I love to have creativity at work.

I have no artistic skill, I can’t dance, can’t draw, can’t sing – but I like to have new/fun/interesting things to do for work! Happiness at work (and in general!) is very important to me; and for me, having some creativity in the way I work, in my work environment, and in the work that I do makes me happy.

Probably, I’m not alone in this. I’m guessing that most people like to have an element of creativity or fun in the things you do. And you would be correct in thinking that’s a great way to go!!

Creativity at work means we think of new things to try. We solve old problems in new ways. And we have a whole new set of issues we can explore, once we start bringing creativity to the workplace!

Hopefully you are not in one of those stale organizations, where growth has fizzled out, and the robotic response to everything suggested is “But we’ve always done it that way.” (Okay, just typing that made me grind my teeth in annoyance!! Boo!!) Even if you are in there, you can start sneakily adding in creativity to the way you are working. Use colored folders, you rebel, you! Switch up your tea. Suggest a therapy dog program (backed up by funding plans, and research on the positive ROI.)

If you are the one thinking up your annual Staff Training Day program (or whatever your organization calls it), I love this activity! Do you know the marshmallow/spaghetti tower challenge?? You get the chance to try some creative problem solving, and reading through the supporting materials gives you so many ideas about other ways to build teams and solve problems in new ways!

Watch the video below. Or maybe consider reading the instructions and trying this for yourself (get colleagues to help you!), and THEN watch and learn the “secrets” behind the project! (Spoiler Alert: no real secrets; just interesting facts and approaches.)

Here is the material from Tom Wujec’s website on the challenge.

There are millions of other ways to be creative, and to practice your own workplace creativity! We will talk about more strategies; so feel free to leave yours below, or send us an email to admin@cmle.org!