“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.”
—Dr. Seuss, American author & illustrator (1904 – 1991)
It may be hard to believe, but all of us were once children who experienced a sense of elation and accomplishment from inventing our own games – making use of random props and terrain to choreograph a customized pastime that was a blast and knew no limits. So what if we could re-ignite our childhood creativity, and de-construct our realm of acquired assumptions in the process? It would not only be disarmingly fun, but deeply meaningful in guiding our strategic thinking.
How so? Here is the connection: the basis of the most successful strategies is not out-competing rivals. Rather, it is creating your own game, your own market space. This approach is especially important during turbulent times, when traditional market definitions and standards disappear.
Connecting The Dots Between Creativity and Success
Of all personal qualities, business leaders are picking “creativity” as the key foundation of future success, ahead of such traditional pillars as operational expertise, industry know-how, interpersonal skills or even innovation. This supports the theory that creativity (or “resourcefulness” as I like to paraphrase) is a vital component for successfully handling unexpected, unprecedented and rapidly changing surroundings. As an example, the Bloomberg Businessweek article, ‘What Chief Executives Really Want’, in May 18, 2010, notes that: “According to a new survey of 1,500 chief executives conducted by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, CEOs identify “creativity” as the most important leadership competency for the successful enterprise of the future.”
This current shift in popular thinking leads to the question, “If creativity is thrust to the forefront of vital leadership qualities, how can you fully embrace it, how can you tap into your personal reservoir of resourceful thinking?” Stay tuned for my next post in which I delve into this question.
Gabor George Burt is an internationally recognized expert on innovation, creativity and strategy development. His spheres of expertise help organizations to overstep perceived limitations and to carve out successful growth strategies. Share the excitement surrounding Gabor’s upcoming book Slingshot at www.slingshotliving.com or on Twitter ( @slingshotliving ).