Why your team needs time to think
Why creative time should be on your calendar
What would happen if we reserved a few hours each week—no emails, no meetings, no urgent decisions—to think differently? I’m not talking about productivity or efficiency. I’m talking about inspiration. Sounds good, right? In many organizations, there’s a cultural bias toward what’s measurable, predictable, and replicable. Data-driven logic and structured processes are valuable, but they’re not enough to innovate, imagine new futures, or challenge the status quo.
Here’s the paradox: many companies acknowledge creativity as a driver of innovation, differentiation, and competitive advantage, but they only put it into practice occasionally. Workshops, brainstorming sessions, or isolated initiatives. The result? A culture that celebrates ideas… but doesn’t cultivate them.
By now, you already know this: failing to innovate leads to the downfall of projects and companies. So… how can you nurture innovation within your teams to keep projects sustainable?
Celebrate the effort, not just the outcome: Innovation is born when mistakes aren’t punished. Recognize and value those who dare to think differently—even when their ideas don’t take off.
Creativity doesn’t need permission: You don’t need approval to suggest something new. But you do need a culture that values initiative. Creating safe spaces to propose ideas is just as important as the talent of those generating them.
Decentralized innovation: Don’t wait for big ideas to emerge from a workshop or an innovation team. Anyone, in any role, can identify opportunities. Open up space for that to happen.
Forget “disruption”: Sometimes the biggest changes start with the smallest tweaks. Rethinking a process or improving a user experience can spark something far more transformative.
Ultimately, if we want teams to build meaningful solutions, stay ahead of change, and keep the energy of projects alive, we can’t relegate creativity to workshops. We must embed it into the actual rhythm of work. And you can start with something simple: block time on your calendar to think differently.