Day 142 of The 365 Day Experiment. THNK YNG.
My incredibly talented co-worker recently spoke at an industry conference, touting how innovative our recruiting practices are. He wowed the crowd not just with our inventive approaches; his infectious energy and humor draw you in.
And when he came home from this conference held in Vegas, he was even more energized. He was pumped not just from the awesome feedback he got from his presentation. He had spent the beginning of his week at Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, spending four hours jamming with rock stars who catered to his musical whims. Not only did he come back amped up (pun intended); I swear he came back a few years younger and more creative.
He also came back with a recommendation for me. Another one of the speakers at the conference had a message he was sure would resonate with me. As he teed up the video on the screen, I tuned out his voice about five seconds in. My friend knows me well. The combination of U2, painting, and the charismatic artist stepping on stage to create before he ever opens his mouth had me at first brush stroke.
As Erik Wahl began to share his message about making organizations more innovative and creative, I was glued. He visually speaks what goes on in my head. He’s a gifted speaker, has an incredibly unique way of communicating his message, and he’s clearly built a successful brand for himself. Brush all that aside though, and I just get this guy’s core message. His kind of energy and inspiration are the things that fuel me. And they are probably one of the reasons I’ve lasted in the demanding world of hyper-growth companies for over two decades.
At the start of his talk, Wahl cites a quote made famous by Pablo Picasso. ”Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” I have always found this so relevant. When we are children, we color with reckless abandon. We sing at the top of our lungs. We dream without boundaries. And yet, as we get older, so many of us lose that confidence. We begin to doubt ourselves, which then limits our possibilities. Ultimately, we need to find ways to break past those restraints we block ourselves with and free our minds. We all have the aptitude to be a hell of a lot more creative and innovative than we give ourselves credit for. We just need to put ourselves out there and try.
Wahl does exercises with Crayolas when he works with executive teams. I smiled when I heard that. It validated a seemingly ridiculous move I had just made with a new Director I hired. As we sat at lunch finalizing the details of what her role would look like, I turned my menu over and started drawing with the different colored pens and crayons I had in my purse. At the end, when we had agreed to the details we had just brainstormed, I took the pink crayon and wrote her offer details on the menu. Of course she received a formal letter, but the fact that she took that menu and called it one of “the most meaningful pieces of paper of her career,” was special. That ability for both of us to get creative in the moment left me confirming she was the right person for the job; and left her with a memorable experience.
Sometimes it’s so easy to show up each day and just check the boxes to get through our lists, but that’s soooo boring. Allowing ourselves the freedom to truly let our guards down and allow ourselves to think without boundaries might not just allow us to achieve a better result. It might just give us the freedom to feel just a little bit younger.
Watch Erik Wahl’s awesome video here.
And of course here is Ed Nathanson’s talk on building an awesome team of Talent Scouts.
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