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Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of image group international, an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies and hacks for the new tech world. Here you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image and reputation.

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Hello, everybody, and thank you for being here with me today. In this episode, I will share about creativity in the workplace. And before I do that, I'd like you to think about a place where creativity is encouraged and nurtured in your life today. And that could be the workplace, a community organization you're part of or even a family. So think about where that could be. And most likely, when I asked that question to most people, they think about a child's playroom, you know, possibly in our studio, or maybe even the theatre. I don't know if that was right for you. But certainly, that's some of the feedback I get. People usually don't associate the workplace and creativity together. And let me explain to you why this is a misnomer. Creativity is a constant. That is part of who you are. And the moment creativity stops, especially in the workplace, problem-solving stops. So why would you regard being creative as actually an important part of problem-solving? And, of course, we know that the workplace is a valuable skill that needs to be empowered. And of course, whenever an individual has, you know, great problem-solving skills, meaning part of creativity, they're also valued much higher. So I'd say creativity is essential, even more so in an environment crisis environment, a challenging environment, and in ever-changing times. And I will say, and I've noted this before, in previous episodes, it's not going to get easier. So it's essential that you re-tap into, you know, part of your creative spirit. While you've got the opportunity to do that, and you because it's harder to get into that zone, the moment you go into a downward trend. And, of course, that's happening with many people today. And my experience clearly has evidence of that with clients, etc. Like I mentioned in the past episode, having a workplace that encourages creativity can impact, and I've sort of noted that a second ago as well, people's state of mind helps them not only be more productive at their job but also happier in their personal life. And what I mean by that is, you think that there's any accident that I daily in the news reports, research is showing that organizations, businesses, etc., are looking at all types of wellbeing, and mental health initiatives in the workplace, obviously, to get individuals more balanced more together. And, of course, joy is one of the outcomes that would come from what you would hope you've done correctly. As I said previously, it's not just about productivity. It's also about bringing out the best in your team. And really, bringing the best in your team also can and normally equals productivity. A company that encourages creativity also adds value to the employees' lives and, you know, maybe even a team member's expectations as opposed to merely extracting labour from them. In other words, they're communicating to them that they care and carers an important conversation today, you know, because if they don't care about you, what are you some sort of slave? Is that only that you turn up? So you can earn an income and pay your bills? Or is it something beyond that? I think in the year 2022, and beyond, it's not about anymore around just turning up. You know, so that you can get your financial return from labour. So then you can just pay your bills. I think your life is more important than just paying your bills, and in my opinion, if you offer this sort of creating or creative type of agenda, curriculum, and ethos spirit in the workplace, what happens then is the workplace definitely benefits. And it's a holistic approach. It's looking at everything. And not just things in isolation, because everything on the internet is interconnected with each other. And what I mean by that is, and I've noted this many, many times before, but all my coaching starts with a healthy mind, body and spirit; my lived experience of doing this well over 30 years, I can tell you, I've met billionaires, that A times their mind, body spirit wasn't together now if your highest value in life is just to become a billionaire, I'm the wrong coach for you. But definitely, multimillionaire if that's part of your value system, and you want to make money, succeed, and so on. And by the way, there's nothing wrong with that. And we encourage success, including making money as part of your existence. Getting that imbalance is essential, especially if you're looking at a life of joy instead of just a superficial or external focus on success. But you might be thinking right now, you know, John, how can I encourage creativity in the workplace? And it's a great question because you might not know how to do it if you're asking and thinking about it. I have a few tips just to get you started. Of course, all aspects of programs and training coaching will include additional help, but I thought I'd share with you three tips today that at least will get your team into the zone of creating. And by that, I mean, creating and possibly also being creative. Okay, so it's a combination. Remember, I shared last week about creating versus creating. So today, I'm going to be very loose on that it could be creating, creating; I'll keep that simple. But specifically, the first is set up a culture of an inclusive team environment, you know, and what I mean by that is, get everybody involved, get everybody to start thinking as a self-starter, you know, get people to become responsible, and also live to their promise. And this is essential here, you know, because people then break promises, by the way, you gotta be really careful with because I can promise you this, people that break slow promises will break the big promises. So get inclusive, build a culture, you know, and get everyone to be cohesive. And of course, no one can argue that I've ever met that Mind, Body Spirit is not important. They might say, yeah, yeah, but they might do nothing about it. Well, this is the time. And of course, you know, the times are telling us, especially the last few years, and what we've experienced, that you got to get that together basically, that balance is essential. The second one is, you know, providing freedom and flexibility in how work is