When celebrated British fashion designer Ozwald Boateng was commissioned to create new uniforms for British Airways, he did not hole up alone in his studio pulling concepts out of thin air. Instead, he kicked off the project by meeting directly with the people who would wear the uniforms every day: baggage handlers, maintenance engineers, flight captains, and crew across every role at the airline. He asked what they needed, wanted, and expected from their work apparel. In the end, Boateng chose to brand his final work a “collection” rather than generic uniforms, a small choice designed to stoke genuine staff enthusiasm for the new garments.
This story carries a clear lesson for leaders: More often than not, the best way to spark fresh creativity is to go straight to the front line. That means carving out time to connect with employees across every level of your company, and if you run an international business, across every region you operate in. Especially when you are stuck in a creative block, stepping out of the boardroom and engaging with your teams can ignite unexpected ideas and actionable solutions you would never find sitting at your desk.
Every leader faces creative ruts. Below is one actionable strategy you can use to draw inspiration from your colleagues and break out of stagnation:
Volunteer to be the notetaker
In the past, leaders could successfully solve problems and make key decisions by consulting only a small, close circle of trusted advisors. Today, however, both the nature of work and the challenges we tackle have shifted dramatically. Technology advances faster than ever before, customers hold higher expectations for products and services, and pressing global issues like climate change demand urgent, thoughtful action. Increasingly complex problems require increasingly innovative solutions.
As research published by Harvard Business School notes, modern leaders must gather input and build buy-in from a far larger, more diverse pool of experts than ever before. This new landscape makes people skills like intentional listening more critical than they have ever been. Leaders are typically expected to lead by sharing their own ideas, laying out expectations, and communicating their vision. Listening, by contrast, is deeply underrated—especially when you are searching for original creative ideas.
When you connect with coworkers to seek new inspiration, one simple trick to ensure you listen more than you speak is to volunteer to take meeting notes. When you attend group brainstorming sessions or team check-ins, take ownership of recording every participant’s input. Even if you use an AI-powered note-taking app to capture conversations, you can lead the process of organizing and cataloging everything the group discusses.
Resist the urge to jump in with your own take or resolve open questions immediately, even if team members look to you for a quick answer. Remember that brainstorming is centered on the process of generating ideas, not closing out problems right away. Positioning yourself to listen more than you speak maximizes the number of unique ideas the group is able to surface. In my own experience, when team members know I am genuinely interested in their thoughts and actively listening—rather than waiting to steer the conversation—they are far more motivated to share their creative, unexpected ideas.
Volunteer to be the notetaker
