Head Into 2015 With the Goal of Creating an Inspiring Workspace You need you and your colleagues' ideas to flow freely, so create a space that promotes them to sit and stay awhile yourself.
By Jim Joseph
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I am a big believer that each of us is our own brand (but not the Kim Kardashian-style of personal brand). How we look and conduct ourselves works to build that personal brand every day.
One very clear reflection of our personal brand is our individual workstations -- at least the professional side of our personal brands.
How we arrange our workspace and how we maintain it says a lot about who we are, professionally. It says a lot about our personal brands.
Related: Design a Workspace to Spark Extreme Creativity
So take some time during the holiday down time and think through how you want your office space to reinforce your brand. What do you want it to say about your work ethic, the quality of your contributions and how you operate with colleagues?
This should be very purposeful.
I have a clear purpose to how I've designed and decorated my workspace. I want people to feel comfortable joining me and I want them to stay awhile.
As a marketer and an agency leader, I operate in a very youthful, creative field. We come up with new ideas for a living. We keep our clients happy by making them successful, and by making their customers want to engage in their brands.
We have to be constantly thinking.
I have purposefully created an environment in my office that fuels creative thinking: cozy chairs, big pillows and lots of accessories to commemorate my years in the industry. As a result, there's lots of color and lots of fodder to poke the creative mind.
When people come to my office, they generally come to find a creative solution to something, so I've set it up so that creativity can flow.
Related: How to Transform Your Workspace With Color
Plus it's kind of fun, and how can you possibly be creative if you're not having a little bit of fun?
I've made it comfortable for people to sit and stay awhile. Creativity doesn't happen on demand and it doesn't happen in an instant. It takes a lot of brainstorming and group therapy, which takes some time. I want people to feel comfortable that they can take the time that they need with me to solve their issues.
This is all very purposeful for me.
To be honest, I spend a lot of time in my office, so I like a stimulating, creative environment too. I also try to keep the piles of paper in control, since they only serve to clutter and clog the creative mind. Most of my files are on my laptop, where they belong, so that I can bring my "office" wherever I go.
How do you want to construct your workspace? What do you want to accomplish while you and others are there?
Take the time this holiday season to think it through, and make it a New Year's resolution to put it into motion in 2015.
Then and only then, will you be able to sit and stay awhile yourself.
