you reward will be repeated. That’s human nature. That’s one reason you need to recognize not just the successes but the effort as well. Not every creative endeavor will be successful. That’s normal. If you’ve been operating in a culture in which creativity has not been valued, recognizing creative effort will be even more critical. People are paying attention. They want to know if it’s really safe to voice new ideas.
  5. You, the Leader, Must Set the Pace – People always watch the leader – whether we want them to or not. Do your people see you embracing creative ideas? Do they see you engaged in the process of creating new ideas? You can accelerate the adoption of creative thinking as a skill if you personally get in the game. If you don’t, you’ll need to temper your expectations of groundbreaking new ideas from your team.

Teams are probably at their best when they’re engaged in the creative process.

They are leveraging their collective wisdom and experience to create what previously did not exist. One of the most satisfying and productive things leaders can do is create the conditions to harness this creative potential. In our rapidly changing global marketplace, fostering and embracing creativity is essential for survival.

 

A group of men and women sitting outside on a patio, facing each other and engaged in conversation

Learn from Others

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Development, Engagement, Personal Effectiveness. No Comments on Learn from Others

For many years, I have met with a group of men twice a month. We’ve been working diligently to improve our leadership. We’ve learned from thought leaders in the field and from each other. We’ve also been doing life together.

We’ve attended conferences together, shared resources with each other, and challenged and prayed for each other. We’ve attended weddings and graduations. Three members have battled cancer – one didn’t survive. We’ve also buried one child together. We’ve certainly grown as leaders and as friends. We’re stronger because of each other. There’s power in the group!

Small groups are not a new idea. Men and women have been meeting together in small group settings for centuries. Why has this practice stood the test of time? My best answer:

Small groups provide a unique environment in which some of our deepest,
most innate needs can be met.

Here are five reasons I plan to be part of a group like this until the day I die:

  1. Community – Small groups are the perfect setting to foster genuine community. Community is a place where we know, serve, celebrate, mourn, and love deeply. In our daily lives, these types of relationships rarely occur accidentally. True community requires a time commitment that runs counter to the pace of our lives. The discipline of meeting together on a regular basis and investing time together is the bedrock of community.
  2. Learning – A small group is an excellent forum for learning. The dynamics of a small group stimulate rich, meaningful dialogue, questions, debate, and learning. In a group, we learn from the experiences of others and enjoy the insight derived from diverse perspectives. All these factors combine to do more than merely facilitate learning – they accelerate it.
  3. Challenge – Where do you go to be challenged? Not the challenge you may get at work to do more with less. Or the challenge you get from your boss to improve your performance. Where do you go to be challenged as a human being? Where are you challenged to learn, grow, and be a better person? A well-functioning small group can be that place.
  4. Accountability – I need all the help I can get in life. Much of my accountability comes from my small group. Certainly this is true as it relates to learning, but on a larger scale as well. In our group, we decided to begin the practice of sharing our life plans and annual plans with each other. This process provides not only input but also greater accountability on the execution side.
  5. Encouragement – Life can be hard. I need a place to be encouraged. Some of this can happen at work and at home. However, a group where trust and mutual respect have been cultivated over time is the perfect venue to encourage one another.

Do you have a place like this? Why not find 6 – 8 of your friends or colleagues and start a small group today? It’s one of life’s decisions you’ll never regret. For more group resources, click here.

 

looking up at a red clock hanging on the right side of a wall with a white ceiling in the background looking up at a red clock hanging on the right side of a wall with a white ceiling in the background

Six Strategies for Impossible Deadlines

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Execution, Personal Effectiveness. No Comments on Six Strategies for Impossible Deadlines

When is the last time you faced an “impossible” deadline? For me, it seems like I’ve had several in recent years. I’ve been thinking about this so much, I decided to share my thought process and the strategies I’ve used to maintain focus and keep moving.

