Creative energy flourishes under the right conditions
Economic cycles rise and fall. They always have and always will. Yet, some businesses thrive under both conditions—although to varying degrees. What’s their secret?
Simply put: perspective. It’s a phenomenon in corporate culture that has proven itself time and again. Businesses that remain stable, or even grow, during challenging economic times share a distinctly different internal set of values and beliefs. Their entire workforce is infused with a sense that they can, and should, be able to reinvent themselves in a changing market—and are given the tools to help them do so.
Consider a few examples from the last recession. In 2001, many industries were hit hard, retail and technology among them. Yet, at a time when so many of their competitors hunkered down, stopped spending, and took drastic cost-cutting measures, Tesco, the UK retailer, and Intel, the global technology company, took a different approach—they seized opportunities. Tesco changed its consumer message while Intel invested in new production facilities, and both emerged as reenergized and stronger brands. (For a more thorough discussion on these and similar cases, we recommend Winning in Turbulence by Darrell Rigby at link.
What these companies demonstrated at that time is the power of perception. Think about your own focus right now and how your overall corporate culture views the latest challenges. Are you going to slow production, grind business to a halt and lay low until the economy recovers? Or, are you going to get creative and seek new ways to increase the value of every dollar that you spend?
Your answer speaks volumes about the vitality of your organization and its viability for the future. Here’s why: a cost-cutting focus breeds fear and resentment. As a manager, you will hear, “We don’t have what we had last year. We have to do more with less,” and so on. It’s a negative position and a temporary fix. On the other hand, if you are asking your colleagues to join you in brainstorming sessions to figure out new ways to increase the value of every dollar available to spend, then you are in a creative phase with opportunities for business growth and development, and unlimited potential for the future.
Recently, Trustmark, a global insurance company, made it a corporate mission to actively find new areas for growth. After hearing an inspiring presentation by the president and CEO, Lanny Hoel, a vice president of Organizational Development, describes his initial thoughts: “The CEO was asking us to reinvent ourselves, yet we were entrenched in a culture that was process and production oriented. Senior management wanted us to be more creative, but we needed the tools to help people do this.” Mr. Hoel turned to Celemi partner Sharon Collins of Catalyst Concepts, who introduced him to The Medici Game™, Celemi’s hands-on seminar that helps people “think like innovators.” The seminar has gone on to generate lots of ideas for saving time and money for Trustmark. To learn more about Celemi’s tools for business creativity and development click here.
