I know why the caged marketer sings

When you build your values and processes, you build your constraints. This might sound limiting at first, but paradoxically, it’s the constraints that help unleash creativity. Suddenly, it’s easier to be innovative because you don’t need to make decisions about every little thing; you can think beyond the routine.

Great leaders understand this dynamic. They help set the constraints so that their staff can work within the boundaries and be more creative. These constraints can take various forms, like a tight marketing budget that requires cost-effective solutions or a historic institution with a very defined brand identity. Some constraints can be self-imposed by the institution and its strategic goals; others by the marketplace.

Ultimately, boundaries don’t stifle creativity—they spark it. You can’t think outside the box if there is no box to begin with.