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In a recent Harvard Business Review article, author and professor Philip Auerswald made the audacious claim that: “If you’re not pissing someone off, you’re probably not innovating.”

Auerswald was right.

As creative leaders, we have a responsibility to identify and initiate change, development, and innovation in our organizations. This is a major task that can put us in very uncomfortable situations. The average person does not naturally embrace change. In order to destroy norms and cultivate cultures of innovation, we have to be willing to face some facts and be willing to be the igniters for change. Change helps cultivate the ground for innovation to excel. Being a “change maker” can sometimes be daunting:

• It takes bravery to change things. – It’s not safe and really will “piss people off”. Thats okay. Our job is to grow and stretch our organization. We have the ability to usher in the next norm that will help our churches or organizations to grow exponentially. When we do this, people will fall in love with the results…which is about the time it takes to change things up again.
• We will be wrong sometimes. – Be prepared to fail. It will happen; it’s not an option, it’s a certainty. It takes failure to understand and appreciate success. Fail often and fail with grace. Just extend that grace to others when they fail.
• Clearly Include Leadership – When you can sell change to leadership, it empowers you with the masses. Earn, build, and invest in relationships with leadership. When leaders know we have purpose behind change that will move our organizations forward, they will buy in. This may not happen right away, but thats okay.
• Identify Data – Data is always greater than opinion. Data will clearly frame change and provide support for our emotions, feelings, hunches and instincts. Find data to help create passageways to change.
• We have to make sure we clarify expectations. Make them obvious. When they change, make sure to update everyone. Expectations left unclassified create problems and can destroy moral.
• Have clear roles – Let people know who is doing what, when, where, how, and most importantly, why. This removes some of the sting of change and helps people know where they fit in the process.
• Innovation is about timing. – If it’s too late, it doesn’t matter and it if it’s too early it will risk being exposed and not succeeding. Use data, wisdom, and instinct to find the right timing for execution.
• Pace change – It’s impossible to turn a cruise ship on a dime. Pace change for better results. When we pace change, we provide less shock to the system for people who are already going to be skeptical about why we need to change anyway. Remember, creative people tend to see things other don’t – it’s a gift. So have patience with others while they get comfortable with where we are leading them.
• We have to do what we say, and say what we do. – Change requires trust and this is the biggest gain/loss in trust management.
• Remember that user experiences matter most – The win of a great experience helps to validate the pain of growing through change.
• Be willing to fight for what is right – Never be a jerk, but be willing to fight for what you know is right. When our data supports us, it helps us. And sometimes we lose the fight. Rather than pouting or being “spoiled artists”, get on board with leadership, the organization, or whatever the case may be and create greatness for them. It will give us more equity the next time we have to fight.
• Never underestimate the power of communication – The more the better. Make time for it and be clear about it. Allow questions and space for people to process. Don’t feel like you always have to be right, and be more than willing to adjust to new data that may change what we believe to be true.

Change or innovation for the sake of change or innovation rarely works. Worse, innovation or change for the sake of our ego NEVER works. Keep the momentum of your ministry, departments, or organizations at the forefunt of the process and be confidently humble. Trust the instincts God has blessed you with and create the most innovative things you possibly can….it’s not a choice, it’s about stewardship of your gift.

What other traits do you find helpful in navigating change and innovation?

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I am so blessed to get to work with a Pastor who is not only a great pastor, but a great man and an awesome friend.

As a creative arts pastor, I understand what is needed in the relationship between the Sr. Pastor and the CA Pastor. Lets look at 5 core elements that creative team need from their pastor:

1. Permission to fail. No one enjoys failure, but the reality is if we want amazing and really creative experiences there is a very solid chance that at times we are going to fail. Real art is not safe. Safe stuff is created in the middle, but really amazing stuff, the stuff people remember and can’t ignore is created on the edges. Sometimes when we are creating on these edges, we may fall in the ditch. Knowing that we are allowed to fail from time to time creates the safety to really experiment. That does not give creative teams permission to be lazy, but really places a healthy pressure on us as creative teams to create unforgettable vehicles for the amazing content that pastors are communicating. We have the greatest story of all time to tell, we should utilize the greatest vehicles for that story.

