You don’t have to feel you’re the most creative person in the world in order to lead others to be creative.

All you need is to know what creativity is (beyond the standard definition), be clear about the role it plays in achieving what you need to achieve and understand how to nurture others to apply their creative talents.

“Phew,” I hear you say, “that sounds easy”.
And it is... But it still requires you to have an open mind and also be dedicated to do it well!

Most likely you were not promoted into the leadership role you have today because of your creative abilities. Instead you followed a commercial path where your functional expertise and the ability to deliver has moved you through the ranks.

Yet when it comes to driving a creative culture, a mindset change you need to make is to embrace the fact that commerciality and creativity can, and should, co-exist.

The sooner you do that, the sooner you will be able to excel at being a leader of creativity.

Even if you don’t need to ‘be’ creative to lead for creativity, knowing what your creative preferences are, is the first step in the right direction.

Why?

By knowing your preferences, you will be able to pinpoint ways in which to leverage your favoured styles; which in turn will help you become a more authentic creative leader, inspiring and facilitating those around you.

Good leaders of creativity know what it takes to inspire and facilitate those around them.

In the same way the five styles are creative in different ways, they also embody different leadership styles that lay the foundations needed to build a creative culture.

Stimulators inspire, Spotters conceive visions, Sculptors align for action, Selectors prioritise and Supporters facilitate the journey.