THE LEADER PROFILE CREATIVE. driving innovation & change

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1 THE CREATIVE LEADER PROFILE Creative leadership driving innovation & change

2 the creative leader CREATIVITY is now the the most critical skill requirement for leaders navigating today s complex business environment. With a creative mindset, changes in economic powers, new regulations, accelerated industry adaptations, increased data, and everchanging customer preferences are seen as opportunities-not obstacles. When leaders embrace creativity by challenging norms, encouraging fresh ideas, taking risks, and focusing on change, their efforts position the company for long-term success. Five FacE-MELTING FACTS ON CREATIVE LEADERSHIP 1. ceos ranked creativity as the #1 desired quality in leaders at all levels % of a team s creative climate is directly linked to their leader. 3. teams using basic creativity tools produce 100% more ideas than teams without tools % of companies report a need for creativity training programs. 5. high-performing teams offer 5 praises to each criticism.

3 The Creative Leader CREATIVE LEADERS have the greatest opportunity to impact the innovative climate of an organization. These leaders develop insights and strategies to drive growth and profitability in the face of complex changes. They encourage thoughtful questioning of the status quo and new thinking, which leads to development of new products, services, and programs. The role of CREATIVE LEADERS is to generate and encourage fresh thinking - and harness their team s creative energy to move the business forward. The following pages introduce the four core competencies of a Creative Leader. Each competency is defined and offers simple action items for skill-building. For the most creative beings on the planet, this stuff isn t rocket science. With a few easy adjustments you ll develop a more creative approach to leading others. We promise.

4 CORE competencies CHALLENGE Norms CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS TO REVEAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY + COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. Use established rules as starting points to drive innovation and change. Flip your existing team rules and norms to test the waters of change. don t interpret, that s just not how we do things here, as a stop sign. View it as a yellow light. Become a maverick by offering an industry first that your customers will love. instead of requesting permission now, ask for forgiveness later. do the opposite of what your gut tells you.

5 stay open to new ideas ENCOURAGE + ENGAGE TEAMS IN PRODUCTIVE BRAINSTORMING TO UNCOVER FRESH IDEAS FOR CHANGE. create a non-defensive setting for effective brainstorms by establishing fun guidelines and comfortable ground rules. Set a new tone for brainstorm sessions by encouraging collaboration and play. instead of criticizing ideas, present concerns as open-ended questions to uncover possibilities. challenge yourself to identify positive aspects to even the craziest ideas. dismiss the notion that your job is to tell people no. This word is the opposite of what makes you feel powerful and intelligent.

6 take risks EXPERIMENT THROUGH TESTING + PROTOTYPING TO REDUCE EXPOSURE AND DETERMINE FEASIBILITY. redirect new projects into a test or pilot mode to explore feasibility and identify areas for improvement. dedicate both time and budget for piloting. identify internal stakeholders and external clients who are willing to play within a test kitchen environment. communicate failure expectations as well as success measures. reward teams for taking risks and frame mistakes as shared learning opportunities. Find one of those NO FEAR stickers that appeared on every other car window in the late 80s and use it as a daily affirmation. Or not.

7 explore connections IDENTIFY + CONNECT TRENDS TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES + ENSURE BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY. Be informed about emerging markets and enabling technologies. Follow trend spotters and forward thinking Web sites and blogs. Sift through market research and other data to identify trends, develop insights, identify priorities and predict implications for your current business. explore seemingly unrelated data, experiences, and publications and challenge yourself to force connections. approach daily life with a hunger for unexpected finds. Get out of your basement. Literally and figuratively.

8 the CORE model stay take C HALLENGE Norms O pen to new ideas R isks E xplore connections NOTES CORE Dimensions ACTION I will focus the most attention to the following competency: I plan to implement this mind-blowing information by doing the following: The item I m most excited to act on immediately is: The Creative Leader Profile was developed by Rob Cordova and Russ Schoen and beyond rob@creativityprofiles.com Creative leadership driving innovation & change