One Apple A Day #145
To lighten a room with a candle you need at least three things. The candle obviously, something to light it up and air. We often forget the importance of the air, because we are in it. But if you cover the candle with a glass, the flame will slowly die. It is a typical experiment done in school to explain how combustion works.
So, you need some substance to burn and sustain the flame, something to sparkle the fire and enough air to let the fire breathes and live.
Creativity and innovation are similar to that candle. They cast a light on the world, and allow everyone to see more.
Like in the example of the candle you need at least three things. A substance to burn and feed the flame, a combination of knowledge, data and skills. Then you need something to sparkle the flame, to ignite the creative process. Your intuition. Finally, you need the air. We often forget the importance of the air. The fire won’t start if you don’t let it breathe. If you want to unleash your creativity, you need air. You must create the space, inside and outside, for the flame to start and thrive.
It is important to have all three elements to set up and sustain creativity and innovation. Without knowledge, you can have a quick spark, but you won’t have a fire. You will only be able to have a glimpse to the surrounding before going back to the darkness. Without intuition to start the combustion, you won’t have any fire at all. You have an incredible potential but no light, no power. And without space, you won’t be able to start the combustion or to sustain it.
If you want to implement innovation in your organisations, you must be sure to have all the three elements in place. You must ensure that there is the enough knowledge, that there are the skills required to feed the fire. You need to stimulate your people to use their intuition, to develop the ability to listen to their guts, to remove the fears that shut their inner self. The last part is to create the space, physically and mentally, to let the creativity breathe. You must hold and protect a place of trust, defend it from the wind and the rain. The flame of creativity is fragile, and it can thrive only when everyone feels the possibility to be vulnerable.