  • Reframe the problem. How many truly impossible deadlines have you ever faced? For me, I’ve had some sizable deadlines, but the truth is that few were impossible. Assuming the mindset, “This is impossible,” doesn’t help. It hurts. Rather, reframe the situation more accurately by saying, “This is extremely challenging.”
  • Rethink your approach. Based on the challenge you face, you may not be able to apply your traditional work methods. For decades, it was my practice to not work on Sunday; nor did I typically ask my staff to do so. However, I have faced challenges in the past when we did have to work on Sunday. Drastic situations often require non-traditional solutions.
  • Rely on others to help. Getting others involved is one of the primary strategies I use when things get crazy. Sometimes you can seek help from other members of your team, sometimes you can find others in your organization who will be willing to help, and you can almost always find vendors and contractors who can add needed manpower to meet challenging deadlines.
  • Re-prioritize your work. Everything can’t be urgent. If it is, you need to consider a different line of work. When big deadlines are on the horizon, some work will probably need to be pushed to make space for the most pressing work.
  • Renegotiate the deliverable. If you do all you can and still find yourself unable to deliver what is expected when it is due, you can strike a deal. Sometimes, people ask for more than they really need. A simple conversation can sometimes simplify or reduce what is needed. Finally, you can sometimes negotiate stages or phases for a deadline to be met.
  • Root out the real issue. If you consistently have what you perceive to be “impossible” deadlines, ask yourself: Why? Is the problem a cultural flaw in your organization? Is the issue your own planning? Are you struggling with self-leadership issues? Are you understaffed? Are you overly ambitious? Challenging deadlines are not the end of the world; we all encounter them. But to constantly be faced with these situations is not healthy for an individual or a culture. If you find yourself in this situation, you may be facing a leadership opportunity to solve a bigger problem than the deadline you are chasing.

Here’s my final thought: Don’t become discouraged. You know, the work we do as leaders is often hard – sometimes really hard! Help your team manage challenging and “impossible” deadlines – just don’t ever let them stop doing challenging work. What you do matters!

 

Man in silhouette looking up at the night sky with lots of stars and a rainbow of colors Man in silhouette looking up at the night sky with lots of stars and a rainbow of colors

What’s Big in Your World?

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Development, Execution, Personal Effectiveness. No Comments on What’s Big in Your World?

What are you working on that you’re excited about? Is it a project at work? Something you’re doing at home? Maybe it’s neither. Perhaps you are involved with a non-profit organization which is attempting to make a difference in the world. Regardless of the arena, I hope you’re working on something big!

Why would I wish that for you? Three reasons:

Big projects stretch us – If the project is big enough, it will stretch our thinking, our creativity, our patience, and our capacity. Also, the bigger the project, the greater the opportunity for learning. And because leaders are learners, we need big projects in our lives. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it like this:

“A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”

Big projects often make a big difference – You and I love to make a difference. That’s one of the primary motivations for us to lead. Therefore, when given a choice between making a small impact and a big one, I’m guessing you usually choose the latter. There seems to be a direct correlation between the size of a project and its potential for impact. I hope you’re working on a BIG project.

Big projects fight off complacency and stagnation – Nothing stirs us as leaders as much as a challenge. Big challenges are often found lurking in big projects. If you’ve been successful as a leader and your routine is starting to dull your senses, you may need to find a big project to shake things up in your world. If you choose wisely, you’ll find new opportunities and big challenges to be a wonderful antidote for the mundane.

How do you make a big project successful? Here are four suggestions to consider:

  1. Do your homework – On most projects, big or small, you don’t have to start from scratch. Chances are good someone has successfully accomplished what you’re about to undertake. Learn from them.
  2. Schedule the work – The biggest hurdle I’ve had to overcome in my writing is the time. Interestingly enough, the solution for my books has been to schedule the time. Now, putting the days on the calendar to write is part of the process. I know that if I don’t, I won’t write. Have you scheduled time to tackle your big project?
  3. Create deadlines – Closely related to the scheduling idea, deadlines can be magical. For some, they create stress. However, there is such a thing as good stress. If deadlines create focus, energy, and momentum, you should set some related to your big project. Often it is a deadline that can break the grip of inertia that is keeping you imprisoned by inactivity.
  4. Seek help – I’ve reached a point in my life where I’m really not interested in projects I can complete by myself. I want to do more and accomplish more. I want to enlist others with complementary talents and gifts, and together accomplish big things. If the project you’re considering is truly a big one, you’ll need help to make it a reality.

If you don’t have anything big going on right now, why not sit down and brainstorm some ideas. Here’s a question to help jump start your thinking…

If you knew you couldn’t fail, what big project would you undertake in the next year?