Why is creativity so vital in a leadership role? Creativity has grown in importance for leaders in recent years. As organizational life has increased in complexity, tried and tested approaches no longer fit the bill, so the need to search for creative and innovative solutions is greater now than ever before. Factors driving this need to be more innovative include:
- Advances in technology.
- Changing business climate.
- Growing customer expectations and demands.
- Greater need for competitiveness.
Faced with the pressure to deliver continuous improvement, the ability to be creative or, at the very least, to be able to design and manage processes that encourage innovation, helps leaders to deliver improved organizational performance as a whole, or within that part of the business that falls under their remit. Why is creativity so vital in a leadership role?
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You are faced with a number of challenges in this regard
Make the most of your own creative skills
Some people are more naturally creative than others, but everyone has the ability to come up with new ideas if we allow ourselves the time and space for reflection and thought. As a leader, you are constantly busy, and sometimes the day-to-day demands can take over, leaving you with little time to stand back and explore more innovative ways of doing things.
Regardless of how creative you believe yourself to be, it is critical that you allow time for thinking as well as doing. Why is creativity so vital in a leadership role? By taking time to examine trends, to visit best-in-class organizations, to think about how things might be done differently, you are as capable as anyone else being creative.
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Create an environment that harnesses the creativity of others
Creativity does not just happen magically within an organization. You must create an overall environment where not only is an innovation seen as a priority for everyone, but which encourages employees to continuously propose ideas and solutions. Often employees have good ideas about where improvements can be made, but sometimes either the culture prevents them from expressing these ideas, or there are no structured platforms for them to do so.
It is critical that you ensure that any such blockages to creativity are removed and that employees come to view making suggestions as being an integral part of their role, not something separate from it, or an activity to be done only occasionally.
By making the most of your own creative talents and through harnessing the creativity of others, you can make a big difference, over time, not only in terms of how the work is organized and structured but with regard to the quality of the outcomes too.
By involving others in that effort, you bind your team more closely together and create common goals and increased involvement. In doing so, you often can identify those who lack commitment or motivation, because that will show in their lack of interest in or unwillingness to seek and find new ideas. This, of itself, is useful information for any leader. Why is creativity so vital in a leadership role?
