The Future of Business Success-Part 1

The Future of Business Success

Part 1:

Why Creativity Is Now The Most Coveted Superpower in Business??

Innovation has never moved faster since the building of the pyramids in ancient Egypt.?

Today, not only is technology moving forward at a rate that we struggle to keep up with, but the way we do business is also rapidly changing the world around us. Everything from how we buy and sell to business operations, including how businesses plan, spend and execute; source and hire talent; and how teams interact and implement new methods to improve productivity and enhance Culture within organizations.?

Adapting vs Evolving

With the acceleration of digital transformation and the effects of the pandemic on the work environment, successful business leaders have learned that creativity has proven to be the most valuable by-product of challenging conditions. Growth happens most when we step out of our comfort zones, more so when we are forced than by choice. Humans have been known to overcome life-threatening challenges in times of crisis as a desperate reaction to danger or when confronted with the threat of imminent harm. Whenever we are faced with a situation that incites a sense of heightened or sudden fear, our nervous system naturally releases adrenaline, which, in some cases, has resulted in the ability to perform superhuman feats that we normally could never accomplish--like a mother lifting a two-ton pickup truck to free her child trapped underneath.

Similar to the process of natural selection that suggests whenever any species is forced to cope with challenging environmental factors that threaten its very existence, out of necessity, it begins to develop new characteristics and/or behavior patterns to adapt in order to survive–so is the case with resilient businesses. Individuals, or in this case, businesses with adaptive traits that provide an advantage tend to be more likely to, not only survive but, thrive in changing environments.?

JFK once said, “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis'. One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity”. This translation has become a widespread public misperception in the English-speaking world ever since. Although the reasoning behind his point still holds as great an impact to inspire strength in the face of tragedy, it is not entirely accurate according to translation. But, neither is it entirely incorrect. Weiji, the Chinese word for crisis, is written with two characters. The first, Wei, does indeed mean “dangerous.” The second, highly polysemous character, Ji, does not mean “opportunity” standing alone, but more like “changepoint”, which–according to the logic of the Chinese language–implies that danger provokes change. President Kennedy was merely pointing out, in an attempt to boost public morale, that every crisis presents us with a choice: We can either view the danger as a threat, that will then likely perpetuate negative change, or, as an opportunity to adapt, transform, and elicit positive change--even growth. The strong, or creative, view danger as an opportunity to rise above the challenges it presents, as we’ve all seen successful businesses do amidst the pandemic while evolving with a competitive edge in the thick of digital transformation.?

Entering The Age Of Creativity?

The most successful businesses don’t wait for crises, or change, to innovate. Because of their creativity, they can foresee impending challenges and stay at the forefront of the changing environment or become the innovators responsible for it. These businesses are the ones enhancing processes that solve problems and, ultimately, inspire new trends and business practices that help us evolve into a more profitable and, sometimes, more practical way of living. Consequently, on the contrary, these new ways of doing things often present a new set of challenges all on their own. Hence, the necessity for more creativity, rapidly revving up the speed of innovation and increasing the demand for more Creatives.?

The leaders of top organizations attribute their success to creativity, their ability to innovate is what keeps them ahead of the relevance curve. A survey in 2010 by IBM of more than 1,500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries worldwide, showed, across the board: Creativity was appraised as the most important factor for future business success—above rigor, management discipline, integrity, and even vision.?

The study determined that creative leaders…

• Invite disruptive innovation, encourage others to drop outdated approaches, and take balanced risks.
• Expect to make more business model changes to realize their strategies.
• Consider previously unheard-of ways to drastically change the enterprise for the better, setting the stage for innovation that helps them engage more effectively.
• Are more comfortable with ambiguity and experiment to create new business practices.
• Are courageous and visionary enough to make decisions that alter the status quo.
• Are open-minded and inventive in expanding their management and communication styles, particularly to engage with a new generation of employees, partners, and customers.

And…

• Encourage experimentation and innovation throughout their organizations.?

Seems they were right. Twelve years later, we are experiencing the need, more than ever, for more creative, open-minded business leaders in order to meet the demands of Economic Development in the 21st century.

Where Creativity Leads

Daniel Pink, in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, defines Economic Development by the associations of the following categories:

1. Agriculture Age (farmers)
2. Industrial Age (factory workers)
3. Information Age (knowledge workers)
4. Conceptual Age (creators and empathizers)

Pink argues that left-brain linear, analytical, and technically calculated thinking is being replaced by right-brain empathy, emotional intelligence, inventiveness, and visionary imagination as the most valuable skills in business. Creativity provides a competitive advantage that boosts your value proposition differentiating your business from the competition.

But what exactly is creativity? Is it teachable? And what makes one person more creative than another? How is it identified in candidates for hire? And how can leaders improve their teams’ level of creativity?

We’ll dive a bit deeper to answer these questions throughout this 5 part series, as we discover how creativity is shaping The Future of Business Success. Stay tuned for Part 2: The Nature of Creativity & How It Impacts Innovation.