done. Yes, when you're given people initiative, and you know, and you said to them, specifically that, you know, the freedom to do what you think is right, again, be irresponsible, and at the same time accountable, given the flexibility, you know, yes, mistakes will be made, for some things will be maybe not up to your standard. But this is what it's all about. That's what creativity is all about. It's constantly evolving and coming up with great ideas, great innovation, and of course, greater problem-solving. And my third tip is to support your team in this creative risk-taking. And I mentioned that before that, you know, yes, there will be mistakes made. But calculated risk-taking is also an essential trait. Because especially well, I've spoken about the workplace today. But let's talk about business in general. If there is no risk-taking, there will never be creativity, innovation, or anything of value that will ever be produced. So you know, it's calculated risk taking, it's not just ad hoc, reacting risk taking that basically can bring things down. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about being really smart here, you know, as per your strategy. And then, of course, whatever creative tactics or tasks you take on, we'll have an element of risk-taking that's just part of the game. So that's what it's essential. You know, it's essential, basically, to allow some of that freedom and, finally, encourage the practice of self-reflection. Most people don't self-reflect. And I'm not talking about self-reflecting to the point where you don't go into action anymore, because you can get into too much psychobabble as well if you're over self reflect. So when we want to do self reflect, you know, get the lesson learned from that, how can you do things better, and then get into action and move on. Okay, the moving is very important here, a personal story that I'd like to share around creativity and creation, that have been important in my journey; the story goes like this virtually, you know, having come from a creative background, as a designer, at times, specifically, you're always coming up with many, many, many ideas, okay. And as we know, historically, most of the ideas that ever come up for most human beings, and never put into action, but when you get really intentional with is knowing, first of all, that you're a creator. Okay, as I've already noted, in the last episode, every human being has got creating energy in them. And that's a distinction with creative because most people associate creative with arts and the, you know, artistic endeavours. It can be that as well, by the way, but what I'm talking about here in the workplace is, first of all, you're creating your life, okay, and the second of all, is then get creative in how you're going to create products or services, or in this case, just obviously, problem solved. So in my own life, basically, I got really clear that I have the power from an early age to create my life. Okay, that's it, no one else i, and everything else that I use in between, including support, could be a coach could be a mentor, could be a family again, or no different to if you get sick, and you get to a doctor, again, the doctor doesn't sort of fix you up, it's up to you adopters, only a conduit in your life, it's up to you to re create yourself. And that means health as well. And I really mean that. And I'm talking about the serious illness as well. Because the evidence and, of course, the stories that I have clearly shown that that's possible, as long as you get into the zone of understanding, you know, your spirit. And, of course, the whole concept of creating yourself. So I got that from an early age. And of course, that was the catalyst that got me into starting my own business after, of course, I had to create also positions to get after I graduated as a designer, but also a constant recreation, okay, with all, you know, handling mistakes along the way, helping to handle some failures along the way, and then recreating to create something bigger and better over the years. And of course, from you know, I started from the fashion world, that led me to all sorts of other businesses, their wholesale, manufacturing, and of course, multi retail, to the point where I became a consultant advisor, coach. Okay, so that was, you know, there's been many recreations in my life. Because, basically, I never bought the story, that you know, you get educated in this, and this is going to be your life journey. Absolutely not. Okay. Now, when you know, and it's really great, because with a lot of the young people I work with, especially under the age of 35, really, really have embraced the concept of you know, that they're gonna read constantly need to recreate themselves because the world is changing so quickly. So I see a lot of positives about the future regarding the creation and the concept of creativity. But you can't rest on your laurels on this, and even myself you know, after all these years, at times, you might get a little bit complacent, or comfortable, or basically, blaster supposes that's probably the best word. It's like, oh, things are going okay, you know, what do I have to do that? Because it's your natural way of being created. And, of course, the creative spirit is part of who you are. And if you don't do that, potentially you're not maximizing; you know who you truly are. That's my story on that. I'm happy to share more about that in the future. Hopefully, that's made a difference to you today. You know, you have the power to create your destiny, and at the same time, if your team understands that, great, then you're building a collaborative team that specifically everyone will win. This is not just the boss winning, you know, or the management or the leadership. This is about everyone winning, and of course, collaboration is all about that. It's the opposite. Instead of dividing and conquering. Well, that's all for today. Please connect with me on social media. My Twitter is Jon_Michail. My LinkedIn is Jon Michail, and you can find me as Image Group International on Facebook. I look forward to having you back on board next week. Take it easy and enjoy Cheerio. 

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Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass" Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence and authority in the business world. To learn more and apply for your personal coaching, seminars and group workshops, please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.