Inspiring creativity is what we’re all about at Davison. Helping to keep the creative juices flowing in others can be accomplished by something as simple as using the right body language.

It all starts with how you greet someone - If you show enthusiasm, with a warm smile, direct eye contact and good energy in your tone of voice, you’ll be surprised at the kind of inspiration you will add to an already creative person.

In my opinion, the only way to approach creative people is with a positive and uplifting greeting. If they’re already inspired, you can take them to a higher level; if they’re struggling creatively, you may pull them up and out of whatever struggle it is they’re dealing with at any particular moment.

Even when you’re talking on the phone, it’s vitally important to project that smile and energy in your voice, so the other person can sense your interest and enthusiasm. A good greeting every time you meet or pass each other in the hallway is also a quick relationship check; if the verbal and non-verbal language is not right, something’s out of sync. I know when I haven’t greeted somebody well enough; I can sense that their trust, their openness, is not what it should be.

When you’re giving good body language and receiving it, trust is established. That is vital, for the organization as a whole and for each project you work on together. Creativity requires you to expose your thinking, your beliefs - to open up and show who you are - that takes trust.

A greeting should include open-ended questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” but that require a conscious effort. You have to show that you’re interested; that reestablishes the trust that brought you together in the first place. Caring about someone gives them the confidence to expose their work and soul as they show their creation.

Sometimes, I have to work to pull the genius out of a talented individual. It’s all there inside them but they’re reluctant to show it. Maybe they had a negative experience that is causing them to doubt their abilities. For whatever reason, it takes a while for them to trust themselves or others. Good body language is key to establishing trust or just helping to pull someone out of a creative slump.

People are always listening to the tone of your voice and watching how you interact, especially if you’re the leader of a company or organization. Even if things aren’t going great, when you’re visiting with creative people, your energy level has to stay high and you must be complimentary, in word and gesture.

The lesson’s very simple; it’s all about body language. I can build a creative physical environment like Inventionland. But building a creative relational environment is even more important, and it never stops.

When we’re all in sync and inspiring each other, every single person in this company sees how vitally important they are to the mission. Then, the creativity flows freely and there’s no limit to what we can build together. It’s a beautiful thing.