In February, second-year fellow Ashlynn Profit utilized an online blog to engage fellow PAFs in learning about creativity as a professional development competency. Traditionally, PAFs present on an assigned competency during our weekly meeting time. However, recognizing that we had a packed schedule for the spring semester, Ashlynn decided to draw on her own creativity to cultivate creativity among the cohort.
For some, creativity comes naturally, while for others, the idea of being creative seems both amorphous and daunting. In order to make the competency’s various components more tangible to the group, Ashlynn provided this Huffington Post Article, entitled “100 Ways to Be More Creative at Work.” Each PAF was instructed to read the article and identify 4 or 5 strategies to utilize in the workplace in the subsequent weeks. Ashlynn created a Wordpress site for our reflections, or as the website calls it, “PAFlections.”
Throughout the month of February, PAFs and the PAF Advising Team posted individual reflections on the Wordpress site, and utilized the site’s interactive features to comment and engage with fellow PAFs’ reflections. Strategies discussed in the blog posts included taking short breaks throughout the workday, brainstorming with others, reading for leisure more often, and challenging ideas. Ashlynn designed the competency activity so that it served as both a creativity workshop and a professional development reflection session that each fellow could complete at his or her own pace throughout the month. The activity allowed for flexibility, remote access to resources, and virtual engagement using blog posting.
Since February, many of us have been able to test the strategies outlined in the Huffington Post article and integrate them into our daily lives. While the creativity competency may initially seem broad or intimidating, Ashlynn showed us how small changes to our daily routine can allow us to harness our latent creative powers. She also did this while using a creative technique herself by generating a new Wordpress site for the conversation.
To read more about creativity, check out the GW Organizational Development and Effectiveness Learn Now Guide.