Collaborate And Create For Business Growth
Entrepreneurship is alive and well with 27 million Americans either starting or running a new business. Research from the 2014 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, sponsored by Babson and Baruch Colleges, offers a positive outlook noting that “24% of U.S. entrepreneurs expect to employ 20 or more people within the next five years, up from 16% in 2012.” The same study also places Canadian entrepreneurship rising, second only to the United States.
Collaboration and creativity can significantly contribute to a company’s success
A 2014 Kapost blog by creativity consultant Katrina Pfannkuch lists 10 Stats on Creativity That Will Change the Way You Do Business.
Three highlights:
- Six in 10 CEOs cite creativity as the most important leadership quality.
- 75% of people feel they are not living up to their creative potential. (Imagine what businesses can achieve if leaders unleash their team’s talent.)
- Creative industries boast faster job growth than other sectors of the economy.
Choose your team carefully and keep it to a manageable size
Approach as if you’re creating a recipe. A team leader must be confident and able to delegate. An outgoing creative person can excite team members and open the door to group brainstorming. Someone with detail skills can keep track of what the group decides and what steps must be taken. Each “ingredient” will come together so that the best ideas are fully “baked.”
One way to expand the team’s ability to collaborate is to draw upon professionals who work from home. The infographic “The Evolution of Creative Collaboration” by cloud-software provider WebDAM estimates 20 to 30 million people work remotely at least once a week, accessing files and teams from the Cloud, increasing productivity and fostering innovation. When individuals change their routine, such as from an office to home environment, creativity can flourish.
Trust is vital to collaboration
It takes time to develop; it isn’t automatic. Yoram Soloman, who wrote “The Dynamics of a Creative Team” for Innovation Excellence, an online resource for optimizing creativity, explains that there are ways to speed the process. He notes three important factors:
- Partner team members with a personal relationship.
- Use bonding and team-building activities to create shared life experiences.
- Encourage face-to-face meetings whenever possible.
Above all, fuel your team with confidence. Give them a clear goal and the time and materials required to make it happen. Model how the team should operate. Listen, discuss and welcome all ideas from every team member. Once goals are achieved, recognize the individual efforts of each person.
Collaboration and creativity have been integral to Liquid Capital’s model for helping businesses succeed. Ask about our growth and back-office support that impacts businesses throughout North America day after day.
