In today’s fast-growing market, creativity is undoubtedly one of the most sought-after leadership skills. In fact, creativity is at the core of business innovation, which itself is the engine of growth. Creativity leads to progress, relevance, and therefore prosperity.

For those who still doubt that creativity and leadership go hand-in-hand, think of people like Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, or Henry Ford. All of these famous business leaders have had one thing in common, and that would be a boundless creative streak. It actually takes creativity to lead!

In this article, we’ll be analyzing how your own creativity can turn you into a great leader:

Advantages of Creative Leadership

Creative leadership within a company introduces a number of benefits. These four are the most important ones:

●      Achieving goals and growth

●      New types of problem-solving

●      Finding unlikely perspectives

●      Promoting a positive workplace mentality

Let’s take a closer look at each of these advantages:

Achieving Goals and Growth

This one is a no brainer. When a leader approaches a particular goal from a creative point of view, he or she reaches the aforementioned goal more easily.

Whether we’re talking about expanding product offerings or increasing profits through company branding, a creative leader will be able to see unique ways to achieve these goals.

In other words, a leader with a creative mind can map out a path to reaching essential goals that lead to growth - it’s something that can’t be done by just anyone.

New Types of Problem-Solving

Sometimes, the more conventional methods of problem-solving just don’t cut it.

And that’s precisely where creative leadership comes in. It allows companies to grow by opening up new opportunities for problem-solving.

A creative approach gives new perspectives on issues, which typically leads to new, unprecedented solutions.

Finding Unlikely Perspectives

To thrive, a company has to grow and adapt. It has to forge its own path to success. This is where creative leaders show their worth - they are always ready to embrace unpopular and unlikely viewpoints.

And sometimes, these unlikely viewpoints reveal new and exciting ways for a company to thrive, grow, and succeed as a brand.

Promoting a Positive Workplace Mentality

As a particular company grows and changes over time, some of its lower-level employees may start to feel forgotten and ostracized.

One way to remedy this kind of mindset is through creative leadership. A creative leader will try to implement unconventional ideas and techniques to include workers in the company’s success.

For example, a creative leader can suggest employees to try to come up with their own ideas through brainstorming, instead of just taking orders from the top. One great thing about this is that lower level workers typically don’t have the same information as their superiors - and that’s precisely what allows them to come up with innovative solutions to various issues.

How Do I Grow as a Creative Leader?

As their companies expand, a lot of leaders have to wear many hats at once. The following tips should help you hold onto your creativity (and enhance it) as a leader of a busy, thriving workplace:

Take Breaks - You Need Them

Every creative leader needs to wipe their slate clean from time to time.

Meditating, being outdoors, and exercising can help you reflect on what put you into your position in the first place - your creative vision. Activities that quiet the mind provide much-needed clarity outside busy working days, and help with maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Keep Educating Yourself

One of the most effective steps towards preserving your creative leadership skills is continued learning. Fortunately, there are tons of educational resources out there, ranging from full-blown courses to simple online articles.

However, creative leaders should also look to people with experience in management and leadership in general. Such individuals can provide you with invaluable knowledge that will help you become a better creative leader.

Attend Industry Events

All companies that are striving to advance management training and team-building organize seminars - after all, these are a staple of corporate training.

Try to find seminars dealing with topics that could help you become a better creative leader and attend them. Events such as these can be fantastic in-person resources for boosting your creative thinking.

Rely on the Team

By providing their insights into day-to-day problem solving and decision making, a team can easily become an extension to its creative leader.

Giving your employees some decision-making power and autonomy will make them creative, too. Not only will this boost your own creativity, but also give you more time to focus on other projects, ideas, and goals.

It’s no wonder that more and more executives are seeing creative leadership as the best approach to team management.

As you can see from above, creative thinking can and will turn you into a better, more efficient, and more respected leader. And it comes with a couple of bonuses, too - such as accelerated decision-making and problem-solving, for example.

Michael has been working in marketing for almost a decade and has worked with a huge range of clients, which has made him knowledgeable on many different subjects. He has recently rediscovered a passion for writing and hopes to make it a daily habit.

You can read more of Michael's work at Qeedle.