1. 4/29/2015 The 3 Elements Needed to Build Creative Genius in the Workplace
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INSPIRATION
The 3 Elements Needed
to Build Creative Genius
in the Workplace
Stephan Wiedner
APRIL 07, 2014
We often think of creativity as something that’s difficult
to harness -- that elusive “aha!” moment that strikes in
the shower or when driving home from work.
Companies have tried with mixed success to increase
the chances of light bulb moments but creativity is still
considered something you just have to “let happen.”
Yet, if you examine the science behind creative
thought, you can isolate the elements that contribute to
creativity and use these behaviors to benefit your
company.
Element 1: Curiosity. This is one ingredient that nearly
all creative geniuses have in common. Albert Einstein
once wrote, “I have no special talents. I am only
passionately curious,” and in his biography of Leonardo
da Vinci, author Peter J. Gelb concluded that the root of

2. 4/29/2015 The 3 Elements Needed to Build Creative Genius in the Workplace
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da Vinci’s greatness was his “unrelenting quest for
continuous learning.”
Marcial Losada, a psychologist and expert on team
dynamics, found that the most successful teams exhibit
a higher ratio of inquiry statements (asking questions)
than advocacy statements (defending a point of view).
For instance, if someone has an idea for a new
marketing campaign, an inquirer might ask, “How
quickly do you think we could roll that out?” Conversely,
a statement of advocacy says, “That would take three
months to roll out.”
Related: Five Creativity Exercises to Find Your
Passion
Companies looking to increase creativity should start by
encouraging employees to ask more questions.
Element 2: Outward thinking. Losada also discovered
that the most successful teams make a higher ratio of
“other-focused statements,” meaning they embrace
outside points of view. So rather than focusing on
themselves, they tend to shift their attention outward,
informing their own work by collaborating and studying
what others are doing.
In his book “Steal Like an Artist,” author and artist
Austin Kleon says, “All creative work builds on what
came before.” He has a point. Often, originality comes
from combining, building on and improving ideas.

3. 4/29/2015 The 3 Elements Needed to Build Creative Genius in the Workplace
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Individuals and companies can be more creative simply
by examining the world openly, absorbing new
experiences and ideas and deciding what’s worth
“stealing.”
Element 3: Positivity. Recent research shows that
happiness in the workplace causes people to work
harder and be more productive. What’s more, another
study found that people are more creative when they
feel happy and intrinsically motivated.
Related: From Beethoven to Marissa Mayer: The
Bizarre Habits of Highly Creative People
David Logan, Ph.D. and author of Tribal Leadership,
points out that great teams move from thinking “I’m
great” to “we’re great,” ultimately reaching the level of
“life is great.” This positive outlook broadens your point
of view and enhances your creative problem-solving
abilities.
With all this supportive evidence promoting creativity,
how can companies motivate employees to get their
creative juices flowing? Here are Here are some tactics
to cultivate these three elements and boost creativity
within your company:
Organize lunch-and-learn events. Uncover your
employees’ unusual skills and passions by organizing a
monthly lunch event that allows them to share their
cooking skills or love of vintage bikes. Your employees

4. 4/29/2015 The 3 Elements Needed to Build Creative Genius in the Workplace
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will learn something new while forming stronger
relationships as they uncover common interests.
Invest in coaching for your employees. The ability to
ask questions, focus on others and maintain positivity
are teachable skills. Training from a life coach can give
your employees tools they can immediately implement
with customers and co-workers.
Related: Seven Steps to Coaching Your Employees to
Success
Shake up your meeting agendas. If your team has
regular meetings, consider a few simple and impactful
agenda changes. Opening meetings with good news
will stimulate more positivity on your team. When
discussing problems, incorporate five “whys” to help
employees examine the issue with greater curiosity and
understand the cause of the problem. To encourage
more other-focused behaviors, ask meeting participants
to acknowledge and thank other team members when
reporting their own progress and successes.
Incorporate creative time. Google is known for its “20
percent time” policy; Facebook is known for its
hackathons. When possible, give employees time to
work on projects of their choosing to cultivate curiosity.
(Employees can attend a Startup Weekend event to get
their creative juices flowing.)
Ask your employees. Not sure what other tactics will

5. 4/29/2015 The 3 Elements Needed to Build Creative Genius in the Workplace
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INSPIRATION
How to Lead and Succeed
by Expecting Your Best
Image credit: Charlie Batch | Facebook
encourage creativity among your employees? Be a
model of curiosity by asking them yourself. Your team is
likely to have great suggestions.
Don’t wait around for ideas to strike in the shower. You
can orchestrate more creative breakthroughs. Just
harness the power of science by embracing curiosity,
looking to others and cultivating a positive outlook at
your company. You’ll be amazed by the results.
Related: How to Assemble a Creative Team That
Clicks
Charlie Batch

6. 4/29/2015 The 3 Elements Needed to Build Creative Genius in the Workplace
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Contributor
NFL Quarterback And Speaker
APRIL 25, 2015
At some point in our lives, most of us have heard it: You’re not
good enough. You’re not smart enough. And even if you try,
greatness won't come from you.
Related: 5 Ways We Can All Silence Our Inner Crow
Many of us hear and feel these messages growing up as kids
and then throughout our adult lives in business. I heard it the
first time as a 7-year-old kid from Homestead, Pennsylvania,
who dared to say I wanted to grow up to be a Pittsburgh
Steeler.
Today, I have lived my dream, not only as an NFL quarterback
for my hometown team, but also as a founder of the Best of
the Batch Foundation and a sports commentator.Today, I am
also an entrepreneur, partnering with universities to bring
breakthrough health and wellness technologies to market.
As such, I'm the very antithesis of those early lies about low
expectations that I countered as a boy. While it wasn’t always
easy getting to this point, I eventually learned -- with support
from friends, family, coaches and teammates -- to “throw the
challenge flag” at those lies and doubts I had allowed to grow
within myself. I found a way to expect my best, which in turn
has allowed me to lead and succeed. Here are the three parts
of my formula:
1. Be ready.
Being ready means putting in the work daily that others do

7. 4/29/2015 The 3 Elements Needed to Build Creative Genius in the Workplace
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only occasionally. As the backup QB for the Steelers, I learned
to take the reps I could get on the practice field, and take
mental reps when I was on the sidelines. That physical and
mental preparedness took me to three Super Bowls.
2. Be resilient.
We all get knocked down; it’s how you get up again that
counts. When I was a student at Eastern Michigan University,
my younger sister Danyl was shot and killed in the crossfire of
gang violence. When I made it to the crime scene, I had a
choice: Retaliate or be resilient. I chose resiliency and created
the Best of the Batch Foundation. Today, each year we help
more than 3,000 kids prepare for brighter futures.
Related: How Do You Build Resilience?
3. Be the pro.
Being the pro means stepping up and taking
responsibility, treating others with dignity and respect and
giving back to the communities that have given us so much.
When you expect your best in business and in life, amazing
things can happen. Ask yourself, “What is your goal? What is
your personal Super Bowl?” Then be ready, be resilient and
be the pro to lead and succeed.
Related: So You Think You Have Something to Prove?