Communicate with Enthusiasm for the Possibilities

Welcome to "Harnessing the Ideas of Creative Teammates," where your journey begins in developing leadership skills tailored to team member personalities.

Before we dive into this ocean of learning, we will start with understanding some personality basics for the different types of behavioral styles you are likely to encounter as a people manager.

Let's kick off by understanding the OCEAN Big 5 Personality Model. OCEAN is an acronym that represents a well-researched, five-part model to help us understand the behaviors and natural tendencies of the people we work with and lead.

This model includes:

• (O) Openness to Experience reflects a person's level of creativity, imagination, curiosity, and openness to new ideas.
• (C) Conscientiousness refers to a person's level of organization, responsibility, dependability, and work ethic.
• (E) Extraversion is the extent to which individuals are outgoing, sociable, energetic, and seek stimulation in social environments.
• (A) Agreeableness reflects a person’s tendency to be compassionate, cooperative, and concerned about others' well-being.
• (N) Neuroticism is commonly referred to as Emotional Stability. High Emotional Stability (Low Neuroticism) is a person's tendency to be calm, composed, and resilient under pressure.

This first course starts your learning voyage across this OCEAN of personality by focusing on Openness to Experience. Teammates with High Openness to Experience tend to be imaginative, open-minded, adventurous, and curious about new experiences, ideas, and concepts.

Identifying methods to effectively lead creative teammates high on Openness to Experience will cultivate an innovative team environment where unique ideas can thrive. The more you appreciate their openness, the better you'll become at drawing out the creative potential within your team.

Let's begin by learning how to to effectively adapt your communication style when interacting with creative members of the team.

Creating space for unstructured brainstorming is pivotal when communicating with highly creative teammates. You can empower your team by setting aside time for them to let their imaginations run wild. This might look like dedicated "creative hours" or spontaneous idea sessions during regular meetings.

For example, you might say, "During this hour, feel free to pitch any concept without constraints." This approach not only encourages creative expression but also leads to innovative breakthroughs.

Unstructured exploration embraces the space for creative thought and encourages out-of-the-box thinking that is essential for innovation.