Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Killing Creativity

We've all seen it happen before.  Someone starts a new job, school, ministry, program, etc and they walk in with such fire and all kinds of great ideas.  Unfortunately often the day comes when that person loses the fire, the creativity, and the vision.  I've seen it time and time again and have experienced it as well.  Now while there could be a thousand different reasons for this I believe we shouldn't overlook one of the causes- killing creativity.

When someone no longer feels like they have the freedom to run with their ideas and do what they do best, everyone loses.

So what can we do to make sure we aren't killing creativity in those around us?  Well there is a great article here that lists how creativity gets stifled in most situations and it's definitely worth a read.  But I have one more reason to add to that list- the perceived lack of trust.

If a church hires a pastor believing he is the person God has chosen for the job but then proceeds to second guess his every decision, that lack of trust is going to tear that person down and possibly quench their fire.

If a business hires someone qualified to do a job and then over manages them every step of the way to the point that the person is not free to do what they do best, that's going to take the wind out of their sails and make them a less effective and more mundane employee.

On the flip side if we all spent more time building people up and giving them the freedom to shine than we do criticizing them and seeking to control them the world would be a better place.  Just my thoughts for today.

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