People don’t always value creativity in the fields I know best which are law and public affairs. But what is creativity really? It’s the ability to think differently about an issue or challenge, to recognise value in other people’s ideas and use them to spark some ideas of your own; the ability to challenge thinking and to take risk. Above all it’s the ability to problem solve in new ways and find new solutions.
Sometimes the ‘creative types’ can be seen as wasting time with their curiosity, long conversations or quiet time thinking rather than doing. But really, they’re spotting what’s needed now or finding a new market for a product or service or changing tack to keep up with a change in circumstances.
Those that value creativity highly, tend to spend time and resources searching for creative people. Try looking within your own team. Creativity comes in several different shapes and forms.
Every personality type has value in the workplace. The best workplaces have some of all of them and we should all try to embrace elements of them all in our own working styles.
If you’re a leader - think about who in the organisation you find it most difficult to work with. Is it because they’re a different personality type to you? What value do they bring that’s different from the value you can bring? How can their qualities help you and your business see things differently and problem-solve creatively? It'll be good for them, good for you, and good for your business.
Here’s a great test to share with your team to discover the different types of creatives working within your organisation: What's your creative type?
Interesting related reads: Set the Conditions for Anyone on Your Team to Be Creative
