Open Culture Encourages Creative Thinking

I recently presented a project update to a group of 20 people and a funny thing happened during the process of prepping for the presentation:  it grew into something that was about more than the update, and it demonstrated something important about the factors that drive us to build better businesses.

Think of the exercise by envisioning PowerPoint slides: first I created two slides that contained the update … fact based statements, data, and dates. As I thought about the audience, I realized that I had to create context … so I wrapped slides around the core content that gave some history, explained what concurrent activities we being managed, and explained next steps and goals.

In the process, I found myself adding information about the culture we were trying to create because in the process of creating the slides, I saw very clearly that our cultural goals dwarfed everything else in terms of their long-term impact on success … and on my goal of getting the group excited about the work that needed to be done.

This isolated example made me think about wrapping cultural goals around our work in general and how important that is. Developing and vocalizing cultural goals (open exchange of ideas, value of creative expression, freedom to be wrong) sends a strong and motivating message to your coworkers and collaborators:

I value these goals because I value people.

And if you think any of this is fluff, just remember the times where you worked in a toxic culture (we’ve all been there) … remember what it means to your revenue and margins to have employees bullied, ignored, demeaned, and made to feel cautious. Nobody should have to think twice about sharing an idea …. This state needs 100 ideas an hour from motivated people in order to find our way!

What is your culture like? Do you participate in and encourage the kind of work that drives breakthrough innovation?

Or do you play silly games or work for someone who makes you shy away from fully engaging? Michigan does not have time for that kind of B.S.

What do you think?

What Drives Us to Innovate?

I had a long lunch conversation this week with six co-workers at i3Logic. I call it a “brown-bag brainstorm.” It is a corny way of referring to something important about our company culture: the importance of having open conversations about the direction of the company where everybody has a voice and everybody makes a contribution.

Because part of our business is focused on developing tools that contribute to a smarter more efficient workplace, we got talking about the kinds of things we could do to tap creativity, encourage collaboration, and do great things.

Some of our discussion was influenced by an animation of Daniel Pink’s Drive. (http://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc)  The animation is well done and, in combination with Pink’s refreshing and thought-provoking point of view, it prompted some fun and useful conversation about how we could continue to build a healthy culture by tapping into the motivating elements that Pink talks about: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose.

-            Autonomy: the desire to be self-directed. Fulfill it and you get engagement. Results in new innovation, more creativity, and better business

-            Mastery: the desire to be great at something. Everybody wants to be better at something they enjoy. Drives expertise which drives problem solving and explains why people want to create free things

-            Purpose: the connection between profit and doing things people believe in. Results in better products, better services, and an ability to recruit better and better talent.

How important is motivation to you and your co-workers? How well does your company or organization’s culture encourage these motivating influences? I believe that the success of the future knowledge workforce is linked to building culture that recognizes and encourages these values.  What do you think?

Meet Dan Keelan!

Dan Keelan has a question –how we can equip an evolving workforce with the tools, community, and learning needed to thrive today and tomorrow. That is what he intents to answer and execute.

At i3Logic, Dan’s focus is on products and services that better educate and equip everybody for the challenges of a changing economy. Specifically in Michigan, Dan’s concern is in moving all of us toward a culture of innovation; an openness to risk-taking, and a society that values creativity as the key ingredient in building successful people, families, communities, and companies.

Dan is experienced in strategic planning, marketing, and sales within large businesses and start-up ventures such as the recent launch of Creative Impact Michigan.

A graduate of Wayne State University, Dan and his wife live in Dearborn with their children Noah, Adam, Nathan, and their dog Hero.

i3logic.net

Motivating Michigan

I hear lots of talk about entrepreneurs, about creators, about growth in certain sectors, and about how new ideas are the fuel for growth. What I wonder is this: why do people create and invent? What makes somebody do the hard work that it takes to turn an idea into a business? If we all knew the answer, then wouldn’t we want to use that insight to motivate all of our neighbors?

Of course it is not just one thing that drives each of us. When I think about the world of work, I think that there are lots of forces driving behavior … some of those make us better innovators (or not), some make us risk-takers (or not) and some make us good workers (and, often, not.)

That’s an interesting word, yes?  A “worker.” Someone who does work. It’s kind of a word that doesn't say much or, depending on how you read it, says a lot. On a given day you can talk to people who enjoy work, who think that work is honorable, who push themselves through a 9-5 schedule, who wish they didn’t have to work, or who cannot envision retirement.

Work gets tied up with concepts like meaning, worth, responsibility, profit, ownership, accomplishment, and value. So it is a simple word with lots of not-so-simple concepts attached to it.

The politicians keep talking about jobs …. Good, we need them. But I want to talk about work – that’s different. The world of work, the value of work, the future of work, the work ethic, and the way our communities contribute to and are enriched by a rich work culture.

Between now and the Michigan Emerging event, I’m going to explore topics like:

• The ways that jobs are created

• Evolving workplace expectations

• Healthy vs toxic work environments

• The multiple generations in the workforce and how they learn, communicate, and think about success differently

• Today’s college graduates and where they find meaning

• The role of communications and collaborative technology in all of the above

• More stuff I haven’t thought about

Please join the conversation. If I just write something every few days we will all get bored. If you get involved, it might still be boring, but I doubt it.