Everyday Creative

Chapter OneAn Identity Crisis

It’s not your fault,but it is your responsibility

‘Myke, I love what you’ve got planned but I’m a little concerned. This might be a bit much for our people. Can we dial back the creative stuff a bit? We want them to be challenged but we don’t want to make them uncomfortable.’

It was our fifth face-to-face meeting in as many months. The GM, HR director and L&D (learning and development) manager of a mid-sized accounting firm were sitting opposite me. We were once again crammed in a small windowless meeting room to discuss their upcoming conference (which I’d been engaged to design and facilitate). Aside from the pleasantries and a few logistical updates, this delightful group of leaders spent the vast majority of our conversation trying to lower my expectations of their people.

They seemed hell bent on reaffirming how ‘un-creative’ their team was. Fixated on their introversion. Obsessed with their bias for linear process. Anxious about their apparent inability to cope with anything ‘outside the box’.

If my experience with people, both in and outside corporate life, has taught me anything, it’s that everyone has a unique capacity for creativity. And when given the opportunity, placed in the right context and supported by the right conditions …

Even the most reserved, rational or risk-averse among us yearns to unleash their wild, untamed self.

‘We’ll be fine’, I said. ‘I have a feeling they’re going to surprise you.’

Fast forward three weeks ...