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Rule 2: Provide flexible hours: Creative workers tend to be
The very point of sale happier and more productive when they have flexible work
schedules and can occasionally work from home. Having
this latitude enables them to work at peak performance
times, leveraging their biorhythms and optimizing perfor-
mance. It also gives them the freedom to meet deadlines
and production schedules from anywhere.
Five rules of working Rule 3: Create unstructured workplaces: Creative people
are generally happier and more industrious in unstruc-
with creatives tured environments where they can move around freely
and balance group interaction with solitude. Some can
tune out background noise when they are coding or de-
signing; others need to retreat to a quiet place where they
By Dale S. Laszig are free from distractions.

teve Jobs challenged employees at Apple to Google balances open workspaces with small offices and
"think different." His message spread beyond pod-like structures, to enable Googlers to work alone and
Apple's walled garden, inspiring app develop- quickly assemble into teams. On a recent visit to Google's
S ers, product designers and software integrators New York offices, I watched an engineer bounce off the
who drive payments industry innovation. Their solutions walls. He seemed agitated. When he took a break, I asked if
are helping merchant level salespeople (MLSs) solve their he was okay. "It's all good," he said. "I'm coding."
customers' challenges and differentiate from their competi-
tion. Rule 4: Offer constructive criticism: Creative people tend
to be passionate about their work; many view their cre-
Creative people are the heartbeat of payments. If you're ations as extensions of themselves. Employers, managers
lucky enough to work with them, you will find them en- and coworkers need to be considerate when evaluating
tertaining, funny and compassionate. They live in an alter- work assignments with creative teams. It's best to begin
nate universe, where ideas are the primary currency. They feedback with a positive observation or comment. Select
are fascinated by things that others take for granted. It's something notable about someone's contribution, even if
in their DNA to challenge the status quo and question the it's only the amount of time and effort the individual put
way things are done. into the project. Opening the discussion with appreciation
will get everyone on the same page and set the stage for a
Here are five rules of engagement for working with cre- productive discussion.
ative people and creating workplace environments that
foster creativity and innovation, where they can do their Rule 5: Keep an open mind: Creative people think differ-
best work. ently and constantly ask "what if?" While their ideas may
seem far-fetched or impossible, it's important to remain re-
Rule 1: Relax the dress code: Whether they work in messy ceptive and non-judgmental to the possibilities they pres-
conditions, making models out of wood and clay or spend ent. This concept became a key takeaway for Gianni Del
long hours in front of screens, creative workers tend to be Vecchio, President and co-founder of Klear Technologies
happier and more productive when uninhibited by dress Inc., when Klear partner and co-founder Scott Hazard pro-
codes. posed creating a transparent ATM.

Wearing a T-shirt, jeans and hoodie every day frees Mark "I initially thought Scott's idea for a glass ATM was nuts,"
Zuckerberg from having to make wardrobe choices and Del Vecchio said. "But you don't say no to someone who has
gives him more time to think about Facebook. Heather Shi- worked at Google and Apple; I've learned to keep an open
mokawa, Fashion Market Director for Menswear at Vanity mind."
Fair, said her everyday look gives her more time to work on
important things, like rebuilding Haiti. "I wanted to bring beauty back, with transparent ATMs
like penny-stamper machines," Hazard added. "I want the
"I like a uniform," Shimokawa stated in a Bloomingdales glass walls covered with kids' fingerprints, future engi-
interview. "There is a power in knowing exactly what you neers who want to know how things work."
like and a freedom to never having to think about what to
wear. A black jacket, perfect white tee, a great pair of jeans
. . . what else do you need?" Dale S. Laszig, Senior Staff Writer at The Green Sheet and Managing
Director at DSL Direct LLC, is a payments industry journalist and content
provider. She can be reached at dale@dsldirectllc.com and on Twitter at
@DSLdirect.

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