In the fast-paced world of business where what have you done for me lately customers truly rule the school, it really is all about innovation.    When you work in a compliance culture this realization doesn’t seem to be widely apparent.  Like me, you might feel stifled in the motivation choking clutches of the status quo.  Micro-managing managers, uninspiring work, and a fear-based compliance culture was my reality as well.

“To motivate employees who work beyond basic tasks, give them these three factors to increase performance and satisfaction: Autonomy — Our desire to be self-directed. It increases engagement over compliance. Mastery — The urge to get better skills. Purpose — The desire to do something that has meaning and is important.” – Dan Pink | “Drive“

If you’re like many employees and managers in the depths of compliance based cultures you’ve heard/said “I’m not in the C-suite so what’s the use? I can’t change anything.”  or “I have an idea, but it’s likely to just get shot down.”  Don’t worry, you’re not alone.  There are many others just like you right you work.  I believe change can begin at the grassroots.  Sometimes it takes one brave soul willing to come out of the shadows and say “yes, and...why not?“

Hi, I’m Wayne Burrell.  A proud husband and father of four princesses, I’m also a creative-junkie.  Addicted to innovation and constantly on the look for my next fix.  I’m a card-carrying creative (we all are).   Nothing fires me up more than expressing myself through everything I do.    I choose to see everything I do as art. There’s an art to my marriage, how I parent, how I communicate with co-workers, how I redesign processes on my 9-5, even how I fold my laundry and mow my lawn. In the words of Seth Godin, “We’re all artists.”

The workplace culture is to the worker as the proper environment is to the artist.  For creativity to flourish on the job the culture has to be conducive to it. Employees must feel empowered to release their creativity and not only their compliance.  Only then will the best ideas collide with other ideas in the refining process of true collaboration.  I believe every culture can become a fertile garden of creativity where ideas can grow and innovation harvested.  

In this blog,  you’ll find out more about the core discipline that is creativity and the strategic approaches to developing it into innovation.   Together we’ll explore four key strategic drivers: how culture influences work processes which influence the customer experience and finally how customer experience then translates to bottom line finances.  We’ll also go over the #1 strategic mistake companies make in their prioritization of these strategic drivers.  I will show you how Human Centered-Design methodologies (such as Design Thinking, LEAN Startup, Agile, Design Sprints and Blue Ocean) can be used to inspire creativity and aid in transforming your culture from one of compliance to one of empowerment.

I believe wholeheartedly in Mahatma Gandhi’s wise words and I’ll paraphrase them here: “Be the change you want to see in your company.”  Your efforts alone are no match to break the inertia of the boulder that is your company culture’s status quo.  Join this community of like-minded individuals for inspiration and the encouragement you’ll need to help you on innovation journey.  Sign-up below and let’s stay in touch!