Who are the creative people that you know? How many of them are successful leaders either in your bubble or in the larger entertainment world? Would you consider Martha Stewart a creative leader?
Would you consider Beyonce a creative leader? Do you consider Steve Jobs a creative leader? In this article we are going to discuss the various creative leaders that we know and what makes them successful.
How are business models and creative leaders connected?
IBM did a study of over 1500 CEOs across the country and asked some in depth questions about their work and its complexities. We already know that the sheer volume of balls the cEO’s have to juggle is immense.
“We live in a world that is more uncertain, volatile and complex than ever before. I think most of us would agree that the rules are always changing. Technology is coming at us faster than we can absorb it. There is more data to be consumed than ever before.”
So what makes certain CEO’s successful and others not?
Thai study did identify that some of the companies were able to “masterfully” navigate the necessary changes they needed to stay afloat. What’s the difference?
Creativity.
To Be A Creative Leader Is To Be Complex and Innovative
“Creative leaders are thought to innovate more. They drive change in business models and revenue models. In plain English, they have new ideas. They create new products. They come up with new ways to get things done. And they don’t sit around on their butts very often. They are constantly taking action, or – as the study said – “continuously re-conceiving their strategy.”
“Creativity is noted as the single most important trait for navigating through the complexity.”
Let’s stop and think about the creative leaders you are familiar with. They are the ones with new ideas. They are the ones with new products. They are the ones building a better this or that. It’s why we have 13 versions of the iPhone. It’s why the automobile has evolved over the decades. We get creative with their uses and needs.
Further more, creativity and creative leaders rarely sit still. How often do we see creative leaders on vacations? Taking vacation time?
We joke about CEO’s sitting on a beach somewhere on their phone and they have a tan line on their stomach or chest that looks like their hands holding a cell phone up to look at it. Or they bring a stack of books and papers to review poolside.
They get things done.
Some would argue that is no way to live. That on one on their death bead has said, “I wish I had answered more emails” or “I wish I had sold more vacuum cleaners”.
Creative Leaders Use Creativity Across All Facets of Their Lives
It’s important to understand creative leaders use effective communication. In the book, “Start up Nation” By Dan Senor and Saul Singer, (which is the ONLY economics book I have ever read in my ENTIRE life) the authors discuss that part of the success of the Israeli military is that ALL members are encouraged to speak up when they have an idea.
They are trained to question things, even from a superior and will be fully supported in coming to them with an innovative idea. That style of leadership doesn’t defer from the chain of command, it embraces all parties involved and active and intelligent who each have a unique interpretation to add to something.
In fact, creativity isn’t just limited to those at the top. And successful CEO’s know that creativity is needed, and it needs to be honored and embraced when it does happen.
Creativity can also improve your health!
When you take a pause and engage in something creative you are literally improving your physical, mental health as well as your brain function. “Use it or lose it” is very true. Keeping your brain moving and engaged keeps your entire body alive and kicking.
Did you know . . . creativity makes you happy, healthy, productive, and smarter!
You don’t believe me? Fine, check out what Forbes in this article has to say about all the ways that creativity improves your life.
A Creative Leader Understands The True Power Of Creative Energy In One’s Life
Increases Happiness
You’ve probably heard of flow — it’s the state you get in when you’re completely absorbed in something. Have you ever been working on a project and completely lost all sense of self and time? That’s flow. It reduces anxiety, boosts your mood, and even slows your heart rate.
It’s not just being in flow that helps your happiness. Repetitive creative motions like knitting, drawing, or writing help activate flow, and are all tasks that create a result. And when you succeed at creating a result, no matter what it is, your brain is flooded with dopamine, that feel-good chemical that actually helps motivate you.
Whether or not you’re aware of your increased happiness, the hit of dopamine you get after being in flow will drive and influence you toward similar behavior.
Reduces Dementia
Benefits of creativity goes beyond just making you happy… It’s also an effective treatment for patients with dementia. Studies show that creative engagement not only reduces depression and isolation, but can also help people with dementia tap back into their personalities and sharpen their senses.
Improves Mental Health
The average person has about 60,000 thoughts in a day. A creative act such as crafting can help focus the mind, and has even been compared to meditation due to its calming effects on the brain and body. Even just gardening or sewing releases dopamine, a natural antidepressant.
More good news . . . creativity reduces anxiety, depression, and stress… And it can also help you process trauma. Studies have found that writing helps people manage their negative emotions in a productive way, and painting or drawing helps people express trauma or experiences that they find too difficult to put into words.
And Some Final Benefits of Creativity
Boosts Your Immune System
It’s time to start taking journaling seriously. Studies show people who write about their experiences daily actually have stronger immune system function. Although experts are still unsure how it works, writing increases your CD4+ lymphocyte count, the key to your immune system. Listening to music can also rejuvenate function in your immune system.
Makes You Smarter
Music lovers, this one’s for you. Studies show that people who play instruments have better connectivity between their left and right brains. The left brain is responsible for the motor functions, while the right brain focuses on melody. When the two hemispheres of your brain communicate with each other, your cognitive function improves.
It’s pretty amazing that doing the activities that make us feel good (see that dopamine rush) are genuinely good for us. Grab a pen and start writing, doodling, or coloring. Get your hands dirty with pottery or gardening. Listen to some music, or pick up an instrument. Whatever you decide to do, it’s time to start getting creative!
No matter the reason, successful businesses and leaders use creativity all the time. Do you think that Oprah, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Deepak Chopra aren’t creative? Or encourage the level of creativity a successful company needs? You’d be wrong.