How To Find Your Creativity As A Leader

We all hear about creativity as if it's this commodity that can be purchased, traded and applied to your business model whenever needed. An artist will tell you that creativity is a fickle beast. A manager might say that creativity can only be achieved by filling and erasing a whiteboard dozens of times over dozens of meetings. Creativity, it seems, can be just as elusive as it can be instrumental to your growth.

As a leader, you are the one who is often looked upon to provide the spark of creativity. At hint, I embarked upon a great journey that started in my kitchen. That vision in my kitchen then spread to hundreds of employees, and in doing so, the creativity needed to continue to push forward doesn't always flow. It can sometimes be a demanding process to push myself to gather that spark, nurture it and pass it on to my team. So how can I, as a leader, do more to inspire creativity in not only myself but my team as well?

As outlined in this research paper in the Harvard Business Review from 2008, innovation across all industries has spurred managers, leaders and especially entrepreneurs to embrace creative methodology and thought processes to move their businesses forward. No longer is it acceptable to stick to the status quo and simply build a business based on established norms. Creativity is the only way to spur innovation and push ideas, people and companies forward. It's a heavy weight to carry, but leaders who can find their creative spark have the shoulders for it.

Creativity comes in many different forms for many different people and not every method of harnessing it works for each person. What works for me to jumpstart a brainstorming meeting might not work for you and your team. When building a new marketing campaign, we might have a completely different creative process in the room than you've ever imagined. Yet, there are some overall themes to creativity that may hold true for most of the leaders reading this.

Get out of the office

One thing I find that works to jumpstart my creative process is to just drop everything and walk away from the office. Whether this is just a short walk to clear your head or a quick breather to be able to take a bird's eye view of your project, the important thing is to remember that you are just human and sometimes you need some fresh air. Disconnect for a day and go for a drive. You'll be amazed at the places your brain will travel when not inundated with the flood of content that we consume on a daily basis.

Be mindful

Another great way to get that creative blood flowing is finding focus through mindfulness. While similar in effect to getting out of the office in that it requires you to disconnect, it's different in that the purpose is like a soft reset. Either through meditation, yoga or just drinking a hint while staring out the window, mindfulness can be a great way to wipe off the board and bring out the shiny new markers. Encourage your employees to do the same, and you'll find that creativity around the office is an air of relieved pressure.

Draw inspiration from your team

We often confuse creativity with powerful and inspirational leadership. Motivation is not always the same as creativity but can come from a similar place. Focusing on your employees and being interested in their well-being and passions can foster creativity. This creativity bleeds into their day-to-day operations as well as your leadership roles. This type of communication will also help you determine if employees are working on something that they are passionate about and what you can do to help that passion thrive.

Being a leader doesn't mean that you are the sole steward of the creative process, but it does mean that you have a solid role in promoting it throughout the organization. Create inclusive processes, diversity and shared governance. Promote mindfulness, a presence of engagement and commitment to shared visions. Promote critical thinking sessions, brainstorming meetings and mutual respect and shared passions. All this will create an environment that exudes creativity from the top down.

PS - I'm on Instagram now! Are you? If you have any questions, send me a DM on Instagram, and I'll make sure to reply there! I'm @KaraGoldin!

Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of San Francisco–based hint, a healthy lifestyle brand that produces the leading unsweetened flavored water and a scented sunscreen spray that’s oxybenzone and paraben-free. Listen to her podcast, Unstoppable, where she interviews founders, entrepreneurs, and disruptors across various industries and keep up with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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