The creative life: LEGO’s Julia Goldin on play at work

A LEGO character is pictured of Berlin’s new mayor, Franziska Giffi, sitting at her desk at a replica of LEGO at the Red Town Hall in Berlin, Germany on December 21, 2021. REUTERS/Michel Tantoussi

NEW YORK, Dec 27 (Reuters) – If there is one unique skill that has brought us the last two years in One Piece, it’s creativity.

One organization far ahead of the creative thinking curve is The LEGO Group. Julia Goldin, chief marketing and product officer, spoke with Reuters about unlocking and developing this important skill — not just in C-Suite, but across entire organizations.

Q: Why is creativity important to an organization?

A: People usually think of creativity in terms of art, theater, or performance. We know from the work we’ve done, that creativity is a larger set of skills with much broader applications.

It is necessary and becomes more important than ever. In the workforce, creativity can apply to problem solving, flexibility, coming up with ideas, developing those ideas and finding solutions.

Q: What is the best way to encourage creativity?

A: We use LEGO bricks not only in our training courses, but even in our daily work. They provide an opportunity for teams to work together. For example, we have a global “play day” once a year where we bring all employees into environments where they can play, learn and build relationships.

Q: Can you give an example?

A: One of the things we did during COVID was use the bricks we had in the house, to build a model of what our experience and state of mind were like. When you make something like this, it forces you to think about what you want to communicate, and how to make it tangible.

Some people’s models have shown how torn they are between work and childcare; Or whatever was giving them pleasure, like gardening or making dinner. Bricks gave everyone the opportunity to open up about what they were going through, creating stronger emotional bonds and bonding.

Q: During COVID-19 in particular, how was it important for companies to think in ways that were out of the ordinary?

A: In the past two years, most companies have faced problems and challenges that they could not have foreseen. Therefore, creative problem solving and flexibility have become extremely important. Many changes need to be made and quickly.

Whether the issue is your impact on the environment, supply chain shortages, more obvious social issues, or even concern for your workforce, all of these things require companies to be more creative.

Q:Adults tend to be fixed in our thinking. How do you get inspired by children?

A: We always talk about children to be our role models. They have a great imagination and a lot of flexibility. When they build with LEGO bricks, they can expect a ton of different outcomes, constantly explore, and get comfortable with things that don’t work at first.

The way to learn to walk is to fall, and children are not afraid to make mistakes. We can all learn a lot from children and apply that to how we work ourselves.

Q: As a leader, how do you communicate these creativity values ​​to a large organization?

A: By being very simple and ensuring that everyone, including the leadership, understands the message.

For example, when we do things in company, we all do them. If we all got a brick ‘toy box’, the executive leadership teams would sit down and do exactly the same.

This way when new people come into the organization, they understand where we come from. It’s about clear communication and consistent, iterative hands-on learning.

Q: Since you also work in product development, do you have a favorite product?

A: This is like asking about my favorite child. I couldn’t pick one, but now I’m building the Barcelona football stadium with my two boys. Both are big fans.

I also recently worked on a grand piano. I’m a pianist myself, so that was very special. I have quite a few other big chests waiting for me, but I’m just waiting until I have more time.

Q: What is your advice to other companies about boosting creativity?

A: Creativity should be seen in a broader sense – not just artistic ideas, but something important to everyone. We can all be creative in solving problems. Second, you have to create the right environment of trust and psychological security. Then people are not afraid to make mistakes. When people know they will be heard, it facilitates creativity, no matter where they are in the organization.

Editing by Lauren Young; Editing by Diane Craft

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