People who are labeled creative are also considered independent, risk takers, dare to differ, challenge traditions, bed a few rules and know how to make waves.
Yet, the untold story is that they also face a lot of failure, criticism, embarrassment, and are most likely to make fools of themselves.
You cannot have one side without the other. They come as a package.
Are you ready for 2022?
Taking a break during work does not necessarily restore your energy.
It depends on what you do in it.
Activities you take during your break influence your energy levels and subsequent performance. John Trougakos and his colleagues make a major distinction between breaks characterized as respite and chores.
A “Respite” break happens when you stop working as well as thinking about work and participate in activities that has a relaxing or pleasant experience. For example, you take a brief walk, listen to music, or surf the Web (aimlessly).
In contrast, a “chores” break happens when you stop the work you are doing, but turn attention toward another work-related responsibility. For example, checking email or making a to-do list for the rest of the week. In these cases, activities involving mental efforts continue to take place during the break, thereby preventing the restoration of energy levels.
In their book “Thriving under stress”, Britt and Jex explore studies that explain the results of increased positive emotional displays after “respite” breaks, compared to the negative emotions produced after the “chores” breaks.
So, keep this mind the next time you want to take a break. If your next break happens to be a “chores” one, know that you’re exercising at least some level of self-control that’s not allowing your brain to fully restore its energy level. Only breaks characterized by detachment from primary work tasks will aid in the restoration of energy levels needed for performance.
Not all breaks are created equal.
Choose wisely.
Taking a respite break, cheers,
Randah Taher
You are an Intrapreneur. A maverick. A corporate innovator.
It feels sometimes that you’re a lone wolf.
You see things differently. There are always possibilities. You swim against the stream. There seems to be a lot of inefficiency. You wish your superiors will simplify things and consider a new point of view.
It feels sometimes you’re a misfit. Yet somehow you are connected to others and have a reputation of getting things done, even if in your own unique way. That gives you a chance of being heard. You have some proof to vouch for your creative ideas.
Sometimes you get stuck with others not understanding your solution or getting on board with it. Sometimes you can’t seem to move the discussion beyond the “we don’t have a budget” and the “this is now how we do it here” broken records.
You wonder if you’re singing a lonely song or you still cannot find your pack.
I hear you. And truly understand your situation. I’m here to listen to stories if you wish to share. You can stay anonymous and find a cool nickname to use. An animal, a plant or an object of your choice.
By sharing your story with others, you’ll be able to connect with other mavericks, and see how new versions of the same stories have sold its dilemmas.
The destination to your happy place is out there, you can reach and celebrate with like-minded mavericks, if you’ll howl a bit louder today.
Tell me what’s on your mind. I’m listening.
#IAmAMavericks
Companies pay for our minds. And we do must of our work sitting on desks. Yet all the inspiration that we’re paid for comes when we go for a break or leave for lunch. For some of us who sleep during work hours, our brilliance comes to live right after that nap.
Our company will pay heavily for a big desk and a washed wall paint, yet little attention is paid for hallway interaction. The old-school water cooler corner that hosts so many conversations with hidden opportunities of intra-departments idea collaboration. It has been assumed it’s a gossip hole and a place where the boss should never see you standing in.
So much lost potential.
The drama intensifies these days with our remote work and online connections. No longer a chance to meet a colleague from another department or notice a client visit on a different floor. Every moment is cemented in useless meetings and we leave nothing to chance. No time to create.
Research in creativity shows the need for us to spend time in a place where no structured agenda is offered yet plenty of props and tools to help play with ideas. A space where we can play, sketch, build, read or write things that don’t seem to go in a single direction at first but eventually builds a concept with the help of other people with unique perspectives. It requires a big faith in our inner, buried, creative process.
Creativity rooms such as this may seem like a luxury in certain organizations but the need for it is ever more present in our high-stress environment. We keep huffing inside the circle like a poorly-fed wheel-running hamster without taking the time to realize that we’re still inside the cage. If only we can see things from a different angle.
Take the time today to create this space. Design a time and place for chance to happen. Create a remote coffee break room, invite colleagues to an online game before work, have a daily check-in routine with random employees just to say hi. Basic rules of improv applies in any such interaction: No agenda, no job titles involved, have random conversations and listen, and ofcourse, keep practicing the “yes, and” and other improv rules.
Stay playful,
Randah
p.s. For those curious about their own thinking preferences and wanting to learn how to facilitate creative online conversations, we are offering a pilot 3-hour Mavericks Masterclass on October 18.
In my design leadership class few years ago, I handed a bunch of chess and checkers game boards to students and asked them to get into groups and play.
The topic was the difference between leaders and managers. The game boards were used to clarify the concept. Students soon realized that like the manager, the Checkers’ player’s job was to build a winning strategy. Any chip can do the job since they all move in the same direction (forward and diagonal only).
While in Chess, the winning player needed to be familiar with each piece, move it according to its strengths, to achieve the ever-changing strategy thought of at the beginning. In a way, similar to the successful organizational leader who designs the strategy, influences others and helps them use their own skills in reaching a vision, all the while changing course to fit the new circumstances until they arrive to … checkmate!
What game board inspired you with ideas to conquer?