Cultivating Your Creative Differences

By Bob Nieman | Jan 07, 2011

In the January issue of PlanetLaundry magazine, we chatted with successful entrepreneur and noted jazz musician Josh Linkner about boosting creativity in the business world. Below are exclusive website-only excerpts from that conversation:

How can laundry owners get their attendants to buy into and participate in the creative process?

The first thing is to give them a reason to care. Whether you make minimum wage or $1 million a year, you’re still creative. Your employees have to feel like they’re part of something and that they have an opportunity to leave their fingerprints on your operation. If someone feels like they’re just a clock-punching cog in a wheel, they’re not going to bring their creativity to work.

On the other hand, you can say, “I’m trying to create something really special here. We have an opportunity to make a difference and do something unique, and I respect your opinion and I want to hear it. I’m relying on you to help me make this an incredible place.” That kind of empowerment is critical.

Why not plug into their talents and mind power? Give them the permission and the encouragement to let their creativity shine. Let’s say an attendant suggests, “Hey, why don’t we paint all of the washers green?” You could respond, “That’s the dumbest idea ever! It’s going to cost a fortune! The paint’s going to peel off! It’s going to get on people’s clothes!”

But, if you say that type of thing, they’re never going to come to you with another idea. So, even if it’s a goofy idea, you might say, “Wow, that’s an interesting concept. Thank you for that idea. Let’s talk about the pros and cons.” Even if you don’t end up doing it, the attendant feels that her idea was heard. Who knows? Six bad ideas later you might get a gem.

Personally, what drives your creativity?

Constant reinvention. The minute something is working well, you should be thinking ahead to the next thing.

When I started my first company, I told my first employee: “Someday, a company is going to come along and put us out of business, it might as well be us. You won’t recognize this company in six months.”

And he didn’t. It’s that spirit of constantly being the force of disruptive innovation, constantly changing the game and putting ourselves out of business.

What’s the biggest mistake you see small-business owners making these days?

There are two big mistakes. The first one is not differentiating. The world is full of “me too” players. Fear holds people back from doing things that are remarkable.

It’s about not daring to be different, just following the mold. Going along, making tiny little differences, as opposed to doing something remarkable, something noteworthy… something that’s going to create a stir.

When you create a stir, you may anger 20 percent of your customers. You might alienate people. They’ll be disgusted and leave in a fit. That’s OK, at least you stand for something – and the other 80 percent of the people might love you 10 times more.

The other big mistake is thinking way too much about themselves and way too little about their customers. They’re focused on how they can make more money. It’s me, me, me. And it should be all about serving your customers and creating an extraordinary customer experience.

Whether you own a coin laundry or an airline, you need to be tuned into those customers and really try to solve their needs in a profound way. Too many small-business owners are inwardly focused. It’s about letting go of that and being outwardly focused and more effective.

If laundry owners reading this do just one thing in 2011, what should that be?

Dare to be different. Unleash the creative potential that they already have inside them. Take a risk. Go out on a limb. What's the worst thing that can happen?

(Josh Linkner’s new book, “Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System for Breakthrough Creativity” will be available in February at joshlinkner.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and other major online outlets, as well as at bookstores worldwide.)

Be sure to read the rest of this interview in the January issue of PlanetLaundry magazine.