So I am reading the June 6th edition of Advertising Age where they profile fifty outstanding creative individuals in business, marketing and entertainment. Advertising Age asks several of the individuals “What’s the biggest creativity-killer?” I was excited to find that many of the things called out as “creativity killers” were things we have learned to avoid in our own business. Here is a short list of killers we find that stifle small businesses and frustrate entrepreneurs everyday.
Worrying About What Others Are Doing
If you are starting or running your own business, you must have at least some faith in your ability to make decisions. Looking at competition and worrying about what others are doing will only inhibit your ability to be creative and stand-out. It is easy for entrepreneurs to think the grass is greener on the other side, but seldom do you realize that your competition may be watching you with the same thought. You can’t get ahead by watching others, you have to blaze your own path.
Researching to Death
Related to the above, how can you lead if you have to get five opinions on which way to take a leak? Too many people get stifled because they think someone else has all the right answers. The reality is, no one has the right answers. Your solutions have just as much potential to be as flawed or effective as someone elses. Besides, there is no better way to know for sure than to try and fail. A decisive entrepreneur can go through five bad ideas and get to a good one in the time it takes a researcher to take his first timid step.
Wile E. Coyote Syndrome
We have all seen that road-runner crazed carnivore try every idea possible to catch his prey. It leads one to ask, “Why doesn’t he ever just try to get one right?” People have a terrible habit of throwing away an idea just because it doesn’t have immediate results. Often times, an idea is not bad it just needs refining. Working out the kinks in a good idea is what separates good ideas from great businesses.
Bureaucracy and Red Tape
The trend is that large companies will eventual fall to more nimble small companies. Autonomy is required for creativity. At a certain point, a large company has no one left who is empowered to make any important decisions. Those who try to “rock the boat” are quickly punished, and the only ones left are those content enough to not try anything new. Only those companies who learn to empower individuals at all levels to make an impact will be able to continue to stay relevant as they grow.
Impatience
This one I am throwing in. I believe that impatience kills good ideas and business strategies more than any other factor. The time it takes for a new campaign or process to show results is usually much longer than the expectations of those who are judging its worth. While a good sales strategy can show results in weeks, a good marketing strategy can take months, sometimes years. It is the difference between playing a instrument and going to a concert. One gets immediate and short lived results, the other takes time but produces permanent success. Companies that can live in the short and long term are the ones that rise to the top.