2. Communication. Never be afraid to communicate what you like and what you dislike. Be clear and very candid. Being aware of expectations helps to create clarity for what should and should not be created inside your organization. Another key in communication is the ability to articulate where you are headed with your content. Give as much info as you can, as early as you can, so that the creative team can dig in and find the best tools to help share the amazing content God is placing on your heart. When a team has a week to execute your vision they will not create as great of an experience as they would if they had a month.

Also key in healthy communication is to celebrate victories publicly and criticize in private. Creative teams by nature are going to be emotional and get attached to their creations. Besides you as a communicator, no other department in your church leaves as much personal DNA on a weekend as your creative team. Criticism is healthy and necessary, but protect your team and it will build an amazing amount of equity between both parties. Communication will make or break your creative process.

3. Trust. We have to trust each other. There is a song that we have in our rotation right now that is not Pete’s favorite. I love the fact that he trusts us to continue to try to work the song and he trusts that we have a purpose behind why we are trying to make the song work. Pete also trusts that if the song does not work, we are going to pull it and not risk negatively impacting the momentum that God is building around Cross Point. Trust goes beyond music. It is also vital to external communication, creation of vehicles for content, and the hustle both parties are putting into what is being created. Trust is also necessary in the creative meetings. In our meetings we need to make sure the playing field is level and everyone is trusting, not focusing on titles or position. If that trust is not there people will be afraid to communicate their true feelings about ideas, concepts, and impact.

4. Inclusion. Pete is great at this. Keep creative arts included in the conversation. Knowing what is going on and eliminating surprises as much as possible helps everyone plan, be prepared, and create our best stuff.

5. Space to create. As a Pastor and a boss, be as involved as you can be in the process, but once you feel you have contributed to the process, allow the team to create. If you walk by the creative suite and wonder why half the team is laying on the floor with Hillsong music playing and the other half of the team is playing ping pong, understand that may be part of their process. When expectations are set and clear, allow the process to be worked out in the methods that allow creative teams to be their most creative. What works for one person may not work best for the next.

Pastors, what are some of the things that you need from your creative teams?

Creative team members, what have I missed on this list?

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Brainstorming sessions are useless.

They are useless unless we are intentional with setting expectations around what we would like to accomplish. When we have our creative meetings and we are attempting to maximize our creative brainstorming session, or dream session, there are a few necessary elements required to set and meet our expectations:

• Choose the right location. – Choose a location that fits the theme of the subject we are covering. If we are talking about summer…hold our meeting in a park. Change the canvas and get in a space that inspires creativity themed to our subject.
• Invite the right people. – Diversity wins in creative meetings. The more diverse the more well rounded the scope of the ideas and conversation. If we only have people like us we are missing a huge opportunity.
• Set the mood. – Make sure we have the right mood: The right lighting, the right tools, the right snacks to keep energy up, the right music to aid in energy early on, and toys to play with all help set the mood. Also, start with a game to get everyone’s mind thinking creatively and out of “the norm”. Mood matters.
• Empower a dream catcher. – Designate one person to document every idea the entire meeting. This person should be comfortable not contributing but rather be passionate about being a listener and being willing to collect every idea so nothing escapes.
• Follow a Dream Director. A director is going to set the tone. They will ask questions and monitor energy. They will keep the target of the meeting insight and insure that we accomplish all the necessary tasks to get ideas flushed out and into the hands of the dream catcher.
• Choose Music and silence. – Music matters. Create the energy you are looking for with music. Also create some space for silence and for people to ponder. We must be intentional with our soundtrack.
• We will not accommodate everyone’s likes or ideas. – That’s a matter of life. Make it clear up front. Best idea wins…always.
• Can’t succeed without starting blocks. – We can’t expect people to just start gushing ideas. We have to give starting blocks, examples, and guard rails.
• We won’t have conclusions. – The goal of a brainstorming session, or dream session, is to start conversations not come up with conclusions. Don’t look for definitive answers look for conversation starters. Places ideas have room to grow morph and evolve. Don’t worry if you don’t come away with one obvious monster idea…that is what the post meeting editing session is for, that is where we refine.
• The end is not the end. – Understand that the day or 2 after our meeting might be when our best ideas come out of hiding and expose themselves. Make sure we create space for these ideas to develop. Share contact info and best ways for people to share additional ideas they either had not thought of or maybe ideas they were to afraid to share.

Brainstorming starts the process. After we have met and given ourselves time to ponder additional ideas we can move into editing sessions where we refine and manipulate ideas to come up with a best option to attempt to execute. Setting these expectations should help our creative brainstorming sessions start to produce better results than we could ever imagine.

