In any team or organization, some individuals are consistently more likely to come up with ideas that are both novel and useful. These ideas are the seeds of innovation: the intellectual foundation for any new products and services that enable some organizations to gain a competitive advantage over others. However, organizations are often unable to put in place the right processes, leadership, and culture to turn creative ideas into actual innovations, which causes even their most creative employees to underperform. This mismanagement of innovation is further exacerbated by the fact that managing creatives tend to require special attention and consideration. Indeed, decades of psychological research suggests that creative people are quite different from others when it comes to personality, values, and abilities. In light of that, here are eight evidence-based recommendations to get the most out of your creative employees and to stop them from underperforming:
Motivating Your Most Creative Employees
Decades of psychological research suggests that creative people are quite different from others when it comes to personality, values, and abilities. And managing creative people tends to require special attention and consideration. To keep your creatives engaged, maximize the fit between their natural behavioral tendencies and the role they are in, and then surround them with with good implementers, networkers, and detail-oriented project managers. Few things are more demotivating than being asked to do very easy and unchallenging work, and this is especially true when employees are creative, so be sure to challenge them, and apply the right amount of pressure to projects – not enough pressure will lead to a lack of motivation, and too much of it will create stress that inhibits one’s ability to think creatively. Organizations that provide their most talented people with personalized development plans and mentoring opportunities, and that promote a culture of support and inclusion, will benefit from increased creative performance.