Inspiring Creativity in the Face of Burnout

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For a couple of years my team and I slaved away on a soft drink product. At first the work was a lot of fun – we had some pretty big wins, pushed the comfort zone of our internal clients. Then the great ideas, that were once so abundant, became fleeting or were killed in the hopes that something bigger and better was just a thought away. By the end it was just all problems– nothing was sticking, the work had completely stagnated and we were all ready to jump ship. The problem was not the client (surprising, right?), but in the burn out of our creative team.
When I start to see the signs of work fatigue, I look to these resolutions for inspiration:
1. Swap Meet
My favorite day of the week is Monday because I get to hear all about everyone’s weekend. The fun that was had, the lives that were lived, the little nuances that helped shape a good time into a great one. It’s in these moments that the passion for passing it on comes out; where we exchange our thoughts, ideas and opinions.
2. Stop the Madness
Removing cancers from your team and processes is also key. Creativity cannot flourish in a poisonous environment. Perhaps you have a staff member who is not the right fit or your workflow process is so dated it no longer flows. Addressing the thorns in your team can lift a huge weight off your shoulders and allow the whole team to breathe freely again.
3. Recharge the Battery
Life is a series of deposits and withdrawals. In this industry we seem to make more withdrawals than deposits, expecting the internal trust fund to never run dry, but invariably it does. You have to put good in to get good out. This is as simple as getting outside of anything marketing related. Start a hobby, go on vacation to a non-English speaking country, play an instrument or pick up an old one, or just read a book about something you know nothing about. The new thinking from these mental deposits will pay unfathomable dividends when it’s time to start a new project.
Invariably the passion for the work has to be there and that has to come from solid leadership. If you don’t show love for the work and the process, then who will?
These POVs brought to you by an experienced member of Boom Ideanet where crowdsourcing is civilized.
 
 

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