/// Tips by Category

Collaboration

[kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn]
/// 1. The act of working in concert with others to push ideas forward /// 2. A collective approach that promotes accountability and cross-pollination, two critical forces in generating meaningful productive creative output.

Treat Your Meetings to a Little QA

What is it about gathering a group of employees that sends otherwise well-oiled machines into epic failure mode? We seek a better way to organize meetings…

Strive for the IKEA Effect

Instilling a do-it-yourself ethos in your team, and even your customer base, can encourage ownership and engagement.

Lessons from Improv #4: Establish Context Quickly

Of all the improv games and exercises we learned, the ‘three-line scene’ was perhaps the most enlightening. The takeaway? Context is everything.

Lessons from Improv #3: Failing Is Good

As we learned from Kimmy Gatewood, the importance of failure is one of the most valuable lessons improv comedy has to offer.

Lessons from Improv #2: Let Ideas Happen

We like plans. They make us feel comfortable. Yet, improv teaches that we must always remain open to new ideas--and maybe to scrapping that plan.

Lessons from Improv: Create Inertia

In this first installment in our four-part series on the lessons to be learned from improv comedy, we learn about the power of fearless momentum.

Actually Make Something

For teams focused on long-term projects, tangible products can provide a measurable jolt of motivation.

Pressure Can Push Good Ideas Forward

When you share your goals broadly, you risk "failing" in the eyes of those you respect. However, ideas never happen in isolation.

Care for Chemistry Before People

Hiring great people is important. But we don't work in a vacuum. Tending to the chemistry of your team is crucial for long-term success.

Taking A Team’s Temperature

The chemistry of a creative team is absolutely critical for making ideas happen. Yet when a problem is brewing, our tendency is often to block it out.

Think Inside a Self-Constructed Box

When we generate ideas, we’re told to 'think outside the box.' But it turns out a little bit of structure goes a long way in brainstorming sessions.

Silence the Creative Visionary!

Visionary leaders run the risk of overriding the ideas of the brilliant people around them. Sometimes, restraint is needed when engaging a team.