Brian Henson, chairman of the Jim Henson Company, talks about his father and how he corrals a team of creative minds, rather than directs them.

This past summer my company experienced a change in leadership. This new leader, in learning about this new business, asked us what our proudest moments were as a part of this company. After some thought, my answer came in when my Production Artist, and close friend of mine, realized her goals of being a full-time, professional designer. This is a woman who decided to make a career change, went back to school, learned the design trade, came on with Pear Tree as an intern, and worked her way into a full time position. It took a lot of guts, a lot of drive, and I admire her for that. As a leader and manager, I constantly strive to help people succeed in their careers, whatever their goals may be. I believe that if you have a drive and a passion for something, even if those goals aren’t in alignment with your everyday work load, you can be a valuable employee as long as you have the encouragement and the support from those around you to help realize those passions. Being able to offer her a full-time position, and knowing that I was able to participate in her journey, was hugely gratifying.

In this video, Brian talks about “corralling” creativity, letting people make mistakes, and encouraging them to continue to experiment. In my everyday world of eCommerce, sometimes this is challenging, but something I think we can all strive for. Let creativity happen. Encourage it. Feed those passions that your team has and let innovation happen.