Sparking innovation in the workplace, working with different teams, working under deadlines and making sure the spark remains alive can be a tough job for a growing organisation. Here are ten things to think about and help you work through an idea when you are in such a conundrum.

The Process

Cut yourself some slack—occasionally. Just because you're having a bad day, it doesn't mean you're not creative. Accepting that not everything you do is going to make it to the finish line makes your job easier. That in no way means you can do it half-heartedly. But occasionally it just doesn't come. An acceptance of that keeps your head clear, so it can come.

Take responsibility for your failures, but don't dwell on them. Accept that you can fail, but will succeed the next time. A good way not to have a bad day is to not obsess about the last bad day you had, and keep going forward. It's all about learning how to shake off your failure.

Good ideas come to you when you are working on them. According to Roman Mars, creator of 99% Invisible, the most popular podcast in the world, “nothing is different about creativity than any other line of work; you just work until you get it done.” Just sit yourself down and make yourself do it. That's the difference between being a professional and an amateur. Set deadlines for yourself. Deadlines focus your attention and make sure you get stuff done rather than worrying about inspiration. The key is to sit and suffer through it. It comes to you when it has that pressure.

Make a weekly schedule. The struggle is in doing the best you can every week, not sweating over every single thing and expending all your energy until you collapse.

Chloe Sladden, former vice-president of North American media at Twitter believes that creativity flourishes when you understand what makes you tick. "You need to know how your own creativity works," she says. "I'm an extrovert, so when I externalize my thoughts and get feedback, my creative process moves much faster. When I need to work through an idea, or come up with an idea, I pull together a brainstorming session, with no more than four people, who I know will provide the kind of ideation, pushback and perspective that help develop the seed of an idea.”

The Team

Focus on the intricacies of how to create a thriving creative environment. You need to know how your team operates, understand your team's strengths and processes and what situations will elicit the best creativity in each person in the group. You have to start with trust.

There is an art to fostering a creative group environment and killing the notion that it matters who came up with the latest idea. "When you are in a room with a lot of ideas flying about . . . it doesn't matter who came up with the idea or who evolved it during the ping-pong process of development . . . just that it came out of the collaborative energy you created together.", says Chloe Sladden, former vice-president of North American media at Twitter.

Dealing with Creative Roadblocks

Examine what other people have created. Even if you’re having a bad day, someone on your team is probably having a good day. Focus on the process rather than the outcome.

The real key to being creative is getting some outside perspective. Downtime can bring some inspiration as does asking other people to work you through your ideas.

Look at how another problem was solved and talk through why it worked and what made it work. The process of just taking a taking a step back and exercising that part of your brain is a great warm-up exercise. What parts are interesting? Why are they meaningful? Even if they don't apply to what to what you are doing, looking at a problem that someone else has solved gets you using the same muscle you need to solve your own challenge. It's all in one flow of the brain.

Xander Schultz, the CEO of Complete also suggests following the APP process to work on innovations - Awareness, Prioritisation and Progress. Create 3-5 monthly goals, accomplish the most impactful ones such that by doing it all your other tasks are easier and ensure that you limit your goals. Review your tasks for each day so that you are able to plan more effectively for the days ahead and recognise the positive impact your task has on your goals. Being goal-oriented means acknowledging the distance that separates you from your goal and looking into the future.