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An Army of Worker Ants

One of the experiences we discussed when creating Project Play was how creativity spills into future job performance.

A young intern from a prestigious college in Chicago came to work at the advertising agency. Her credentials were impressive – perfect grades, extra activities, club memberships, etc. She was soon set to graduate with her bachelor's degree. She wore the right clothes and her professional appearance was immaculate.

Initially, she impressed everyone on the staff with her attentive behavior and note-taking.

The staff began delegating project-oriented tasks to her. One such task was to write an announcement about a new employee. The first indication of her lack of creativity was this rough draft. She had copied a previously written announcement verbatim, changing only the name and key details. It offered no sense of the new employee, whom she never bothered to interview or request a resume.

When asked why she hadn’t provided any new information, she simply said, “no one gave it to me.”

Although the example is simplistic, the managers at the ad agency started to discuss a trend. A generation with parents, teachers and coaches who tell them how and where and when to do everything. They have been taught with a focus on standardized testing and educated on repetition to be able to excel. We asked ourselves, do they know how to figure it out for themselves?

But perhaps the scarier thing is that some don’t recognize that it is limiting not to create something new or research things more in-depth.

New employees that do only what is asked will never get ahead in this creative business. Following orders is great in the military but not in a creative environment such as advertising. Without the ability to generate new ideas and feel a sense of urgency to do so, the advertising industry, for one, will not thrive

The world will always be desperate for innovative ideas, thoughtful problem solving and courageous leadership. Those who develop these skills will shine as future leaders and significant contributors in our society.

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