By If you’ve ever thought that creativity wasn’t necessary in the realm of leadership, think again. Creativity is critical to leadership success. It is a lifeline that renews, restores and inspires. Creativity can be used to build teams, enrich people and solve problems.
In fact, corporations need creative leaders to thrive. They need visionaries who act less as commanders and more as coaches, less as managers and more as facilitators, and who foster self-respect instead of just demanding it from others.
Creativity is what enables successful leaders to meet new challenges, and to recognize and pursue new opportunities through bold innovations.
Creative leadership that drives innovation and growth in this economy requires eight key qualities of a leader:
- The leader must have a vision for the organization.
- The leader must have the passion to transform that vision into action.
- The leader must be able to travel into an unexplored path.
- The leader must know how to manage both success and failure.
- The leader must have the courage to make decisions.
- The leader should have nobility in management.
- Every action of the leader should be transparent.
- The leader must work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
Leaders drive change and lead people in the pursuit of a vision. This means that often times, you’ll face the challenge of venturing into the unknown and the unfamiliar. This requires adjustment and the ability to respond to unexpected situations.
You could argue that creativity is actually the most important quality a leader needs to succeed in business today – outweighing even integrity and global thinking. According to a study done in 2010, about 60% of CEOs polled cited creativity as the most important leadership quality, compared with 52% for integrity and 35% for global thinking. Creative leaders are also 81% more likely to rate innovation as a crucial capability.
Whether you view yourself as a creative person or not, it is a skill that can be learned.
Creativity and innovation are not mysterious forces over which leaders have no control. Progressive leadership can and does create a climate that encourages creativity and innovation.
If you want to become a more confident and successful leader and improve your leadership skills and results, including your creativity, now is the time to take advantage.