What does your brainstorming session look like?

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Stay with me on this one…

I am a pathetic rope jumper.

When I tell you pathetic, I am probably under selling how bad I really am.

The other day while in the gym I was trying to get my cardio up by jumping rope. After failing a few times I realized I had to change my technique. Finally, I was able to get more than 3 hops in before almost tripping over the rope. As I got better I realized that there are at least 3 parallels between creating and jumping rope.

1. Pace – When you go to slow, you never get the rope going, but if you go to fast you can’t keep up with the speed of the rope. You have to find a pace that matches your skill level. Then, as you get better you can increase speed to stretch your ability. When creating art you have to know your pace. You won’t make your best work when you are working on a ton of projects if you only have the capacity to work on a few. Further, if you don’t have enough stimulants in your lives you risk obsessing about one project so much that you may start smothering the best ideas around the project. Find your pace. Then once you have identified your pace start to slowly, intentionally, and methodically increase your pace so you can grow your capacity. Be cautious not to grow to far or fast where you lose sight and stop enjoying jumping rope…and creating.

2. Persistence – You can’t give up. Ever. It can’t be an option. No one has ever got better at anything by quitting. So don’t even entertain the though. No matter how many times you have to stop, regardless of how many times you trip, despite how often you kick the rope across the gym, you have to swing the rope one more time. Don’t stop creating. Don’t give in. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t try to be perfect, and don’t succumb to rejection.  Keep showing up, picking up your ideas and swinging at them. You will be glad you did when you start to leap over the rope consistently, effortlessly, and passionately.

3. Rhythm – Life is all about rhythms. When you are in rhythm, you find the groove and the cadence to life. You start to glide over the rope and over projects. You know when to jump, and when to push, ideate, edit, and ship. Rhythm helps keep you moving. When you are in rhythm the hard work of creativity becomes just a little easier because your instincts are engaged and able to lead you to the beat of the rope hitting the ground and to the way your best ideas connect with your audiences.

So lets start jumping rope. Lets show up in our creative gyms every day, grab the rope, and start jumping. Who knows we may just be Olympic jumpers waiting to be discovered. And if not, we will be in better shape, more healthy, and our skills will get better each time we approach the rope and start to create.

Have you ever found ways to be more creative inside of normal, mundane tasks?

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“This is not good enough”
“No one is going to like this”
“This idea will be rejected”
“This will never work”

These are just a few of the favorite lies that the voices of our “inner critic” try to tell us. I’m sure that if you’ve ever created anything or been brave enough to share an idea, you’ve heard these – and probably a countless list of other voices, none very motivating. This voice wants to make you so scared to share and create because it knows the ability you have to change the world. This voice quietly screams shame, doubt, fear, and anxiety into your life.

Dr. Dennis Palumbo, a psychologist who studies creative people, says that while this voice wants to dominate and control you, it actually is a vital part of your creative process.

When we hear this voice, the natural desire is to kill it so that it no longer can speak to us. According to Palumbo, doing this creates two problems:

• First, killing this voice validates its control of you. “It suggests that there is a perfect you in the future who is unencumbered by such conflicts.” We know that perfect is not possible. So, as an artist, we should avoid the temptation of perfect.
• Second, killing this voice is not possible. Even if it were, killing this voice would remove a vital part of our creative instinct. The side of our creative edge that helps us edit, reframe, and discern between bad, good, and great.

When harnessed correctly, your inner critic can actually become a tool to refine your judgment.

So, what do we do?

• First, we keep showing up. We never quit. We keep coming every day and commit to creating our best work regardless of what the voices say. We become so persistent that we wear the voices down. The voice is not going to leave, so we’re going to use its words to make our art better.
• Second, we’re going to use the voices to create better work. The voices keep talking. Sometimes what they say is actually right. When the voices are right, there is data associated with their claims. When there is no data to substantiate the voices we’re going to ignore them. When there is data we are going to use that data to be better. Then, we can thank the voices.

As long as there is art to create, ideas to develop, innovation to be had, and experiences to produce, there will be the condemning voice of the inner critic. However, there is no condemnation in Christ so we will use the insecurity of our inner artist to leverage the claims of the voices to create our best work – the work that is in front of us waiting to be developed.

So create. Create with passion. Create with courage.

