10 Tips to Nurture Creative Talent in an Organization

"A leader's job is to shine a light on the talent of people." – Billy Cox

The creative talent of employees is one of the most precious assets of an organization. However, not every organization could successfully nurture it nor address it with appropriate opportunity and assessment. It requires leaders and mentors to engage entirely with the employees and motivate them to grow and evolve. The creative talent of individuals does not just give a different perspective to solve the problems of the firm but also enhances productivity and work environment. The article below will list efficient tips to nurture creative talent in an organization.

10 Brilliant Tips to Retain and Nurture Creative Talent

1. Encourage Critical Thinking

Often in an organization, employees are asked to follow a structure to get their tasks done, and the credibility is judged based on the speed of adaptation. For a change, a leader must rely on the employees to analyze the problem intellectually and develop a whole new solution. Encouraging employees to stretch beyond their comfort zone and explore their ideas is the best way to retain creative talent.

2. Let Go of the Deadline

Not every great work can be produced in confinement. Time and money are two important resources of the organization that, when used effectively, could give excellent results. Targets and deadlines are great to track the growth of employees and the firm; however, many times, they are the ones that question the quality of work. The leader sometimes has to bend down and ease the resources to support the creative talent fully. For example: If you are doing a valuation of a big company and you give your employees a deadline of 10 days, they might not get the correct value in the short span. Sometimes to enhance the quality of work, one needs a better budget and more time. You must be conscious when that situation arrives and adapt accordingly to the needs of the employees. 

3. Encourage Open Communication

Human resource is the most crucial resource for the success of an organization. It's never only about the assets and goodwill. The people, clients, relationships, etc., are at the brim of a top organization. Leaders must encourage sincere communication within the workforce. When creative talent gets the opportunity to represent their work and openly discuss the good and the bad of the work methods, they feel valued. When they feel valued, they establish a stronger connection with the leaders and the organization.

4. Say No to Politics

Many organizations keep losing their best talents to office politics. Although a hush-hush affair, politics in the workplace is as real as work culture, and it impacts creative talent negatively. Employees in such an environment refrain from voicing their creative ideas for fear of losing their position or reputation. An organization that gives its employees freedom of creating new ideas and sharing them says no to office politics.

5. Accept the Difference

Leaders must understand and encourage the difference of opinion in the workforce of creative talent. Once they do that and give room to breathe the many ideas of the employees, can they accept diversity? Leaders must challenge their assumptions and support their teams by not judging them too quickly.

6. Encourage Time-Outs

Excess workload generates pressure and handicaps the creative talent of the organization. Leaders must encourage their employees to take regular breaks and consider brainstorming in places other than the work area. Do not refrain from breaking the structural monotony and plan a team outing to a beach, a park, or even to the movies. Such a change of place rejuvenates the brain while increasing the happy hormone(dopamine) and positively impacts the person's mind. That, in turn, helps create better ideas, and people get more inclined to their respective jobs.

7. Provide Effective Feedback

As a leader, you must be honest with your feedback. To nurture the creative talent in your employees, you must critically evaluate their work methods and performances. Do not give a general opinion about their individual responsibilities but track them on their growth map. When individuals grow within an organization, they indirectly improve its credibility.

8. Focus on Training Creatively

Creative talent needs to be nurtured creatively. An organization ideally incurs training costs to train its workforce, which in turn increases the organization's productivity. However, most organizations proceed structurally, repeating the same course of training year after year. Understanding the changing demands and evolving times is essential to providing creative training courses. Additionally, organizations must also encourage the employees to attend other L&D events, conferences, and seminars and boost their skillsets.

9. Create a Platform for Ideas 

Organizations that care find ways to nurture creative talent. By creating a platform for sharing new ideas or challenging old assumptions, organizations give the right balance of opinion to their workforce. This, in turn, motivates the employees to bring forth any new idea that they have or to brainstorm in the same line to generate a thought process. In any case, these platforms encourage employees to question and change the old process of work standards and retain creativity.

10. Value Their Goals

Employees who feel valued contribute better to the goals of the organization. When leaders value individual goals, help them improve their learning curves and provide the necessary support, they indirectly nurture the creative talent in the workforce. 

Advocate

As a leader, you must advocate for the creative talent within your organization and stand up for them. By doing that, you develop such talent and give them the scope to grow. And an organization that spurs individual growth in time becomes invincible. So, what is your idea to nurture creative talent in your organization? 

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