November, 2012 - Almaty, Kazakhstan - Steve Jobs described creativity as “just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.” Creativity will be the topic of our last article on coaching this year.
Creativity is an essential part of our lives. This is what draws us to the Creator, and what distinguishes us from the animal world, because only humans are able to create qualitatively new material and spiritual values. We are born to create, but creativity, at times, becomes the last priority for us, as busy professionals. What does creativity have to do with business, you ask? Everything, since the idea of a new business is the product of creative thinking. It is also the essential element in creating competitive businesses, constantly introducing innovative ideas, processes, and technology. Creativity is responsible for the success of a brand, marketing campaigns or a new product launch.
It is always a unique work, whether the project is a building construction, an invention or the founding a company. But, it is also a risk that sleepless nights for cultivating ideas and overhead for their implementation will not be justified, even though the idea of creativity compels us to take this risk. Perhaps this is why, as a head hunter, I often see successful people, who take such a risk with a startup, starting a business from scratch, without fear of losing stability but with confidence in the future. This is explained by the desire to generate and create; leaving something new and meaningful that will remain after us.
Everyone has these creative ideas, and it is never too late to implement them. My mother always wanted to write books, but started to publish them only when she was 62 years old. This example shows that it is never too late to devote yourself to your passion and dreams, where creativity is the best way of self-realisation. People who realise their potential at work through creativity are the key employees. In corporations, they even started calling them the talent and form special programs for these peoples’ development, such as high-potential programs or leadership programs.
Successful organisational leaders, according to Steve Jobs, see connections, trends and patterns that allow them to build a vision and develop an intuitive understanding, the creative idea, or insight, which is vital for any business.
How could we enhance creativity at work? How can coaching help remove creative blocks and unlock the creative potential? There are many techniques in coaching aimed at refining the creative process. There is even a separate area defined as creative coaching, which is used by professionals in a creative sphere: actors, writers, musicians. But I will present a simple technique developed by Marilyn Atkinson in 1985, which can be used in any area. This technique is called "Three Chairs" and it is a process of physical transformation, opening creative thinking. As usual, this exercise is best done with a professional coach, but it is simple enough, so that you can do it yourself.
Creative ideas are the result of imagination, which can and should be trained. Visionaries who use imagination in business are creative leaders, about whom John Maeda, President of the Rhode Island Schoolof Design talks in his TED talk, “How art, technology and design inform creative leaders.” According to Maeda, organizations move from a hierarchy to a matrix network, where the CEO is not at the top, but at the center of organization. Below, I've included his comparison of traditional and creative leadership, which may inspire you to make more use of your innate gift to create. I wish you successful creativity in 2013!
Written by David Mashuri for World Monitor
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