CEO of Spring Street, a workplace culture consultancy. Performing artist turned MBA/15+ year business leader. IG @annejacoby.author.
getty
For many, the new year has brought a tidal wave of uncertainty. Whether you’ve been swept up in your company layoffs, are operating with myriad unknowns relating to your resources or feel powerless and stuck in your job, you’re likely experiencing some uncertainty.
Strengthening creativity can help us forge a positive path forward. According to an IBM study, creativity ranked higher than management, vision and integrity when addressing a changing future, and it remains a top sought-after workplace skill according to LinkedIn and the World Economic Forum.
Unfortunately, creativity is nearly impossible when we allow uncertainty to trigger a threat state. Our brains switch into survival mode as we race to escape the virtual bear, rather than conjure up a creative way to trap it. To get creative, we must first make peace with the ever-present uncertainty in our lives. Here are three steps to creatively navigate the whitewater and learn to ride the wave.
Step One: Look Back And Look Ahead
Though it may sound counterintuitive, spending time reflecting on moments where you were resilient in the past can help you access more grit today. In the same breath, imagining your future and building a clear vision of what’s ahead can bring more clarity to what’s right in front of you.
When looking back, recall how you moved through past hard moments of uncertainty. Consider your mental toughness and the resources and people who may have guided you. Reflect on how you coped, as well as the unexpected lessons you learned along the way.
When looking ahead, move beyond generalities like "my goal is to get promoted next year," and into the nitty gritty detail of how you picture your future state reality. Envision your new life: What does your typical day look like? What projects are you working on and with whom? What does your workspace look like? Get specific about what’s visible on your desk (if you even have a desk!) and the feel of the chair you’re sitting on. Describe the art hanging on the walls. This is your chance to clearly imagine your future environment as a sensory experience to access more creativity.
According to neuroscientific research from Roger E. Beaty, Ph.D., the prediction of creative thinking occurs through the strength of the brain's neural networks. In other words, our ability to effectively bounce between the default and executive control networks enables us to efficiently generate a creative idea and critically evaluate one. Dr. Beaty's research also reveals tangible practices to help improve short-term creativity by remembering past experiences or imagining future scenarios in great detail, both of which prime the brain's default network. These help us regain a sense of control and certainty.
Step Two: Get Perspective
Imagine for a moment you’ve boarded a plane and are about to take off on a trip. While on the ground, there is a thick layer of dark clouds and rain. After gaining altitude, you discover the bright sun and clear skies hidden above. This is the benefit of perspective.
To achieve this kind of perspective-taking, think about how your best friend or mentor might approach your current challenge. Seek out the perspective of someone completely out of your field of work who might see your situation in a new and different light. By disrupting your thought patterns, unconscious biases and assumptions, new creative approaches can emerge.
You can also gain new perspectives by playing with time. Think about how your future self may look back on your situation in 10 years, or even two. Is it still a big deal? Have you arrived at an even better place? Resist ruminating on potential negative outcomes, and instead choose to focus on positive shifts in direction.
After considering a new perspective from a distance, identify one small action within your control today that can move you closer to that future state. It might mean brushing up your résumé or LinkedIn profile, reconnecting with five people in your network or scheduling a conversation with your boss to discuss your career goals.
Step Three: Make Time For Play
When my brain navigates uncertainty, I often imagine that swirly ball of death spinning on my laptop. One way to press our personal reset button is by giving our brains the gift of immersive play. This allows a more brain-friendly technique of operating in the state of unknown, but without the harmful creativity-killer, cortisol.
Even without small children at home as inspiration, play can show up in how we work together. We can pick a wacky word out of a hat at the start of a daily standup meeting, invite colleagues to share a business update as a limerick, or plan a spontaneous scavenger hunt around the office and post pictures in your team’s communications channel. Consider the kind of play that works for your team culture and solicit others’ ideas.
At home, you might inspire more play by finally setting up that game night with friends, visiting an escape room or letting your kids play salon with dozens of barrettes in your hair. Whatever you choose, it’s about stepping away from your current situation and letting your mind dream up multiple new solutions in low-pressure situations.
Summary
Regardless of what challenges you’re wrestling with, harnessing more control over your mindset has tangible benefits. Looking back and ahead, getting perspective and making time for play are practical techniques to reclaim your creativity. You may then enjoy the freedom to envision more choices than you ever thought possible.
Small creative choices can build momentum for even bigger ones ahead. As we steady ourselves in a storm of uncertainty, creativity can help you enjoy the ride.
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
