A Leadership Thought From the Director of the Library

Flaum (2005) states that creativity rarely comes from the top, but rather from the people. People rarely accomplish this innovation "while at their computers checking emails, listening to voicemails, or in a production forecast meeting," rather it is accomplished by transcending the daily grind of the workplace (p.48). He goes on to explain that productivity is orderly and has concrete goals and benchmarks that can be measured, but that creativity or innovation is reached when the organization can imagine something that is not a conventional business strategy. To accomplish this, he suggests that leaders must tap into the people of the organization and then be prepared to put the process in motion and get out of the way. In order to accomplish this creativity, a "creative think time" must be created for the group to focus its full attention on what is out there - Selah, a pause or rest from the normal. According to Winston, Selah suggests reflecting at these think points and identifying the behaviors that emerge from these values. He suggests that leaders who engage in open communication with followers for their input work through this process of pausing and reflecting, Selah, leads to “good leaders that are accountable to their followers (Winston, p. 2).” Flaum concludes that leaders should allow "...some chaos -- just enough, anyway, to produce that special something that can make an average company extraordinary" (48).

Please feel free to post thoughts and reflections in the comments.

References

Flaum, S. A. (2005). Listen Up Leaders: Get Out of the Way! Pharmaceutical Executive, 25(4), 48. doi: Article.

Winston, B. (2002). Be a leader for God’s sake.

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