Can you remember a leader who encouraged you to think differently?
What questions did they ask? How did they behave with you and with others?
Your responses to these questions will give you insights into how leaders make it feel safe for you to speak up or to experiment with a new idea. Having the right environment is key for creativity to flourish and the leader’s behaviour is key to creating this environment. In the right environment team members will be curious, ask lots of questions and seek out new information.
Barbara Wilson and I have put together some useful insights into the role of the leader as a coach and facilitator that may help you in your efforts to encourage creativity. If you are the leader of a team you have multiple roles such as facilitator and coach. Let’s look at these roles in turn.
Leader as facilitator
Facilitation is an important and often undervalued competence. As a facilitator you will typically use a combination of individual reflection and group processes to get the best ideas and to help eliminate conformity of thinking.
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