What do these voices say to you?
How have you learned to beat them?

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How we approach our work is just as important as the art we make. I believe these are a few traits of successful creative leaders.

• Grace filled
• Willing To Challenge the Status Quo
• Curious
• Willing to ask questions relentlessly
• Self-Motivated
• Understand Vision
• Seek Great not Good
• Embrace Change
• Take Risks
• Mobile
• Understand Frames
• Reflective
• Connect Dots
• Never Stop Learning
• Trust Intuition
• Respect Data
• Understand the importance of collaboration
• Resilient
• Willing to be wrong
• Persevering
• Forgiving
• Desire to make others and other things better
• Never Satisfied
• Humble
• Hustle

Anything you would add to the list?

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I think sometimes artists have to be reminded that they have permission to create. We want ideas to appear inside light bulbs over our heads but the reality is, ideas are waiting to be uncovered by the ways we approach our work. Ideas are around, waiting to be discovered, it is our job to make sure we are setting ourselves and our teammates up to win, capture these ideas, and transition them to momentum inside of our organizations. Here are a few reminders of how to get in the right posture to be our creative best:

• Create in community – Don’t be a lone ranger. Input & diversity help us be better creatively.
• Document every idea – Write it down. Take a picture. Don’t take ideas for granted. When we don’t capture them they will fly away.
• Change the Canvas – Find a new spot. Go offsite. Work in a different office. Visit a coffee shop. Change the canvas to change the perspective.
• Listen – Allow music to create atmosphere. Change it. Turn it up. Listen to something you know and something new.
• Talk – Talk to people in different departments or organizations. Get new and varying perspectives.
• Re-frame – Find new ways to look at your project or ideas. Redefine your challenge from time to time.
• Go Back To The Question – Why are we doing this? What are we trying to accomplish? How will this be used? Where will this be used?
• Change The Routine – Change something in your routine. Drive a different way to work. Use a different entrance. Sit in a different seat.
• Sprint – Write down as many ideas as possible in 5 minutes.
• Pump The Gas – When you face resistance ask how you can make something better out of this situation?
• Beat the Early Bird – Be the first one in the office. Arrive before anyone else and get a start on the day that changes your perspective.
• Readers R Leaders – Read a blog (you already are), read a book, read a magazine.
• Trust What You Know – You have refined your instincts so trust them.
• Get Up – Be willing to get up and walk around every 20 minutes to keep perspectives fresh.
• Don’t Be A Ball Hog – Invite your boss and co-workers into conversations about projects and ideas.
• Press Pause – Take a break from ideas or projects in order to see more clearly what you actually are creating.

This is just a starter list. What have you found that works best for you? Share with the rest of us!

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We envy the overnight success.
We marvel at the campaign or idea that sweeps in and succeeds effortlessly.
We’re amazed by the product that changes the way we do life almost overnight.

None of these successes actually appear out of nowhere. Behind every single one of them is a lot of work.

In order to do anything great we have to remember: It takes Hustle. It takes Passion. It takes Execution

Daniel Coyle writes in his book, The Talent Code, about how important it is to focus on the small things, not the “hail marys,” in order to create success behind our creative team and creative ideas.

We can apply the same concept to how we manage our creative teams. We have to remember that we’re not going to wake up to success one morning – we have to build success day by day, task by task, execution by execution. It’s up to us to build success.

• Little is Big – Are we focused on only the BIG parts of the creative process, or are we digging into the details regardless of size? It’s not about the massive unveil, but the execution we implement leading up to that moment. Every action, step, and decision is a chance to create a win or suffer a loss. Consistency builds upon itself and when we’re able to replicate wins, we move towards success methodically – step by step.
• Identify Game Changers – Who is paying attention? Who is listening, focusing, and creating momentum on our teams or in our organizations? Who has hustle? Who is anticipating and problem solving, not just identifying problems? The people who’s names you filled in after these questions are the ones we must pay attention to, they’re the people who are going to do the most with the opportunities that come their way. They create trust.
• Blueprints vs Renderings – Architectural renderings look great, but they can’t build buildings. Blueprints can. Blueprints aren’t as sexy as renderings, but they create steps to success. Stay focused on the fundamentals. Without them, we have a lot of sparkle but very little substance. Idea fundamentals remind us to ask if our ideas communicate our desired story. Do they create emotion? Do they force conversation or questions? WIll people like and connect with our ideas?

