The Young Professional's Guide to the Working World by Aaron McDaniel

Author:Aaron McDaniel
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Career Press
Published: 2013-04-07T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

There Is No “Box” to Think Outside Of: Creativity in the Workplace

What to Expect: Everyone has heard of the concept of “thinking outside of the box” but few know what it really means. This chapter discusses how to think creatively, why the box doesn’t matter, and when it is best to share (and not share) these creative ideas.

The creative thinker is flexible and adaptable and prepared to rearrange his thinking.

—A.J. Cropley

When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.

—George Washington Carver

This was outside the box. Way, WAY outside the box.

I buckled my belt, adjusted my beard, and stepped out of the bathroom into the hot lobby of the movie theater in the local mall. It was almost Christmas, and I was dressed up as Santa Claus to spread the word about a new product AT&T launched called Homezone.

I never expected that dressing up as Santa Claus would be part of my job responsibilities as a project manager. I shouldn’t have been too surprised, though, as it was my idea. To launch the product, we set up a kiosk at the local mall. While I distracted kids by being Santa, our salespeople had a captive audience of parents to talk with. The strategy worked (but I won’t wear a Santa outfit for 12 hours straight ever again).

Discussing creativity always sparks a reference to thinking “outside the box.” The idea of “thinking outside the box” assumes that in order to be creative you must to think differently than you normally do. Although this provides a good visual analogy, it does not provide a helpful framework for how to think.

As millennials, we think differently than other generations do. Because we grew up in the age of the Internet, we are accustomed to finding ways to use technology to get what we want. Instead of assuming that we need to change our thinking, we need to leverage the creativity that we already have within.

Quick Tip

Document everything. You never know when you are going to need some piece of information. Save your sent e-mails in a folder for reference. Looking back on these records can spark creative ideas, while also covering your ass (CYA).

There is no “box.” Instead, we all have a horizontal plane (or layer) on which we think and operate that is parallel to everyone else’s. Some think on a higher plane and others on a lower one. Find ways to leverage your creativity to lift your thinking to a higher plane. This is important because your creativity makes you unique. The creativity of your ideas will also determine the trajectory of your success in the working world.

Creativity can be an effective tool in fulfilling your job responsibilities. Thinking creatively allows you to innovate and uncover new ways of doing things when you hit obstacles. This increases your likelihood of success. But creativity alone will not guarantee career success. Creativity should always be grounded and accompanied by strategic thinking. Strategic thinking connects the how to a creative idea.

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