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our second-in-command is doodling, theDirector of Marketing is shaping a ball ofPlay-Doh into a clay rose and at leastfour employees are texting, tweeting andtwiddling their thumbs. Sound like thestaff meeting from hell? According to ErikWahl, it could actually be the perfect recipe

for success.Wahl, a graffiti artist, author and entrepre-

neur who will be a keynote speaker at NAA’s2013 Education Conference & Exposition Friday,June 21 in San Diego, says building a culture ofinnovation and creativity is key to a company’slong-term success.

“Everyone always talks about the importanceof creativity in the workplace, but when it comestime to perform a task or solve a problem, peo-ple almost always revert to yesterday’s answerand what is logical and has been done before,”says Wahl, who has spoken about the “art ofvision” for executives at Microsoft and Disney,among other companies. “We are addicted tothe concept of security, rather than looking atpossibility. You need to create an environmentwhere people feel safe to take risks.”

To do so, Wahl says it’s important for execu-tives and supervisors to find pockets of timewhere they can build emotional ties with theiremployees. It’s the people who work “in thetrenches,” Wahl says, that often have the bestideas but do not feel comfortable sharing them.

When it comes to team meetings, Wahl sug-gests disrupting the traditional channels of cap-turing thoughts. Taking notes in crayon orstarting a meeting by playing with clay often

generate the most creative and outside-the-boxideas, says Wahl, who recalls one developer at amajor corporation who was doodling during theartist’s presentation. His impromptu notebookdesign was later patented.

“Most people accept the first five or 10 ideasoffered during a brainstorming session and stopthere, but it’s not until you get to 20 or 40 sug-gestions that people start laughing and havingfun and feeling safe—and that’s when you getthe Facebooks and Amazons of the world,” saysWahl, whose book, “UNTH!NK,” about rediscov-ering your creative genius, is being released in2013. “People have become trained to use lessthan 10 percent of their brain’s capabilities andbecome less and less imaginative over time—almost like marching ants, just taking orders.You have to break down those walls.”

Not surprisingly, retraining your brain—and that of your employees—to think different-ly requires doing things differently. To do so,Wahl says it can be helpful to take a step backand look at things from a contrarian point ofview. Pretend, for example, that you are the Vice President of Failure and brainstorm the list ofthings you would need to do in this role to putyour company out of business. As you come upwith a list of what not to do, Wahl says, whatyou should do often becomes clear.

“Most ideas are not brand new, so the ques-tion becomes how do we approach them in anew way?” Wahl explains. “This isn’t aboutholding hands and singing ‘Kumbaya,’ and itisn’t just pie in the sky. It’s about taking yourblinders off.”

BY LAUREN BOSTON

FYI To register for the 2013 NAA Education Conference & Exposition, June 19-22 at the San Diego Convention Center, visit http://educonf.naahq.org/node/3

The Most successful

companies cultivate an

environment of creativity

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Wahl says micromanagement is both the mostcommon and worst way to stifle creativity withinthe workplace. People are hired based on theunique skills listed on their résumé, yet supervisorsoften neglect to let their employees take risks andmake the most of the very strengths they werehired for in the first place.

“There are always going to be budget issues andtime constraints and unreceptive supervisors—allkinds of excuses,” Wahl says. “We have to starttraining our minds to automatically come up withnew ideas, regardless of the obstacles. You can’tkeep doing business as usual.”

Lauren Boston is NAA’s Staff Writer. She can bereached at lauren@naahq.org or 703/797-0678.

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Wahl says it is important for offices, such as the oneat right, to create an environment that will encourageemployees to think and act creatively.

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