These are just three steps to build success – there are so many more. Do you have a concept you would like to share?

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In 1976, psychologist Silvano Arieti wrote a book entitled “Creativity:The Magic Synthesis.” Arieti specialized in two fields: creativity and schizophrenia. The two fields are probably not as far apart as we would first believe. Arieti’s book summarized nine conditions that he felt were necessary for creativity:

• Isolation. Being alone allows us to find ourselves, as well as to be open to new kinds of inspiration.
• Inactivity. We have to find time to get out of our routines. We need time to focus on “inner resources”.
• Daydreaming. Creating the space to allow ourselves to explore our thoughts and dreams; to just freestyle and not have the pressure of constraints to limit or stagnate our creative process.
• Free thinking. Finding ways to allow our mind to wander in any direction. Doing this gives us permission to explore topics that are not in our normal routines or thought processes. Doing this helps us find connection points between things we may not have connected and concepts we wouldn’t naturally link up.
• State of readiness to catch similarities. Seeing things from our creative lens and not our analytical lens; looking at things differently.
• Gullibility. Suspending judgment allows us to explore ideas without treating them with prejudice.
• Remembering and replaying past traumatic conflicts. Conflict creates more and new creative concepts.
• Alertness. Having our antenna up allows us to the ability to find relevance in things we may not normally be recognizing.
• Discipline. Finding the ability to do the work necessary to realize and then, systematically plan the execution of our ideas.
• We all love the times we are “in the flow” – when creativity is flowing and we are just able to ride the rhythm. But often that rhythm is broken. Especially when we are busy, tired, or under stress. Being intentional with these nine tools can help us rejuvenate our creative process and find that rhythm we are looking for to create our best work.

When do you find yourself needing to create creativity?
Have you identified any other practices that work for you when you need to create creativity?

Creativity is a muscle. When we work it out, it gets stronger and when we fail to exercise it, we get weaker. The act of creating takes sweat and effort. A series of studies done on some of the most creative “geniuses” in history has identified a few trends common in extremely creative people that innovate and create ideas to influence change in their fields. Here are eight exercises that can make us creatively stronger:

• Think Visibly. – Don’t just rest on language. Allow space, pictures, diagrams, and technology to enhance how we see communicate and articulate. Find ways to tell stories via pictures instead of words. Images will change how people relate to our art and will change the way stories are told.
• Don’t just talk, produce – We won’t always create masterpieces. However, masterpieces will never exist if we don’t create. Creativity takes reps, and lots of them. We always see the highlight reels of creative teams, but we don’t see the number of attempts, the failed ideas, the edited content, the stuff that never sees the light of day. Great creative elements and ideas are the result of lots of failed, dorky, bad, and poorly executed attempts to create something good.
• Create Connections- Some of our most creative ideas come from combining things that don’t naturally live together. Creating connections between opposites is a fantastic exercise for enhancing our creativity. Work to connect unconnected items in an effort to get creatively better.
• Change the Lens – Don’t be afraid to tear a problem or situation apart. Sometimes deconstructing a situation and rebuilding it can help us identify solutions. Changing perspectives can help us find solutions not always visible at first look. This process takes work and often takes some patience, but when done correctly will uncover ideas and results that can make lasting impacts.
• Suspend Reality – We live in a real world, but creativity thrives in imagination and possibility. When we’re able to suspend reality and cut off the voices that try to rationalize our creativity, we’ll find new creative roads to travel. Without reality, we see new possibilities.
• Dream in Metaphors – Metaphors are ways to articulate story in more accessible ways. People may not remember data, but they remember stories. When we share our ideas in metaphors, we learn to be more creative and more complete in creating our thought processes.
• Get Back Up – Failure provides the opportunity to try again. When we try again, we have a chance to be more audacious, more creative, and more gritty with how we create. Leveraging fear and failure makes us better than we could dream possible. Failing also allows us to ask questions and remove data that doesn’t work from the equation.
• Press Pause – Create and work hard…then press pause. Step away. Give creativity room to breathe. Then come back. The chance to get away from our creative process, idea, or project will allow us to come back and see it in a new light. It will give us the chance to identify areas or elements we may have missed. Pressing pause is the least attractive option because it forces us to beat deadlines and create margin. But, when it does, it makes us so much better.

Do you employ any of these exercises in your life? Are there any other exercises you might add to the list?