Marketers, advertisers, and communicators and all the various roles and functions within those categories contain very creative people. Many entered the profession because of that creativity – the joy that comes from unleashing it, and the joy of the struggle that comes from trying to bring something into the world. Amma Marfo is an expert on creativity and the author of “Cultivating Creativity.” Episode 12 with Amma is full of so many great insights into what it takes to bring an idea to fruition – from how to brainstorm, how extroverts and introverts bring ideas forward differently but want the same outcomes, how leaders can advocate and shepherd ideas into reality, and the responsibility all of us have to ask ourselves if any harm can come from what we are attempting to create.
Since marketers have so much power to shape and reflect society, I think we can learn a lot from Amma about creating responsibly. You may have heard of people “falling in love with their own idea.” I know I’ve been this person, and over time I’ve developed confidence and discernment to ask others to critique my ideas. My favorite thing to say is, “I have an idea. Poke holes in it.” However, there are instances where a leader may not be open to criticism or may be so in love with their idea that they are blind to the harm it will cause. These are tough situations where persuasion doesn’t meet the challenge of an inflated ego.
Most importantly, Amma and I talk about how to take care of our teams right now, and if it’s fair to ask people to be creative when so many have tapped into their reserves this year. She is a woman of many talents including a background in stand up comedy and improv so I also asked Amma about using humor to heal our teams – spoiler: it’s not as easy as it sounds.
In this episode:
- Why organizations fear creativity
- Is it fair to ask people to be creative right now?
- The ways marketers can serve through their creativity
- Ideas for brainstorming that works
- Introverts vs. Extroverts and what they really want
- How we can foster more creativity in our organizations and the necessary roles to do so
Amma recommends these Servant Marketing Snacks:
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