Sunday's Sermon
How creative is the average American worker? How does our educational system kill the creative spirit in our children and how can we rekindle it?
(PRWEB) October 26, 2003
Mary Manin Morressy of the Living Enrichment Center, on television, referred to a survey in which 50,000 people were interviewed to determine how creative they were. The survey showed that at age 45 only 2 percent of the people were considered creative. Age 35 also only 2 percent. At age 25, it was also only 2 percent. In fact, at age seven only 10 percent of the children were considered to be creative, but at age 5 it was 90 percent.
Two questions: What happens between age five and age seven that shuts down the creative process in children that seems to last into their adulthood, and can the process be reversed?
In my workshops I would jest, “When I was in kindergarten school was fun. I played, painted, made friends and really had a good time. I also thought in kindergarten that I was really smart, maybe a genius, maybe a potential Einstein. I was praised by my teacher for the clever things I did. But, something happened in the first grade that caused a complete reversal to take place. Overnight I went from being a genius to a “dunce.” I was given tests that showed that I wasn't so smart at all. In spelling bees, I was always the first one to sit down.
At school we are all taught with the same system to learn at the same pace. But, we are all different, and some of us just take additional time to flower and grow. But, the system is not patient to allow that to happen. It wants us all to conform. So, 98 percent of us lose our creative potential and we are led to believe that we are just not creative. And what is even worse, we accept that diagnosis. Which is just plain “ bunk.”
All of us are just like seeds, needing to be nurtured, watered, and given sunlight – to be inspired, challenged and to be loved. I never remember my parents or my teachers ever encouraging me or praising me to aspire to reach what I could become. They wanted me to conform to their image, not mine. Yes, our school system is designed to make us all into followers.
But, we can reverse it. Yes, Quick and Easy Kaizen will show you within a month that virtually every person in your company is highly creative. Just start to ask people, “What do you think? How can you make your work easier and more interesting? How can we reduce our costs? How can we improve our quality? How can we improve safety? How can we improve customer service?"
And then stand back and watch the magic happen!
Source: Norman Bodek, president of PCS Inc. and co-author of The Idea Generator -- Quick and Easy Kaizen reprinted with permission at the web newsletter Timely Tips for Teams
