If someone were to ask me what will be the one thing that will keep us building on the positives of a difficult 12 months and I’ll say one thing: Creativity.

Since the start of the pandemic we have been fortunate to work alongside companies of shapes and sizes, all of whom have had to think creatively and to embrace innovation.

Our number one aim has always been to help play a role in keeping everyone, from our company or from those we work with, safe, happy and healthy while weathering the Covid storm.

As a company we have never professed to have all the answers but our nature is to remain open to possibilities, to learn from each other and share ideas and experiences.

Here are a few ideas that I believe could spark your own creativity:

1. Have a united purpose

If you can have a collective purpose that is understood and embraced by everyone in your organisation the creativity will flow creating social capital.

United goals lead to more energy being put into a project. Having purpose is more important than simply thinking of ways to make money. Get the purpose right and that will soon follow.

2. Break down your challenge

We have had great success by breaking challenges down into smaller parts and encouraging cross-department teams to focus on that theme.

By giving people that small area to focus on they think more deeply and more creatively.  They will then get used to that way of working and begin to mirror that process across their roles.

3. Recognising ideas as much as revenue

It’s not just sales and money-making that should be rewarded, ideas that create efficiencies and innovation are just as important to your organisation.

Celebrate and reward that innovation and make the process of making suggestions easy and the ideas will soon flow.

4. Ask your staff and customers what drives them.

Surveys, catch-ups over a coffee and meetings in the fresh air are important to understand where you are, they help you discover the ‘why’ and understand what drives people.

Find out what makes your team lay awake at night and what makes them jump out of bed with excitement.

Understanding the why is key to having the motivation to push things through. People emotionally invested in an idea will give it their constant and unequivocal backing.

5. Have outrageous ambitions

Finally, be creative when setting your goals.  Don’t just settle for small gains, be outrageous and set stretch targets.

Plant a flag in the sand and set a road map of how to get there and the creative ideas will start to flow.

I would be fascinated to know what has been most important to you in getting to where you are today? What creative solutions have you used to overcome the challenge of the pandemic?

If it’s a case of together, we’ll crack it… Let’s crack on!