The Value of Snow Days
What if the most innovative ideas could be inspired by something as simple as a snow day?
Snow days remind us of the value of pausing, pivoting, and embracing unplanned moments—lessons that resonate deeply with leadership, management, and innovation. Here are some insights inspired by snow days, drawing on my experience working with global organizations and cultural leaders:
1. The Power of the Pause
• Reflection breeds creativity: Like a snow day disrupts routines, a strategic pause in work can encourage teams to reflect, recharge, and reset their thinking. Companies like Google formalized this idea through initiatives like “20% time,” which gave employees space to pursue passion projects—and led to innovations like Gmail and Google Maps.
• My experience: While consulting with cultural organizations, I’ve seen how stepping back to reassess can unlock new opportunities. For example, when advising on a brand overhaul, creating space for reflection helped one client shift from reactive strategies to a forward-thinking approach that reinvigorated their market position.
2. Adapting to the Unexpected
• Flexibility fuels resilience: Just as snow days teach us to adapt our plans, great leaders turn unexpected challenges into opportunities. The global response to remote work during the pandemic showcased how quickly companies like Zoom and Slack pivoted to meet evolving demands.
• A personal example: In founding Cultural Strategy Ltd., I’ve embraced the unexpected as a catalyst for innovation—whether designing new frameworks for cross-cultural collaboration or tailoring strategies to meet the unique needs of clients like Tapestry and K11 Concepts Ltd.
3. Creating Space for Innovation
• Unstructured time drives new ideas: Snow days provide unstructured time that often leads to unexpected discoveries. Similarly, leaders who build buffer zones in their schedules foster environments where experimentation thrives. IDEO’s “Design Thinking” process emphasizes open-ended exploration, resulting in groundbreaking solutions.
• In practice: Collaborating with creative industries, I’ve championed approaches that allow teams to think beyond immediate deliverables. When developing visioning strategies, I encourage clients to embrace unstructured ideation sessions, which often yield transformative insights.
How can we, as leaders, bring a “snow day mindset” to our organizations?