Why is creativity a crucial skill in today’s workforce, and how can it be harnessed for professional development?
In this episode of the Career Adventurer Podcast, I welcome Van Lai-Dumone, founder and CEO of worksmart Advantage. Van’s diverse background spans roles from a The Dailey Method bar practitioner to leading sales at GlaxoSmithKline. She is a certified Lego Serious Play practitioner, bringing a unique blend of creativity and team development into the corporate environment.
As a Vietnamese refugee, Van offers a unique perspective on courage and taking the leap to pursue one’s passions. She discusses her journey into entrepreneurship, driven by her passion for creativity, while navigating various obstacles. She highlights her transition from corporate roles to founding her own company, focusing on integrating creativity into leadership and team development programs.
One compelling aspect is her work with The Honor Foundation, using creative methodologies like Lego Serious Play to assist special forces operators transitioning to civilian careers. Major themes in this episode include the role of creativity in problem-solving, the importance of taking creative risks, and the power of following one’s passion despite societal expectations.
Listen to the full episode. You’re sure to pick up a nugget or three for your own career adventures.
Core Themes
Take note of these themes for your own career adventures.
Lego as Creative Fuel
How often do you dabble with Lego? Lately, I’ve dabbled with them a lot along side my children. When I’m building, assembling, and tinkering, my creativity spikes. I’m able to tap into thoughts, feeling, and potential possibilities that have been trapped deep in my brain.
As a certified Lego Serious Play practitioner, part of Van’s job is using blocks to help people and teams connect, collaborate, and build with creativity. If you are looking to find new paths filled with potential in life and career, bust out a set of Lego!
“We know intuitively that great ideas come from when we’re not just sitting in front of our computer or in a tense meeting, it comes through, play, creativity, relaxation. Yet we do the complete opposite when we get into the workplace.”
Doing What is Expected
We all carry the weight of expectations. We’re expected to provide, to be responsible, to exhibit self control 24-7-365. However, oftentimes we confuse our expectations, we abide by the expectations others have for us at our own expense.
Van talked about the weight of expectations in her own life. Deep down, she is a creative. Yet, societal expectations helped guide her down more practical paths. She felt the conflict of doing what she was supposed to do in other people’s minds against what her heart wanted.
“I’ve been doing things to impress other people, but I’ve had this dream, right? I’ve had this idea for so long, and I always think if ideas stay with you, they’re meant to be followed.”
Life’s Pivotal Moments
Most of the time we need disorienting moments to see through the fog of everyday life. We’re busy doing. We’re too busy to take a step back and pay real attention to doing something else.
Van had one of these moments when her brother was in a coma after a motorcycle accident. At the time, she was also a new mother. In the UCLA, medical center, she waited and hoped he’d get better. It took this moment for her to realize something new was needed.
“There was a pivotal moment in my life that made me realize like you just got a jump, Van. Here I am with my eight week old baby, and we were just there, every day. Just roaming the halls of UCLA medical center waiting for him to get better.
It was really during that time where I was like, what am I waiting for? I want my baby to see him, see his mom do something she loves.”
(Curious about how disorienting moments fuel careers? Check out this prior episode!)
Who is More Important than What
Don’t lose sight of people. On at least two occasions in my career, I’ve been doing work that I loved, but the people fit wasn’t great. Even though the tasks of the job aligned with my strengths and interests, the actual jobs were miserable. The best adventures are found when the quality of the work and the people overlap, like two circles in a Venn diagram.
While reflecting on the rewards of her creative entrepreneurial work, Van mentioned people first. The people she meets and has the pleasure of helping make the work truly rewarding.
“The people I have met along the way who have just kinda put I guess some wind underneath my wings, right? People will email me back and say, ‘Oh, I still have this thing.’ It always reminds me of the unique characteristics we came up with or what we learned. The creative artifacts, have drawn people back and it is interesting to see what they keep four or five years later.”
Go Before You’re Ready
In my work as a new product innovator, we always promoted sharing ideas when they are ‘half-baked.’ Sharing an idea before it was ready, in our minds, would actually help us move further faster. The constraint is always our own vulnerability.
Van shared this idea in her own life. She just jumped into the deep end of the pool in pursuit of a new client. She felt unprepared, but did put in a proposal for the work anyway. Not only did she win the job, the client turned into a valuable, long term customer.
“ I had just gotten certified. I’m like, there’s no way I’m ready for this. But, lemme just put my hat in the ring. I reached out my first conversation with the VP of Programming. He’s like I’m gonna send you our three month program. I’d like you to figure out where in this program you can incorporate Lego Serious Play and creativity.”
Hear More About Van’s Path
Van and I discussed the way she finally embraced entrepreneurship and propels herself forward today.
Beyond the aforementioned themes, we discuss how owning a bar studio helped her become a better entrepreneur. We discuss her background as a Vietnamese refugee and how life oftentimes comes full circle.
Go beyond these themes. Listen to the full episode.
Enjoy! Thanks for you support!
Paul G. Fisher
