Monday, June 30, 2008

Hire Creative People for the Win

Ask yourself a question. What will the world look like in 5 years? What will your market look like in 5 years? 10 years?
If you think you have a good idea then great. You are ahead of the curve. But what about the things you don’t know or aren’t aware of? In 2005, how much did you think your house was going to be worth in 2008?
Creative employees are better able to handle issues and changing environments than employees who show up for their paycheck. Their natural curiosity often leads to better service and new solutions to nagging problems.
Here are some ways you can bring out latent creativity in your current workforce or attract the Picasso of customer service.
  1. Show appreciation for a job well done. They will be more willing to share additional ideas or accomplishments.
  2. Give them the opportunity to do more. Creative people often get bored quickly. The chance to tackle new issues or learn something new will be attractive to them.
  3. More responsibility. By limiting the scope of responsibility, you often hamper an individuals chance to affect positive change. Sure you mitigate risk this way, but a wider set of parameters empowers your team.
  4. Room to fail. There is always a downside. Sometimes, these creative people get dumb ideas. But by fostering a forgiving/ learning atmosphere, you create an environment that will nurture your company’s future.
  5. Hire freelancers for projects. They are creative and self-dependent enough to go it alone, making them great candidates for your most important projects. Plus job stability in enticing and you have the chance with what amounts to a long interview over the course of a project to think about hiring them full-time.

Ken Robinson on Creativity

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