
Why leaders should learn to value the boundary spanners
Entrepreneurial talent who work with other teams often run into trouble with their managers. Here are ways to get the most out of your ‘boundary spanners’...
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by George Kohlrieser Published October 10, 2024 in Brain Circuits • 6 min read
Source article: Command and control kill creativity and fresh thinking
Psychological safety is the foundation of any creatively inclined team, where members can express their ideas without fear of ridicule. They are more likely to collaborate, take on challenges, and contribute to problem-solving, leading to higher job satisfaction and performance.
“Encourage your team to think differently to push the boundaries of what’s considered possible. ”
The next step on the path to greater creativity is to stimulate risk-taking. Encourage your team to think differently to push the boundaries of what’s considered possible.
Following on from the above, encourage more risk-taking by reducing the number of rules. This eliminates complex and restrictive barriers that stop people from doing their best work. It also signals to employees that they are trusted to be themselves and make good decisions.
Teams are unlikely to come up with new ideas if members all share the same background. Interdisciplinary approaches and diverse teams that bring different ways of thinking about problems are vital to finding solutions for the challenges facing business and society.
This involves envisioning a future state you wish to achieve, and then working backward to see the steps to get there.
One approach to out-of-the-box thinking is the “future back” framework. This involves envisioning a future state you wish to achieve, and then working backward to see the steps to get there.
This is where you teach your team to ask open-ended and exploratory questions, such as, “I wonder if…” or “In what ways can we…?” rather than defensively shutting down new ideas by finding reasons why they won’t work.
“Creativity is impossible without failure.”
Creativity is impossible without failure. Leaders should create a culture where employees are not paralyzed by fear of making mistakes and where “failures” are seen as part of a positive learning process.
Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour at IMD
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD and Director of the High Performance Leadership program, the Advanced High Performance Leadership program, and the Inspirational Leadership program. He serves as a consultant to several global companies including Accenture, Amer Sports, Borealis, Cisco, Coca-Cola, HP, Hitachi, IBM, IFC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Morgan Stanley, Motorola, NASA, Navis, Nestlé, Nokia, Pictet, Rio Tinto, Roche, Santander, Swarovski, Sara Lee, Tetra Pak, Toyota, and UBS.
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Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour at IMD
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD and Director of the High Performance Leadership program, the Advanced High Performance Leadership program, and the Inspirational Leadership program. He serves as a consultant to several global companies including Accenture, Amer Sports, Borealis, Cisco, Coca-Cola, HP, Hitachi, IBM, IFC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Morgan Stanley, Motorola, NASA, Navis, Nestlé, Nokia, Pictet, Rio Tinto, Roche, Santander, Swarovski, Sara Lee, Tetra Pak, Toyota, and UBS.
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