The Amazing Power of Serendipity
You never know where the unexpected may lead...
Even this long after the pandemic, there’s still a wide range of timetables business owners are using to bring back their employees into the office. While many have been fine with employees working from home, others have found it very difficult and frustrating. In the entertainment industry, the freelance model is normal, so the problem hasn’t been office-related; it’s been production-related – where an entire team has to be on the set to film a project.
Apple CEO Tim Cook captured for me what’s really at stake regarding working from home. In numerous interviews, he’s referred to “serendipity” – which the dictionary defines as:
Making fortunate discoveries by accident.
Serendipity happens when people bump into each other in the hallway and discuss ideas. It happens when people “shoot the breeze.” It happens when ideas conflict, and creative sparks explode.
This means that it happens when people are working and interacting together.
I love working from home, and our team at Cooke Media Group plans to continue doing so in the near future. However, I also recognize the power of serendipity and the benefits of creative conflict.
If you’re leading creative people, my recommendation is that even if you continue working from home, schedule times to be together. Get online, get together physically, and value the importance of bouncing ideas off each other.
For me, creativity is birthed in solitude. But at some point, I need to run my ideas by my team and my clients because I benefit from the feedback, criticism, and conflict.
The question is, how can you create serendipitous situations that will take your team’s creativity to the next level – even after a pandemic?
Photo by Hello I’m Nik 🎞 on Unsplash
Phil Cooke, PhD. has been called “one of the most innovative communicators of our generation.” As a media producer, writer, speaker, and consultant, his client list includes major film studios and TV networks as well as major Christian organizations like Voice of the Martyrs, The Museum of the Bible, The Salvation Army, and others. He’s also coached and consulted with many of the most influential churches and nonprofit organizations in the world, helping them use media to tell their story. You can hear his podcast here.
