Start with the box

Research attributed to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has shown that the degree to which we use creativity at work is a safeguard against disengagement, low morale, burnout and absenteeism. In the interest of having creativity work to your advantage (and protecting the interests of those of us who infuse it professionally), take a page from our book. Always be prepared to make it relevant. Know your box and embrace it. Find the edges. Figure out how tall it is. Know what it’s made of. Basically know your parameters. Then, start pushing a little. Pull it. Try to jump out of the box. When you escape, soak everything in. Run amuck through the open fields. Feel the greener grass under your feet. And, do it quickly. Because the true value will then come when you bring everything you’ve discovered back into the box with you and use it to deliver a better solution while the problem is still relevant to your success.