Sales and marketing teams need collaborative work environments to succeed. New ideas, innovation and problem-solving are only possible when you foster creativity among the group. Use these simple strategies to spark more creativity on your team.
Focus on Diversity
If everyone on your team comes from similar backgrounds and has had similar life experiences, they will also have similar ideas and approaches to work. Hiring people from different generations and backgrounds who have unique life experiences can instantly boost creativity on your team. Diverse teams challenge one another and tend to be more successful over time. Building a diverse team isn’t a fast process, so you can begin by mixing up groups who typically work together to force people to step away from familiar patterns.
Embrace Constructive Failure
A great idea is not always a successful idea. Sometimes, a genius idea takes several iterations to succeed, but if you want your team to push through failure to try new things and become more creative, it pays to recognize people when they think outside the box. Recognizing good ideas regardless of success or failure shows the team it is safe to test out creative ideas without fear. The key, however, is to use failures to improve ideas and ultimately succeed.
Knock Down Physical Walls
People are more likely to collaborate when they are in close proximity to one another, which has driven the rise in popularity of open floor plans. While trendy, these floor plans are not always practical (or a good idea). However, you can create the illusion of an open floor plan by literally breaking down barriers and shortening cubicle walls or rearranging cubicles.
Make Brainstorming a Group Activity
You can coach your team to embrace brainstorming by making it a regular group activity. During each team meeting present a real challenge facing a client, a team member, a campaign, project, etc. Set a timer for five minutes and ask people to write down their ideas no matter how crazy they may seem. Collect the ideas and place them all on a whiteboard or poster board and ask the team to vote on them as they have time. You’ll likely find some creative ways to solve problems and you will get your team in the mindset of expressing and exploring ideas as they have them.
If you are looking for more tips on fostering creativity or if you are seeking creative sales and marketing talent for your ag business, contact the expert agriculture recruiters at Morris Bixby today. Our process is streamlined, accurate and efficient to ensure you have access to the skilled, well-matched marketing professionals you need.
