Train hard to unleash creativity

Roslyn Black has built one of the most creative, employee- friendly companies that I know. That fact manifests itself in every crevice of her nine-year-old food and beverage company. You hear it in her receptionist’s voice; her tone always suggests that she’s happy to hear from you. You note it with her delivery people; it’s always their pleasure to serve you. And it can’t help but overwhelm you when you deal with Black directly.

 She tells her secretary to hold all calls when she meets with you and more often than not, you leave a meeting with her feeling that she has given you more than she is supposed to. For a small company with just 20 employees she boasts of over 100 clients most of whom give her repeat business and referrals. “What are your secrets when it comes to your customers,” I questioned, always seeking to understand the principles of success from others. Black was matter-of- fact in her response. “While I care and value my customers tremendously, it’s my employees who are of paramount importance for me.” Black explained.
 What the 38-year-old self-made entrepreneur had tapped into was the yearning of many employees, particularly those who work in small companies, to feel as if they are sharing and shaping the vision of a company.

It certainly wasn’t always like that. “I once had a high employee turn-over and I believe it was because employees felt stifled, that they were not part of the larger picture  so I had to do something,” she explains. So the entrepreneur tapped into her own creative psyche to find a different way of managing and motivating her employees. For a long time Black had believed that some people were born creative and others weren’t. But when she started examining the successes of companies around the world, small and large, she found that this was far from the truth. “I discovered that some companies actually worked hard at creativity.”

They had extremely active suggestion systems, they provided time to examine work processes, and they actively supported the implementation of ideas.  They trained hard for creativity. Black decided to do the same. Her first task was to divide groups of employees into four teams. And on a simple dry-erase board she mandated that each team had to come up two ideas that could be used in the company. Each team had a date to fill their slot on the board. Each team could spend up to $200 with no permission required, but they had to implement their idea, not just think about it.The response was overwhelmingly positive. Many employees couldn’t wait to get their ideas on the board and went out of turn! Teams started talking to each other about things that could be improved they piggy-backed their ideas onto ideas already written on the board.  A couple of teams pooled their $200 allotments to implement a GIANT suggestion.  Most ideas did not require any money to implement. Many directly impacted customer satisfaction. Others dealt with employee safety, facility cleanliness, courtesy and response times.

In two years using this and other systems Black created a company where employees shared the same vision, team members started enjoying their work. Staff turnover was virtually eradicated. The company’s profits and client base grew. These days, pop culture will refer to Roslyn’s actions as “acting, not just thinking out of the box.” Not one for buzzwords, the 38-year-old explained that in her readings she simply discovered the basic principles about creativity. “I used to think that creativity had to do with businesses involved in the arts or to be found in large numbers of people working according to standards and manuals created by a few talented persons. Now I know that creativity must always be employed in every business, that the word is synonymous with innovation and unleashing it, means working together in tandem with others, creating a structure that supports ideas from every source and stimulates its implementation.” Black forms a new generation of female entrepreneurs who create their businesses on the massed strength of many individuals concentrating on solutions and results. “My only weapon for the success I enjoy now was to discover that my employees were my most important asset, and the more I tapped their creativity and made working for my company fun the more they felt part of the process when they saw their ideas implemented.”

No doubt in today’s environment there is recognition that an employer should develop relationship capital with its employees. The more the better.   Black’s good fortune is largely testament to that.

Judette Coward is the principal consultant at Judette Coward & Associates.
She is a Board member of the Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago (AFETT)  an association that develops the networking and leadership skills of female executives and entrepreneurs.
The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt