Ever notice how the best ideas pop up during everyday routines, like the morning shower? It’s that mental break during familiar tasks that sparks creativity. Similarly, introducing specialized systems for routine tasks can give employees the mental space to breathe.

Fueling Creativity at Ethos3

Take Ethos3, a design firm in Nashville, specializing in presentation designs. By sticking to one thing, they’ve smartly systematized their processes, outshining other design firms. Their business development method follows a standard template, covering slides, revisions, and pricing. For project management, they swear by teamwork.com, using templates for each development stage. It’s a success recipe – just add water.

Giving employees procedural guidelines for routine tasks frees them from worrying about the “what” and lets them focus on the “how.” Ethos3, a runner-up in the World’s Best Presentation Contest and admired by Apple pioneer Guy Kawasaki, proves this approach’s effectiveness.

While entrepreneurs might love the thrill of navigating uncertainties, it’s crucial to realize that many employees crave consistency and structure.

Contrary to the belief that systems stifle creativity, consultant and author, Kathy Kolbe’s ‘Kolbe Index’ a personality test, proves otherwise. Examine these four personality attributes to rank an individual’s dominant operating style.

Fact Finder: the extent to which the individual enjoys collecting and analysing data before the decision-making process.

Follow Through: a measure of how much some enjoys systems, structure, and routine.

Quick Start: the quantification of the individual’s inclination to start new projects or tasks.

Implementer: a measure of the individual’s ability for building and creating things.

The test shows entrepreneurs often score high in Quick Start and low in Follow Through, indicating a love for starting things but a dislike for details. Employees, on the other hand, may lean towards more structured environments.

By embracing specialization and setting up standard operating procedures, organizations give their teams the mental freedom to unleash creativity while still providing the necessary structure for top-notch performance. This balance not only encourages innovation but also boosts efficiency within the organization.

Why this REALLY matters – what fostering these system and processes also does is give prospective buyers comfort that the business won’t fall apart the moment its Founder leaves.  These procedures become institutionalized in “how we do business” here and add stability, predictability and ultimately additional value both for the Vendor and the Buyer.

If you want to learn more about how much your business is worth and how we can help, please give us a shout.