The Importance of Creativity in Business

The demand for creativity in business is larger than it has ever been. According to Creative Confidence by Tom Kelly and David Kelly: Fortune 500 Companies have been hiring creative consultants more the last 7 years than they ever have before. Post secondary schools have also been kicking off business courses that are dedicated to creativity and fresh ideas.

This is understandable since the digital revolution has also given birth to an unlimited potential for creativity. Every individual has the tools to create and execute new ideas.

This article will help get your creative juices flowing by focusing on three major components: your approach, your idea, and your execution.

Your Approach

Interestingly, I learned this important lesson as a junior in high school:

Half way through the year, my science teacher spontaneously asked the entire class to line up beside his wide lab table that sat in front of the class. He then asked each of us to stand on top of the table, observe the classroom, and then climb back down and return to our seats. Although slightly confused, we all did as we were told.

Once the last student completed the task, he began explaining the exercise to the baffled students:

"You walk into the same classroom every week and see things from the same point of view. For the first time ever, you saw this room from a whole new perspective. For the rest of your life, I want you to treat everything you do the same way."

Admittedly, I learned very little about science, but this was a lesson I would always remember.

Approaching challenges from a unique perspective allows you to find opportunities and creative solutions that are often missed.

Your Idea

People have been inventing for so many years that we feel the need to invent something that has never been created before.

Rather than focusing on creating new inventions, learn to innovate something that is already out there. In 1779, Gaetano Vinaccia invented the guitar and we were able to create endless beautiful music with it. The big mistake would have been to try to invent a new musical instrument and compete with the guitar instead of producing good music.

At Candybox Marketing, we have a unique rule-of-thumb for all our projects: we do something new that has never been done in any of our previous projects. This keeps our team on our toes and always hungry for new ideas. Rather than focusing on reinventing the definition and functionality of a website, we use tools that available to create new features and WOW factors in every website we create.

You may be someone who operates in the world of business, but this should not limit you from spending time in creative workshops and interacting with people in the art or music industry. Get inspired!

Your Execution

Creativity involves two components: a new idea and execution. It could be an amazing idea but you need to be able to bring it out to market.

In 1973, Xerox created the first visual interactive software (mouse to drag around and click on folders) but Apple made it better, easier to use, and successfully brought it to market.

Put your idea down on paper and plan out a strategic execution. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Who can benefit from my idea?
• Is anyone doing anything similar? If so, how can I do it better?
• What tools and resources can I use to put the idea into action?
• What are some challenges that I will face when executing my idea? How can I overcome it?

If you are in a competitive industry, you have the opportunity to stand out and provide exceptional value for your customers with fresh ideas. Get creative!