An interesting report over at Harvard Business Review on a social stimulus experiment. Researchers found that when they put a picture of a fishing pole in front of students, they were more likely to come up with a creative idea for a bookstore as opposed to when they were simply shown a blank whiteboard.
What we learn from this is that people’s environments can act as stimuli for their creative juices. So what are you putting in front of your people as you call them to action in your business? Are you putting a fishing pole, i.e., an idea, or are you simply giving them a blank slate?
If we give our people something to go on, something to work with, something to focus on, then they are more likely to be able to create for you rather than to sit passively by you.
Think about this as you head into work today and call people to take action.
