Creativity in a Changing Climate
It is believed that the root of creativity begins with imagination. Albert Einstein himself is quoted “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”.
Creative leaders have the ability to anticipate future demands/trends. Additionally, they are also able to look at things from a new perspective and work cooperatively to develop innovative ideas.
Reactive leaders tend to only respond to situations when they arise and in turn, deliver a ‘knee jerk reaction’. This often results in failing to avoid a crisis or not being able to exploit a chance to succeed.
All over the world, the business climate has been changing rapidly. These changes are occurring on a day-to-day basis. This leaves business owners with a decision to make. Will they respond to these changes creatively or reactively?
It is more important than ever to be able to understand how said changes will affect individual businesses. Consequently, ways need to be established to take advantage of those changes and use them to benefit the business positively.
If you want to advance quickly in the business you work for or accelerate the progress of the business you own, you’ve got to become innovative and be willing to try new things.
In order to advance rapidly or accelerate the progress of a business; you need to be innovative and willing to try start new things. In an article in Fast Company magazine, Jim Collins, author of ‘Good to Great’, wrote that “the best leaders don’t focus as much on beating the competition as they do on making their own products and services better than they were before”. This is a good take-away; a person’s biggest competition within their business is themselves.
Creative business leaders are always asking themselves the following questions:
What do potential customers really need at the moment?
What would they be eager to buy?
How can I make our current customers happier?
How can we make the products we sell better?
Do you ask yourself these questions? If so, do you come up with answers that can advance your business?
Test your creative skills against the following checklist:
Are you…
Internally driven
Goal-orientated, rather than crisis centred
A good relationship builder
Do you…
Make full use of your strongest talents
Set long-term goals
Taking some time for self-reflection every now and then is hugely beneficial. Furthermore, a small change such as setting a long-term goal and working towards it can make a monumental difference to the success of your business.
Remember: use your imagination wherever possible. Think outside of the box.
