Ways to Harness Intuition and Creativity in your Work
Being creative is something I think about often in my work. After all, the gifts we bring to whatever work we are doing is the uniqueness in our ideas and the insight and energy to implement them.
Along with my coaching and consulting business, I co-founded a membership organization called The Table eleven months ago. To learn more, see here.
Before it was launched, all I had was a problem that I knew I wanted to be a solution for. Joining up with the cofounder and bouncing ideas off of a founding board helped set the stage for the idea to become a reality. Today, the Table has more than 215 members with 15 company sponsors and is changing the way diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are implemented in our community.
The most important thing I do to cultivate creativity in my work
is to grow and utilize my intuition.
Does your intuition serve you well when you use it? Most people use this gut sense in a moment of decision. I like to use it when developing new ideas or reinvigorating myself on a current project or job.
Here’s how:
Start with a brain dump. I think of everything I possibly can about the topic and record them on a piece of paper, grouping similar thoughts. It is a messy process as I use it as a “clearing” to get everything out of my head.
Picture a future time with the project completed and successful. What does that look like? I describe it in detail on paper. This helps to clarify what success looks like to me. For instance, if we are sitting here a year from now, tell me what it looks like.
Make a personal mission statement. I make sure I know why this is important to me. It is a deep why – answering the question of how it fits into the reason I think I am here on this earth. If I already have a personal mission statement (and I do), I ask how it fits with that.
Brainstorm with myself. Next I actually have a brainstorming meeting with myself. I do this brainstorming in two ways. First, what opportunities and steps can I think of? Next, I move it to my intuition. What is my gut sense on this? What is coming to me that may defy all regular thinking? I am amazed at what comes to me here. Oftentimes my intuition gives me new thoughts, ideas, and encouragement. Sometimes it nudges me to move forward in a way I am not sure I completely understand.
Determine next best step. In my work, I have come to believe in this concept, rather than developing an entire detailed plan. This is the “build the plane while you are flying it” philosophy. The reason for it, when I have a really creative idea – I am not entirely sure how it will come together. So, instead, I determine my next best step. Once that is complete and new information is learned, I decide another next best step.
Revisit my mission, intuition, and best next step often. This is what motivates me, keeps me on track, and moves me forward.
Creativity and innovation are not only sought after in today’s business community but provide solutions and purpose in our personal lives. I remind myself; companies are just people who take at least one step toward their mission every day. Utilizing your intuition in your creative process can bring you more in touch with cultivating what counts in your life.