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Key Takeaways
- Loosen your grip — empower your team to lead creative problem-solving.
- Seek diverse perspectives to challenge thinking and spark new innovation.
- Invest in coaching to regain clarity, confidence and creative momentum.
I am sure we all experience productivity downtimes, stifled innovation, burnout and demotivation. When new ideas run dry, it doesn’t just dim the mood; it slows momentum across the business.
For entrepreneurs, especially, learning to rekindle the spark matters most. If the team is running on autopilot or fumes of innovation, it may be time to shake things up and turn a slump into a springboard for fresh ideas.
Recognizing the rut
Entrepreneurs do recognize when they have hit a rut. The passion that once fueled their work may feel distant, and the unique skills that set them apart can seem harder to maximize. Other signs may be feeling “blank,” struggling to come up with new concepts or finding existing ideas unexciting. And the enterprise is not growing and moving forward!
When that happens, the ripple effect can extend to the broader team: employees may seem disengaged or hesitant to come to the table with bigger ideas, worried they’ll be shot down. Because of this, more employees are leaving or growing quiet on the job.
And yet, a creative rut across the team can be a symptom of “founder’s syndrome,” which occurs when the leader becomes too focused on their own vision and loses sight of creating appropriate space for the team to benefit from their input and new ideas. As a result, the team becomes discouraged and may stop sharing their ideas altogether.
Breaking out of it!
When founder’s syndrome creates a creative rut for a team, it’s up to the leader to break the pattern.
To achieve this, they must inspire their teams and themselves to develop new ideas and creative approaches, which can transform challenges into opportunities for growth. If you realize your team is in a creative drought, how can you spark renewed creative passion? Here’s my thinking:
Get uncomfortable. Pull back and empower your team to problem-solve and explore new approaches on their own. It’s possible that letting go of the “founder” reigns will allow your team to become more creative, brainstorm new ideas and offer a new way of doing things. Not only does this signal that you invite and value their ideas, but also, you may be surprised at what they may come up with.
Challenge your point of view. Diverse perspectives breed creativity. Engage your team, leverage your network and seek out other entrepreneurs through industry events or forums. These conversations will expose you to differing viewpoints and experiences, broadening your thinking and breaking out of the creative rut. Different perspectives challenge your thinking and spark ideas—the ideas built upon the perspectives of your entire team will be richer than trying to take on this entire burden for your company by yourself.
Get expert inspiration. Are you in a real creative desert, or is it just a slump? How can you move past it so that it doesn’t impact your team? Turn to the experts. According to a Metrix Global study, executive coaching offers a 788% return on investment — and can enhance collaboration, enrich innovative thinking and improve employee retention. Professional coaching can bring new clarity to the goals and vision for the business.
It can address the doubts and maybe even confidence gaps that may occur. Coaching can help explore other options and find a way to communicate a new direction. Coaching can bring different levels of accountability for making plans and taking action. In other words, one can find a partner in a coach to refine, redirect and maybe even re-strat.
Rekindling the spark
It can be challenging to sustain a bottomless well of innovation, and it’s nearly impossible for any individual to sustain a vision all on their own as a business grows and evolves.
When an entrepreneur holds too tightly to their own specific vision, it can have the unfortunate, unintended effect of boxing out their team members from the process. Don’t let founder’s syndrome rob you of one of your greatest creative resources!
To rekindle creative spark for themself and their team, entrepreneurs can create new ideas, invite broad perspectives and seek the support of a team coach. This will set a path for sustainable creativity with lasting momentum.
Key Takeaways
- Loosen your grip — empower your team to lead creative problem-solving.
- Seek diverse perspectives to challenge thinking and spark new innovation.
- Invest in coaching to regain clarity, confidence and creative momentum.
I am sure we all experience productivity downtimes, stifled innovation, burnout and demotivation. When new ideas run dry, it doesn’t just dim the mood; it slows momentum across the business.
For entrepreneurs, especially, learning to rekindle the spark matters most. If the team is running on autopilot or fumes of innovation, it may be time to shake things up and turn a slump into a springboard for fresh ideas.
