A story on creative leadership.

Hi there, creative being!

By now you know that we have been sharing the story of some inspiring creative leaders we met at the beginning of the year at our event THE CREATIVE YOU DAY ~ Boosting your Creative Leadership.

After inviting them for a relaxed conversation to get to know more about their professional paths, some of the stories stood in our heads in a way we feel would do more good if we share them with our audience — you :)

Curious?

Our SUPER CREATIVE LEADER for August is...

Humberto Estrela ?? is an accomplished International Strategic Sales & Growth Executive, recognized for his expertise in management, strategic account management, and business development. With a focus on nurturing relationships with VP's and C-level executives, Humberto excels at driving revenue and profit growth. His extensive background spans SaaS solutions, IT consulting services, Revenue Operations management, B2B Go-To-Market strategies, and CRM solutions like HubSpot and Salesforce. Known for his ability to develop and lead high-performing sales teams, Humberto brings a strategic approach to skill development and profit margin enhancement.?

Scroll down to discover her superpower: active listening!

CY: We're thrilled you could join us at THE CREATIVE YOU DAY. — How was your experience at the event? Any standout moments or insights that really got your gears turning?

H.E.: The experience at the event was impactful in itself, especially because it took me out of my comfort zone and the operational routine of delivery and response to objectives. As a professional who sells services or products, I recognize the constant need to create, and I have sought to promote more moments of creativity. This effort has been a challenging internal job, moving me away from the continuous delivery mode and focusing more on how to add value to my team, clients, and partners.

Participating in the event was one of those acts of challenge. I have been curious about Design Thinking for several years, and after experiences with some coaches, I saw this event as an opportunity to put theory into practice.

The main gains included:

• Participatory Learning — I work with very different people, and as an entrepreneur, I often feel isolated. The event allowed me to explore new ideas and activate focus skills, fully engaging in the activities.
• New tools — I learned tools that will positively impact my relationships with clients and collaborators, as well as contribute to the personal development and well-being of my team.
• Valuable Insights —? I absorbed various tips and insights that I can now apply directly.
• Pause and Reflection — Today, I can take brief pauses to recall and apply what I noted, using the learnings from co-creation to stimulate individual creativity and then apply it in collaboration with the team.

For example, we are on the verge of a new project and, with the specific objectives for this kickoff, I want to dedicate time to think and design the approach in collaboration with the new team, considering viability and operation. The ability to make decisions on the moment, with creativity, and apply these skills in networking networks and the way I present myself are fundamental.

CY: Creativity is often seen as this elusive, abstract concept. But we know it's so much more! How do you personally define creativity, especially in the context of your leadership?

H.E.: Revisiting the theme of entrepreneurship, when developing a business — thinking about mine — we are creating and developing projects, and creativity is essential in this process. I define creativity as the key competency for effectively developing projects, ensuring they are interesting and useful for everyone involved. In developing my business, creativity manifests in selecting the right tools and people for each task, and tailoring the project to each person's passions and motivations. I use creativity to adjust processes and tasks so that each person can thrive.

Creativity is vital for the process of integrating and aligning people, tools, and processes. It is the element that binds everything together, allowing projects to advance. Sometimes, processes stagnate when this "glue" does not work, and it is necessary to reassess and adjust. This kind of creativity stands out from the usual, I know, yet it has been what led me to success over the years.?

Resilience is another fundamental competency, allied with creativity, especially when we face failures. Personally, I have experienced bankruptcy, which was crucial in my growth journey, making me more resilient to other "failures," as inevitably happens with projects and partnerships.

As a leader, I tend to incorporate individual feedback and ideas into the project by giving room for these contributions, while emphasizing the importance of delegating skills and making informed decisions. I put people first, and thus, everything else aligns, both internally and in partnerships.

CY: One of the aims of our event is to explore how creativity intersects with leadership. Can you share a specific instance where creativity played a pivotal role in your leadership journey or within your organization?

H.E.: After our event, I had a moment of insight: "Why didn't I think of this before?". As a very observant person, attentive to what is shared around me, I tend to combine what I call "nuggets" — different pieces of information that I capture through observation. These pieces, at a certain moment, come together and fit, resulting in an explosion of creative ideas in my mind.

A clear example occurred during the development of a specific project. I felt something was missing to truly connect with the consumer or the client. I had interacted with a partner several times without success, but in a new meeting, the presentation they made acted as the trigger for a new idea.

In another case, the combination of two keywords suggested by a partner sparked a click that allowed me to expand our customer base by almost 300.

These moments reinforce the importance of being mentally receptive and flexible to gather fragments of ideas, allowing the formation of new projects or concepts. This ability to integrate scattered pieces can lead to the emergence of a new idea that, after being tested and refined, can transform into something concrete and impactful.

This event reinforced my ability to be more active in seeking and combining ideas, enhancing my creativity and leadership.

CY: They say great leaders are great listeners. How do you create an environment where your team feels comfortable sharing their creative ideas, no matter how out-of-the-box they may seem?

H.E.: In my leadership, I highly value creating an environment where the team feels comfortable sharing what moves them, how their life is going, and a bit about the person they are, before the professional. I've implemented in everyone's agenda a meeting to have “check-in moments”, which go beyond operational scope or work details. In these meetings, I encourage the sharing of personal aspects, as I believe that knowing the personal lives of team members is crucial to understanding how this can influence their professional performance.

These meetings are usually weekly, and as a fully remote team, I use phone calls and video calls to maintain this open dialogue space. I make it a point to always ask, "How can I help?", and I hope that team members also feel comfortable asking how they can help me, promoting an environment of mutual support.

Furthermore, I am always attentive to emotions and the subtle indicators of each one, as treating each person individually is fundamental for me. I also promote moments for teams to interact with each other, creating a positive space for genuine sharing and a spirit of mutual aid, following the philosophy of "Givers Gain" — help to be helped later. It is through these practices that I seek to foster continuous personal development and a collaborative environment in the organization.

CY: When you were a kid, what was your favourite way to express your creativity? Any childhood hobbies or activities that you feel shaped your creative mindset?

H.E.: Since childhood, my creativity has always been linked to sports. I practised various sports such as basketball, soccer, table tennis, handball, and volleyball, even playing basketball and handball at a professional level. I was always skilled at playing soccer with both feet, which reflects my versatility and creativity in sports.

In basketball, for example, I liked to create different movements, manage to get to a spot on the court faster, create conditions in the game to be different, and shoot in unconventional ways. I wasn't limited to the standard; I always sought to go beyond practice. Due to my ability to innovate within the game, I was known as the "Inventor."

This creative approach in sports helped shape my mindset, teaching me to think differently and explore new possibilities, skills that I brought into my adult and professional life.

Are you curious about the amount of creative potential within your leadership?

Try out our free online survey CREATIVE YOU ?.

If you want to know more about other ways to bring creativity to your team, we're listening: drop us a DM ;)