5 Ways to Inspire Employees With Creative Insight

In our work at Stride, we get to see all kinds of creative businesses. A few are big companies, but we have a lot of small businesses too, often with just 3-4 employees.

When you talk to people from these firms, you can just feel the passion they have for their work. They have to be this way, because without that creative energy they wouldn’t have succeeded as a business. They come from many different industries, and they all have different personalities and work cultures.

But if there is one thing (beyond passion) they all seem to have in common, it’s this: they’re insanely insightful. They see opportunities in places other people don’t, and they solve problems in ways that other businesses wouldn’t dream of, let alone follow through with.

And it’s not just the owners. Talk to any employee at these companies and they’ll tell you story after story of novel and creative insights their teams have come up with that have grown the business significantly or solved impossibly big problems.

Most people wouldn’t want to take on industry-leading companies, especially not with a tiny startup. All they can see is how much money the competition has or what great products they’re up against. Insightful leaders see the same thing, but in reverse.

We are inspired by these kinds of people, or I am anyway. I think they have much to teach us about business and about life. In particular, the owners of these firms operate with a mindset that continually seeks new and interesting insights, and they’ve taught their employees how to do the same.

Here are 5 ways we see them do it:

1. They See Constraints as Possibility in Disguise

Most people wouldn’t want to take on industry-leading companies, especially not with a tiny startup. All they can see is how much money the competition has or what great products they’re up against.

Insightful leaders see the same thing, but in reverse. They see huge possibilities in the spaces in between their competitors’ strengths.

Who’s the biggest bully in your industry? What areas are they particular strong in? What ways are these strengths actually weaknesses?

Being first to market, for example, is great. But if a company is focused on the features of its shiny new product and not on continually finding new and insightful ways to serve its clients, they won’t hold their advantage for long.

2. They Make Chance Work in Their Favor

There’s a great 4-part series up on YouTube of Ira Glass just sitting in a studio riffing on the creative process. If your job is in any way connected to sales and marketing, it’s worth the 30 minutes to listen to from start to finish.

Ira, if you didn’t know, is the guy behind NPR’s This American Life, one the most popular story-based radio shows and podcast pretty much ever. Ira’s at the top of his field, one of the best storytellers of our generation.

Do your employees know the impact they’re having on real people using your product in the real world? If not, it’s unlikely they’re as motivated and productive as they could be.

In part 2 of the series, he said something that’s never left me. It’s haunting really. He said that he and his staff go out and record a lot of interviews for stories, and “between a third and a half” of the time, once they review the tape afterward, they end up killing the story.

And to Ira, this is a good thing. This is doing it right. Because, “if you’re not failing all the time, you’re not creating a situation where you can get super lucky.”

We’ve seen this strategy work in business too, with firms that try all kinds of things but are ruthless about cutting what doesn’t work in order to make way for the things that do.

The insight is in knowing what to cut and what to hold on to.

3. They’re Locked in on the Problem They Solve

Ask a lot of companies what they do and they’ll answer, “we make [insert product] for [insert target audience].”

Creative firms think differently. They usually started out when their founder (or founders) got frustrated with a problem and decided to fix it. That fix became the company’s first product. Sure, they like their product, but it’s the problem they’re solving that really gets them going. It’s a refreshing perspective, especially for companies making software and other high-tech products.

4. They’re Idea Thieves (from Other Industries)

The idea for your next big product or innovation is probably out there in the market somewhere. Just not in your market.

It’s been said that true creativity is really nothing but the combining of already existing ideas. Go to the bookstore one day and flip through a trade journal from an business area you know nothing about. You might be surprised to find something no one else in your industry is doing.

5. They’re Having Fun

Finally, because they’re still locked in on solving customer problems, creative firms have way more fun than their bigger, slower rivals.

The idea for your next big product or innovation is probably out there in the market somewhere. Just not in your market.

There’s a lot of information out there about how to create great culture. Some of it is helpful, but from what we’ve seen, nothing creates an inspiring workplace more than a small team of people who know that the work they’re doing is having a positive impact on their customer’s lives.

Do your employees know the impact they’re having on real people using your product in the real world? If not, it’s unlikely they’re as motivated and productive as they could be.

Take a page from these small, creative firms. Get connected with your customers, and get your employees connected too. Only then will your company begin to generate the breakthrough insights that will drive your business into the future.

And you’ll have more fun doing it too.

Did you like today’s post? If so you’ll love our frequent newsletter! Sign up HERE and receive The ExchangeGain Change Playbook, by Shawn Murphy, as our thanks to you!

Image credit: thesupe87 / 123RF Stock Photo

Mike Kamo

Mike Kamo is an internet entrepreneur who has helped companies such as kimberlysnyder.net and quicksprout.com grow into the giant websites they are today. He now focuses on his and Neil Patel’s sales CRM strideapp.com. Stride is a cloud based CRM and mobile App that helps small to medium sized agencies manage and track leads, along with close more deals.