BEST PRACTICE
The importance of building a Creative Culture at work
by John Reynard
W
ork places work better when there is a positive and creative culture . By creating a culture of cocreation , people join together to produce a mutually valued outcome . It is the cultivation of winwin solutions where efficiency , profitability and staff fulfilment march hand in hand .
However , cocreation also requires trust . If the level of trust is low , misunderstandings occur , fear , shortsightedness and selfishness take the place of reason and poor decisions get made .
So how can we overcome this and create a positive culture ? John Reynard , Business Counsellor and Author of ‘ The Spiritual Route to Entrepreneurial Success ’. spiritedentrepreneur . com has the following advice :
Resist Blaming Outer Circumstances
Blaming outside circumstances such as a recession , government policy or even cancelled orders actually disempowers ourselves . We give away our potential to adapt and close ourselves off from seeing new opportunities .
In every recession there are companies that reinvent themselves and this resurgence is down to them not being entrenched in negative thinking .
Ask yourself : ‘ With regard to ( name the challenge ) what do I need to learn from this situation ?’
Resist judgement and criticism of others
Blaming other people is a result of ‘ projection ’. We all do it and it has the same effect as blaming outer circumstances , we disempower ourselves .
‘ Projection ’ is the term used by psychologists to describe the process by which people hide aspects of themselves they do not want to acknowledge , instead , attributing them to others .
Rather than face what we perceive to be our negative traits , we blame them on others .
Ask yourself : ‘ What is ( name the person ) reminding me of that is actually an aspect of my own personality that I do not like ?’
Practice ‘ Pacing ’
Pacing is when we acknowledge what the other person is saying by repeating back to them what we have heard them say . It demands attentive listening . For example :
Joe – I ’ d really like to understand what you are saying . Can I repeat back what I think you are saying and you can tell me whether or not
I have got it right , and if not where I ’ m going wrong .
Pacing calms situations down , brings deeper understanding and creates trust . It is a listening exercise – you are not agreeing to whatever the other is saying , but you are seeking a deeper understanding .
Nurture Intuition
The Universe is constantly trying to help us free us from our negative ego and it speaks to us through our intuition .
Unfortunately however pressures at work , being hunched over a computer all day , not taking proper breaks and stress generally dumb our intuition .
When we consciously decide to recognise our intuition , it willingly and increasingly communicates to us ; by allowing it space and giving it focus , we strengthen it .
We nurture our intuition by regularly absorbing ourselves in activities that take us completely away from our routine thinking , out of our heads , and into our bodies .
Ask specific questions of our higher self
Our Higher Self , that part of us that is pure and represents the truth of who we really are , wants to lead us to places beyond our limited imagination . It seeks win win solutions .
Although it is expressed spontaneously through intuition , it can also be consulted proactively .
Take a couple of deep breaths , close your eyes , and step back from any immediate emotional ties to the issue .
Then pose the question . The right answer will always carry more vitality and enthusiasm and the first answer is usually the best one .
Anything that comes later risks being influenced by our customary limiting beliefs .
About John Reynard
John started a restaurant with no previous catering experience , sold it as an ongoing concern and built a specialist market research company which became one of the fastest growing and most profitable in Europe . He seeks to balance spirituality with practicality . Whilst the practice of spiritual principles opens the mind to creativity and new ways of solving problems , it needs to be balanced with savvy and common sense ; naivety serves no one . See : spiritedentrepreneur . com
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