We often hear a recurring challenge from companies built on expertise. Whether lawyers, engineers, or accountants, the question is the same: How do we differentiate our services and stand out in the market?
Providing excellent client service, building strong relationships, delivering results, and having the “best” talent—these aren’t differentiators. They’re table stakes. To win the right kind of work, firms need to demonstrate something more: creativity.
Growth and relevance demand more than executing the same playbook year after year. Markets shift, audiences evolve, and new technologies emerge daily. And while every company wants to be seen as innovative, few actually create the conditions to get there. Here’s how to start building a culture of creativity inside your company.
Creativity is where expertise becomes innovation. By making creativity a core value and a shared focus, you set expectations and position yourself for growth. Clients want to know you’re paving the way, not just keeping pace. Creating space for fresh ideas keeps your team engaged and gives clients confidence in your ability to adapt.
Create Space for Creativity
Judgment often thwarts creativity—especially for those who don’t consider themselves particularly “creative.” This is easy to acknowledge, but harder to practice.
The best way to encourage expansive, nonjudgmental thinking is to intentionally set aside time for it. In a brainstorm, make it clear that the space is a “yes, and” environment—one where people build on ideas rather than shoot them down. Remind the group that there will be a time later to refine. For now, the goal is to surface ideas that feel strange, impossible, or even outlandish.
And then enforce it. When someone defaults to explaining why an idea won’t work, redirect them. Innovation doesn’t happen when you’re playing it safe. Creativity requires vulnerability—the freedom to say something half-baked, float wild ideas, throw assumptions away, and experiment without fear. But that only happens with intent. Without explicit permission, even your boldest thinkers may stay quiet.
Call People In
Two things are true:
- Leaders are often the loudest voices in the room.
- Leaders can be limited by their own experience.
Novel ideas often come from those less bound by “how it’s always been done.” That’s why the most fruitful brainstorms are those when everyone is actively called into the conversation. If you’re running a brainstorm, reframe your role as a moderator—teasing out ideas from others rather than dominating with your own.
And remember: people process information differently. The quiet person at the end of the table might just be observing before they speak. Ask for their perspective. A culture of creativity should make space for everyone, not just the loudest in the room.
Celebrate Failure Too
The biggest risk to a business is playing it safe. Failure, on the other hand, is a sign of growth. Each misstep, each plan that doesn’t unfold as expected, provides invaluable data and experience. It highlights areas for improvement, challenges assumptions, and forces a re-evaluation of approach. Embracing failure demonstrates resilience, encourages adaptation, and ultimately fuels innovation.
When employees feel pressured to just be consistent, mediocrity follows. Surround yourself with people who take chances, who want to stretch what’s possible—and then give them the support and environment to do so.
Acknowledge risk-taking, even when it doesn’t pan out. A simple “at least we’re trying new things” signals that your team is supported in reaching beyond the comfortable. On the road to innovation, learning what doesn’t work is often the step to discovering what does.
Building the Conditions
Agile organizations recognize that creativity is a shared asset. Companies that nurture it will adapt, grow, and win more opportunities than those content with the status quo.
The good news? Building a culture of creativity doesn’t require big changes. Start small: reduce judgment, reward experimentation, and call people in. Over time, these practices compound into teams that are empowered to take calculated risks, stay curious, and keep your business sharp.
Our Abel iLab offers companies unique and flexible ways to learn the art and science of creativity. It’s a great place to start when building creativity into your corporate culture. Take a look here to learn more.
