invisible conditions for creativity at work
what a virtual keynote & cohort remind me of: communicate well
Hello,
Welcome to our many new readers.
Something unexpected happened last week.
I invited over 2,000+ developers and directors from top social good organizations to pause, stand, and close their eyes right in the middle of a virtual keynote talk.
This was at Blackbaud’s bbdevdays remote conference, a space wired for code, systems, and the power of AI. I couldn’t see them. I didn’t know if their dogs were barking or if they were toggling between Slack and their CRM. Would they think this was too off-script?
I’ve led enough rooms and trained enough teams to know: what we often skip in fast-paced work is precisely what makes creative insight possible. So I asked them to do it anyway.
I guided them into a brief, silent experience before explaining anything. In just a few minutes, I invited them to turn inward to notice their breath, their fishy thoughts, and their openness. I asked them to watch their mind’s fluctuations in action without judgment or attachment. My aim was for them to experience how a micro-shift can lead to a big shift in how creative cognition can work to our advantage.
The shift was palpable, even through a screen.
Sometimes, we need to feel a new state before we can think in a new way.
I think it worked its magic.
These are the moments most of us skip in fast-paced work environments whether at the workplace or work-from-home. But these moments - when we pause to talk with our minds and with one another - are often where creative insight and long-game well-being begin.
In this week’s Wonder Dispatch:
»> Jeffrey’s Main Musing: invisible conditions for creativity at work
»> An invitation to work together
»> Ask Me Anything: Canoe Talks
»> On Jeffrey’s and Team TW’s Radar
A fresh look at creativity at work: communicating
Creativity, in this context, means finding solutions to problems at work we care about. It often begins when we stop trying to force insight and start shaping the quality of attention we bring to the day.
Something significant happens to our creativity at work when we slow down to communicate.
For instance, right now I’m guiding a cohort of professionals and leaders through my mini-trainings of Deepen Your Focus and Flow at Work. They’re engaged in complex creative work from home, facing the resistance and self-distraction that comes with it. Most joined thinking they’d pick up a few tools to manage time and tasks. What they’re finding is something deeper.
One participant said, though,
“I thought I was just signing up for a few science-based hacks to be more focused and productive. I didn’t realize I was signing up for transformation.”
They’re creating what one of them called self-contained “containers” for themselves to dive into deep work while also creating a supportive container together.
The second thing they reiterated was how my calm demeanor, normalizing their challenges, and genuine encouragement helped them change the ways they work. I didn’t expect my demeanor or encouragement to matter so much, but I’m reminded of this:
how we communicate—internally and with others—shapes the work culture we inhabit.
And this drops right back to asking a group of harried developers to pause and communicate with their own minds.
A recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology showed that authentic leadership language directly supports creative problem-solving. Creativity at work these days doesn’t happen with the broken dictum of “move fast and break things.”
Instead, these leaders motivated others with transparent encouragement, trust, and permission to seek solutions to problems that matter.
That finding aligns with what I’ve seen in coaching organizational leaders and high-performing creatives.
Such respectful containers can let us seed an idea slowly and wisely. Doing so can let founders check their assumptions about productivity and metrics of success through emergent entrepreneurship.
Invisible conditions
Our Wonder@Work Assessment shows that a lot of people could make micro-adjustments for macro-shifts to up their wonder ratio at work.
Here I’m thinking with you about the conditions we can create when talking with ourselves to foster creative well-being and insight at work for the long game. This might look like a question in the morning before your inbox. Sometimes the pause before you open your inbox holds more potential than anything inside it.
Here’s one place to start: Before the workday begins, ask yourself three questions:
Who do I want to be as I work today?
Why does my work matter?
What problem do I care about and am open to insight into?
Identity. Purpose. Problem imbued with care & curiosity.
These inquiries create just enough space for your best thinking to emerge.
If you’re a leader or manager, the authentic communication begins with yourself.
If you’re navigating transition, you can ask these questions as you envision your next near-future horizon.
Your Turn to Wonder
Here’s your invitation this week:
»> What invisible condition supports your creativity right now?
»> What daily rhythm, pause, or question helps, or could help, shape not just what you do but also how you think, relate, and create?
You’re welcome to reply and share with me or post in this week’s Wonder HUB thread.
This terrain of insight under pressure and purpose beyond performance is what I live and love to work through with leaders and professionals. See below.
As far as I know, this life is the only shot we get. It’s brief, and it’s beautiful. Despite all odds, let’s keep making it so together.
And let’s keep shaping work that works for our ideas and for our lives.
Thanks for running with me,
Jeffrey
Reclaim Possibility
»> Strategist for Thoughtful Growth: Individuals
Some of you have asked. I have a couple of openings for private clients this season and quarter. I work with thoughtful entrepreneurs, creatives, and change-makers ready to grow wisely, lead authentically, or bring a bold idea—like a book or business up-level —to life. If you're curious about having at last a dedicated idea partner and strategic advisor on your side, complete this form, and we’ll be in touch. No sales. Just questions and connection.
Wonder Interventions@Work: Leaders, Teams, Org’s
Our in-person and remote talks & trainings change the way we connect at work. Complete our form here.
Ask Me Anything
If you want to ask me a question about this or anything else that might merit a Canoe Talk response, fire away here. Or drop a question in the Wonder HUB thread.
On Jeffrey’s and Team TW’s Radar
»> Life of Chuck (movie trailer | YouTube) - Wonder tracker Stephen Spielberg has released perhaps his most meaningful, wondrous film ever. “And in this moment…I. Am. Wonderful.”
»> How a Playful Mindset Can Boost Creativity on Your Team (Dan Wardle | HBR) - “a 2023 study found that fun at work had a positive correlation to creative behavior.”
»> The entrepreneur’s creative brain (CTECH) (4-minute audio article)
Or encourage them to sign up here. Thanks for your support.
Thanks for running with me,
Lucky developers to be privy to your wisdom and guidance.