Every person needs to be surrounded by a creative team. The kind of people you can go to and get ideas from. These are the kind of people who spark you and spur your innovation on. It doesn’t matter if it is an official or formal team…you just need one. Even if you are flying solo in your business, ministry, organization, etc…you need to have a creative team to call upon. Your creative success will be dependent upon the people you surround yourself with. If you don’t have a creative team to help you, you will limit your possibilities. So how do you have a creative team if you don’t have a team? Maybe you are a lone entrepreneur, or you don’t have an official team to lead. So how do you have a team if you don’t have a paid staff or employees to call upon?

1. Identify FRIENDS and COLLEAGUES who are creative

You must first start by creating your team with the people who are part of your life somehow, someway. Begin to think about the most creative people you know and start to observe to see if they would be a good fir for your informal/creative team. Identify the areas in which you need to be creative in. If it is finances think of financially creative people. If it is artistic ability think of people who are artistic. If it is business ideas you need think of people who are entrepreneurial. You must first identify who is around you to begin. And let me say this…start with who you have. They may not be the best of the best, but they are what you have to start with so start with them.

2. Ask them to be part of your INFORMAL creative team

People loved to be needed and valued. Take them out to lunch one by one and communicate how you would love to spend some time with them brainstorming in the areas they are gifted in. Let them know you value their input and see them as an expert in their field. Ask them if you can call upon them here and there for creative support if needed. Most people will be honored by the gesture. Let me say this though…DO NOT ABUSE the informal relationship. If you are going to use them over and over gleaning from their creativity you’ll need to compensate them somehow…or at least offer to. It is one thing to informally brainstorm with someone, it is a whole other thing to steal their time & ideas without offering something of value to them for the value they are giving you. Just don’t take advantage.

3. Be OPEN to their ideas

No one wants to be part of a team that doesn’t ever use their ideas. If you are going to go through the process of building a creative team, don’t be such a know-it-all that you dismiss all their ideas. Be open to their perspective and be willing to use some of their ideas even if it stretches you or is a little different than what you are comfortable with. Having a creative team is about being a team, this means you have to work together and work of each other. Don’t just look for yes people and people who are going to listen to you talk the whole time. In fact, you need to do the listening not the talking. Ask questions and get their input that is why you want them on your team anyway.