A recent status update from my friend Becky Robinson from Weaving Influence reminded me of the simplicity of inspiring children to be creative:
“My girls haven’t colored much this summer. Yesterday, I bought a new box of crayons. They’ve been coloring nonstop. If I had known that was all it would take, I would have bought them a new box of crayons sooner.”
Becky’s posting made me think of my children, coloring, exploring, and drawing. I could even smell the box of crayons. And what wonderful creations my children created when we gave them space, time, and tools. When dealing with adults and organizations, we seem to lose sight of these simple ideas.
Space: Do we give people enough space to color, explore, and create. Are their enough communal tables? Enough white boards? Enough screens to connect laptops to? Enough chances to collaborate together?
Time: Is everyone’s schedule so tightly booked with meetings and interactions that they never have the time to think through issues, innovate, and be creative?
Tools: Are we stingy with the tools we give people thinking that it is more important to save money that to build environments that create innovation and new ideas? Many tools cost little more than crayons and paper.
How can you give the space, time, and tools to your people today to inspire them?
