Monday, May 24, 2010

Creativity as Leadership Competency


I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: "Creativity is the key to everything." Despite it being my personal mantra, it turns out that creativity can even help you land a job.

In a recent article by
Yahoo Finance, a survery of over 1,500 CEO's identified "creativity" as the most important leadership competency above all others, including operational effectiveness, influence, and even dedication.

The article goes on to say that "against that backdrop of interconnection, interdependency, and complexity, business leaders around the world are declaring that success requires fresh thinking and continuous innovation at all levels of the organization." That means that creative thinking and action can be used tactically, to accomplish the following business-related objectives: disrupting the status quo, expanding existing business models and overcoming organizational paralysis.

"A world of increasing complexity will give rise to a new generation of leaders that make creativity the path forward for successful enterprises."

In addition to letting our creative juices flow in the traditional locales, such as studios, theaters, and street corners, we can bring true innovation and creative thought into conference rooms and board rooms as well. While rejecting the traditional 9-to-5 lifestyle in the name of art, expression, and personal freedom may be true for some; we can now bring these artistic and creative values and talents to the workplace to embody and redefine the complete 21st century professional.

It's time to get creative about how we think about creativity itself - to enhance not only our souls but our professional lives as well.

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