Hello !

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Today, we'll explore the value of taking fun seriously, especially when working in scientifically rigorous and data-driven environments, such as healthcare. Creativity is critical for remote work and international settings to fuel innovation and problem-solving.

Unfortunately, many believe creativity has no place in "serious" work or can't coexist with rigorous processes. I'll show why investing in creativity is crucial and how it can enhance productivity and outcomes.

Takeaways:

• Why fun is not the opposite of serious work
• How creativity accelerates innovation in complex industries
• Tips to take fun seriously and cultivate a culture that balances hard work with a sense of lightness

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Get comfortable for your 5 minutes of sparks to hack.

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✨ Spark

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✏ Impact of creativity in "serious" industries like health?

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Creativity is the ability to generate new, original ideas or solutions and to see connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. It includes problem-solving, innovation, and the capacity to adapt. Multiple studies show that it boosts revenue growth, enhances resilience and adaptability, and increases employee engagement and satisfaction.

Creativity offers advantages across our international healthcare field because we deal with:

1. Scientific and Data-Driven Settings: Creativity encourages innovative solutions by viewing data and problems from different perspectives.
2. Remote Work: Helps to connect team members, keeping engagement high despite physical distance. Activities like virtual brainstorming iject energy and foster collaboration.
3. International Teams: Fun and creative exercises, like drawing or silent brainstorming, eliminate language barriers, putting all team members on an equal footing (as non-native English speakers, I feel it 😅)

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✏ Creativity: how does this happen?

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Research shows that creativity is like a dance between two key brain networks: the cognitive control network, which handles planning and problem-solving, and the default mode network, which activates during moments of daydreaming or mind-wandering.

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Many ideas come when the mind is wandering, not when we are focused on a specific task (for me, it is after a yoga session 🧘 or a Nordic Walk training in the forest 🌳 - what about you?).

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Thomas Edison used to fall asleep holding a ball in each hand, waking up with new ideas when it dropped. This weird habit highlights the power of the subconscious mind and shows the importance of creating environments (not sure yet how I can replicate that in my workshops with clients 😂😂).

I love this quote from the author of the book The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity that I love:

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✏ The steps to create

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Creativity in problem-solving often follows three key steps: Diverge, Explore, and Converge.

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Diverge: the goal is to generate as many ideas as possible without judgment. This stage is all about opening up and considering different perspectives.

Explore: let our minds wander, debate as a team and connect the dots. It’s a back-and-forth process that can feel messy, but it’s essential for finding the most promising directions.

Converge, where you narrow down the options, focusing on the best ideas and putting them into action.

Remember :

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So, how do you make it happen in your teams?

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✨ Hack

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When I coach teams, I intentionally help build this muscle of creativity. Here are my 3 first steps you can copy easily.

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✏ Set up a creativity enabler IT tool (and stop PowerPoint).

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Make sure your teams have online tools to help them brainstorm.

Most teams I coach have IT tools to help them to:

• Plan (project management tools like Teams Planner or Trello),
• Communicate and share information with a shared drive and team space (e.g., Microsoft Team or Google Spaces...)
• Report: Summarize all insights and the strategy and communicate it (PowerPoint, Keynotes, Excel...)

But do they have a space to create and brainstorm like a white board ?

Part of my coaching support is helping teams acquire the right skills, tools, and habits to use whiteboards like Miro or Mural and move away from PowerPoint (the best creativity-killer, at scale, I see in the corporate world 😡).

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✏ Bring play to your work regularly.

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Bringing play into the workplace with quick, fun exercises can boost creativity and innovation. I call these "energizers" (I stopped calling them icebreakers- there is no ice to break).

These short, playful activities, such as drawing exercises, moving or dancing, or role-playing games, spark laughter and fresh ideas.

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When laughter is heard, people in the room are a little more relaxed. It is scientifically proven that laughter can improve problem-solving by making it easier to explore, think broadly and find connections between ideas.

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​So, when was the last time you laughed as a team? For your next meeting, you can use one of my preferred energizers:

"Which superpower would you like to have and why? Draw it." or this one: "If you could invite anyone to your New Year Eve party, who would it be and why? Sketch it"

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✏ Work alone together: The power of silence

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Bring silent work to your team. Silence is your best friend when you want to boost diverging thinking or exploration steps we saw earlier. In moments of silence, the mind’s voice becomes clearer, and creativity can emerge.

Start with 5 minutes of silence, a work-alone-together session. People write their input on a post-it (physical or online on your whiteboard). Only once the time is over, you are allowed to speak. This is challenging initially, but once you get into this habit, you will enjoy it.

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I am coaching a team preparing for a new complex European access regulation called EuHTA (on access and reimbursement process, very "serious" work). After 12 months of coaching, they have even started making their playlist for this silent moment!

This is easy to set up and will bring more diversity to your work.

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​That's it for this week! I hope you enjoy it, let me know! I respond to every person who writes to me!

See you in two weeks. Keep the spark alive, and be creative and bet on yourself :)