Are you a pioneer? This is not a question you have to think about it. If you are a pioneer, you know it. You wake up dreaming about it. You live and breathe it every day.
For some, the pioneer spirit presents itself in the form of entrepreneurship. For others, it takes on the form of invention. Yet for others, it’s the driving force behind their art.
Your pioneer spirit is hard-wired within you. You have been created with it pre-installed, ready to rock and roll and, ultimately, achieve success. As easy as this is to say, however, it’s seldom easy to accomplish.
I have spent my life studying the pioneer spirit in people. When I was a very little girl, I watched my father build a business out of dirt t to feed his young family. He did more than feed us, he showed us how to create opportunity. That’s the salient point—pioneers don’t wait for opportunity, they create it.
The pioneering spirit and the creative spirit are one and the same. The vision in the pioneers’ mind is one that must unfold before the pioneer will ever feel contentment. It is the foundation from which all business grows. Before a business can be managed, it must be created. All the rules of creativity apply: An idea must be articulated clearly. It must be produced with skills that exemplify its domain. It must be recognized and consumed by the community for whom it was created.
Once a business exists, the creativity doesn’t end. If it does so, then the end of the business is not far behind. The faster things change, the faster a business has to adapt—adaptation takes creativity. I like how Richard Branson describes the creative process of business in his book “Business Stripped Bare.” In comparing business to a blank canvas he said, “You start, you pick a colour. The next colour you choose has to work with the first colour…The fourth colour…You’re committed now. You absolutely cannot stop. You are invested.”
On first impression, creativity seems counterintuitive, especially when companies are cutting back. Workloads are heavy, stress is high and fuses often run short. It seems like a new idea is the last thing in the world that is welcome under those circumstances. Indeed, new ideas start to run dry due to lack of time, resources, stress and fear. It’s a tough environment to navigate. Consequently, the modus operandi is to keep one’s head low and make it through the day.
Recently, I attended a program at Brave New Workshop, led by John Sweeney. One session of the program consisted of a panel of business executives whose focus was in part or entirely involved with innovation. Among the questions the panel wrestled with was “Do large organizations kill creativity?” This was my chance, I thought, to gather some insight on the financial problems facing businesses today. I challenged the panel, “How can creativity flourish when businesses are cutting back?” Their response was astoundingly obvious. “Creativity thrives in scarcity.”
“Of course!” I thought to myself. When are the finest works of art created? During times of abundance or scarcity? Creativity is hunger. It is the means of transforming lean situations into opportunities for innovation and wealth. It is the discomfort you feel within when all access to resources close down around you. In one way or another, your creativity, a.k.a. pioneer spirit, will express itself through you. Whether that expression takes the form of an idea that will help solve the prevalent issue or drives you to move on and exercise your talents elsewhere depends much upon the circumstances at hand. It depends on people’s openness to think creatively, listen to one another, avoid assumptions and reject fear.
Creativity can be the difference between reacting to change and profiting from it. Creativity isn’t something you acquire. Nor is it something that may be allowed or disallowed. Whether or not creativity is expressed, it exists. If it isn’t being expressed, the situation is only temporary and eventually creativity will find its own way to surface. The pioneers in your midst are contemplating ways of shaping the future— theirs and possibly yours. If you are listening to one another, creativity can be a powerful strength in your favor.
Is creativity costly? I can assure you that collaborative ideation is cost-effective for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is keeping team members engaged and on purpose. Secondly, if your team’s creativity is aligned and productive, its members are less likely to be creating workarounds to cope or escape. Finally, creative expression improves health by alleviating frustration and preventing burnout.
Unfortunately, when stress is at its highest, our bandwidth is maxed to the limit and the temptation to ignore distraction is at its peak. Survival mode kicks in, and we as leaders are less inclined to hear the words “I have an idea,” let alone believe in their possibility. It becomes just another thing on the list to deal with, and our lists are already too long. Ironically, that is the time, more than any, when creativity can perform with utmost brilliance. Therefore, no matter how strapped for time you and your department may have become, build within your schedule the opportunity to collaborate and create. Let your team collaborate with you on a method that works best. Seek and procure approval from the top—start a creative movement and learn to create together.
If you are a pioneer, take heart and be thankful for the creative spirit that ignites within you. Just think of how dull and uninspired the world would be without restless, passionate people like yourself. You make life better for everyone. You break down the walls of disbelief and disillusion. In so doing, you innovate and invent new solutions that propel us forward. Your success inspires others to pursue their own. Share your talents with those who are ready and willing to listen to you. Collaborate where you can, whether it’s in the conference room on the 20th floor, the basement of your home, or in your buddy’s garage. Sooner or later, your pioneering spirit will create an opportunity for success.