A case study : How creative thinking provided the team with an original solution.
Creating new products and solutions stems from our ability to think and see outside the box. Creative people today are dealing with the challenges faced by groundbreaking pioneers: the need to explain and convince others of what they're doing. Sometimes, they battle alone, and they may experience difficulty and doubt along the way. If they wish to succeed, they must believe in themselves and know they are on the right path. Furthermore, they should select a supportive environment that empowers them.
Most people have yet to see that creative thinking isn't the privilege of a few; each of us has the ability to be creative. When I started walking down this road of collecting information and directing through images, I felt like a pioneer in the field. No one seemed to understand what I was doing or why. Many believed that I was taking unnecessary personal and financial risks. My environment encouraged me to stop and "get back on track"; my loved ones explained to me, using very sound reasoning, why I was wrong. But I kept at it because I believed in myself and knew I was on the right path.
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I've encountered a lot of nay-sayers along the way, but occasionally I had the chance to meet organization managers with open minds and the ability to think outside the box. One of the people I am indebted to is David Cohen, CEO of the David InterContinental Tel Aviv Hotel, who provided me with the opportunity to work with his managers.
David is an internationally known CEO, one of the most prominent people in the IHG (International Hotels Group) and an inspiring individual. He believes in human-resource development, and is therefore constantly looking for ways and tools for nurturing and developing his staff. The first thing that caught my attention was that, along with his impressively professional speech, his managing staff had the mandate to express their creative ideas and provide their own solutions. He does this through establishing 'think teams' on every management level.
Throughout years of accompanying the managers at the hotel, I came to notice that managers who gave vent to their creative thinking were those who achieved the best results.
One of those managers was Sotirios Ikonomou. When we met, he was a mid-level manager who had recently received a new division. He handled the complex challenge of forming a team of people from different countries and various cultures. In addition to forming the team, he needed to implement international procedures and bring the team to the highest standards of hospitality management.
Immediately upon our first meeting, we discovered a shared interest in photography. Sotirios told me that when he was fifteen, his father gave him a brand new SLR camera before a family vacation and said: "Now is your time to learn, capture the moment and send your own message."
As soon as he said it, we both understood that this statement embodies the concept of personal empowerment: a strong message and a powerful starting point, through which he could convey his organisational message.
Our first goal was "team unity". We started constructively paving the road. In addition to the excellent managerial tools provided by the hotel chain, we also used The Visual Code. I was happy to share with Sotirios the creative part of the method for conveying messages through codes and symbols.
For instance, Sotirios wanted to convey a message of gratitude to the people on the team who worked behind the scenes and had a significant role in the division's success. He decided to make a movie documenting the housekeeping team, whose activity had thus far gone unseen (unlike the receptionists, sales people and waiters, who had been seen both behind the scenes and publicly).
The movie debuted at the hotel's quarterly cocktail party and was published online. It was very well received and made waves throughout the hotel, as well as the international IHG. Sotirios testified that he could see the results even during the first screening. He saw the housekeepers' proud looks. Throughout the following days and weeks, there was a rise in motivation within the division, proving that employee satisfaction translates to measurable value.
The Film : "The Perfect Team" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVlSztSWJ0k
Aside from using films to unify and empower the team, Sotirios used gigantic posters he had made, showing his team against the backdrop of a movie or magazine (a background filled with international icons).
The new world created in the posters sent the message – we are together in the reality we have created. The use of icons and symbols to empower the team worked. The posters, which were posted in the office halls, welcomed the staff each morning. The team felt proud to be part of the project and committed to the workplace and their roles within it.
The posters were successful in conveying the message: "together – we make the perfect team". After generating a positive environment for the team, Sotirios was able to implement messages and new protocol more smoothly than ever before.
I should note that films and posters are not a magical solution. However, they can reflect your thoughts and communicate them to others. Your actions are constantly compared with your messages by those around you. Your message comes across in a powerful way when your actions match what you convey in pictures or videos, because it makes you seem reliable. That is the cornerstone of any relationship.The hotel's employees in a Hollywood film poster.
Sotirios' success was derived from his willingness to go down a new road where no one had gone before, which required walking the extra mile in addition to the complex management of a diverse team. It was his creativity, his willingness to incorporate new tools, surpass fears, difficulties and doubts – which brought him success.
To summarise, using photos and videos in this case brought great results – a win-win situation for both the organisation and the employees in a short period of time – because the concept of success became visual. It’s not enough to do the right thing. It should also be seen, to create the right ambience in the organisation.
Since then, Sotirios has been promoted to the highest management level. Today, he a senior executive at David InterContinental. Below is a link to his original article where you can see the poster with his team:
A chapter from the Visual Secrets Book
"How to use images for message enhancement, information and empowerment"
Author :Yoni Dror
