Many a time we tend to think that being disciplined means working in an environment that does not anticipate change in circumstances. That for as long as we are doing the same thing without inquiry, we are disciplined. Far from the truth! This kind of behavior leads to resistance to positive change. It is retrogressive to keep a practice that has become moribund or redundant and the only explanation for perpetuating that behaviour is that it has been done a certain way without any inquiry to whether that kind of conduct is serving its intended purpose.

Defined as being “clever, original and inventive”, ingenuity is certainly a trait that must be consciously developed.

Recognizing that while doing your job well is commendable, it must be accompanied by the desire to make it better and make a difference as espoused by one of the principles of ethical intelligence which speaks to the need to make the world better. One of the ways of making the world better is to question the status quo with a view of achieving increased performance, efficiency, return on investment, whatever the case may be.

In the workplace, ingenuity can be practiced in many ways. For example, to foster a spirt of teamwork, rather than placing total reliance on the employer to facilitate activities in that regard, the team could pool personal resources to support and encourage each other as a unit. Have some tea and cake together as you get to know each other’s personalities and navigate them for team excellence! Further, devising ways of saving costs for the organization without compromising quality of expected performance metrics may entail the employment of ingenuity.

Ingenuity can also be seen as a powerful trait in demonstrating adaptation to change in circumstances. You will be seen as an actor that can rise to challenges with the admirable ability to provide solutions!

The discipline in ingenuity lies in the impetus that actors have to make the organization and themselves better.

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