Creative Johnny Cakes — A Story for Leaders
The other day, my kids and I made Belizean “Johnny Cakes,” a small, delicious no-yeast bread enjoyed in the Caribbean nation of Belize. Served warm, these tasty treats are sooo good. 😊 I gave my kids (6, 9, and 12 years old) a dough ball each to make their own Johnny Cake, expecting them to make the typical round shape.
Instantly, they each grabbed several more dough balls, smiled mischievously and said, “We have an idea!” After a few minutes of shaping the dough, one made a giraffe! Another made a mermaid, and another made a bean bag chair! We ended up with Creative Johnny Cakes! And they were as delicious as they were creative. 😂
Routines
Many times at work and in life, when presented with a challenge or opportunity, we get into our routine, our comfortable habits of approaching things a certain way. Routines are very valuable and there is a time and place for them. They provide the necessary structure for scalable business processes, and when coupled with organization and prioritization, they can bring consistency to chaos. But when there is room to change things, let’s not forget to put on our creative caps and make something even better! And perhaps, have some fun in the process!
Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not. — Pablo Picasso
Conclusion
My kids’ creativity to see more than the traditional Johnny Cake recipe, and to create something beautiful (and delicious!) reminded me to keep thinking outside the box— at home, in life and at work for our customers!
When presented with an opportunity or a challenge, how do you stay creative?
