Igniting ingenuity to benefit a company’s future
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, a creative leader can be key to a company’s success. In part two of our Deep Dive into modern-day leadership, we explore how leaders can practise and encourage out-of-the-box thinking.
✨ Creative leaders inspire their teams to challenge conventional wisdom and disrupt regular practices to break new ground.
👁️ A leader who can successfully integrate vision, creativity and innovation is setting the company up for long-term success.
🧐 They motivate their teams to view problems from multiple perspectives and constantly question how processes can be improved.
🚀 Establishing a culture of creativity and innovation helps combat stagnation, leading to greater productivity.
QUOTABLE
“The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas. It’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they’re valued.”
— Sir Ken Robinson, author and speaker
BY THE NUMBERS
4 The four stages of design thinking often used by creative leaders are clarify, ideate, develop and implement.
82% Consulting firm Forrester found that 82 percent of global corporations across a diverse set of industries perceive creativity as a key driver of business performance.
29% According to Adobe CQ, only 29 percent of APAC executives have managed to cultivate an environment that values and encourages creative thinking.
70% A study by the National Library of Medicine found that 70 percent of employees worldwide value leaders who are innovative and creative.
QUIZ
What percentage of CEOs believe workplace creativity is a critical leadership quality?
A. 25%
B. 40%
C. 60%
Scroll to the bottom for the answer.
GEN.T LEADERS OF TOMORROW
The Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow 2024 has been unveiled. See the full list here.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ever wondered why you get ideas in the shower? The “shower effect” on creativity comes from mind-wandering, where thoughts stray from the task at hand. This happens often when our body is occupied with an everyday task while our minds have time to wander, `like while washing the dishes or folding clothes.
THE EDIT
🎨 Unleashing creativity. Creative leadership leverages design thinking and inspiring teams to develop creative solutions to problems.
🧠 Cultivating a growth mindset. Successful leaders create a culture which fosters adaptability and continuous learning to drive innovation.
📈 Staying ahead of the curve. By fostering a culture of creativity, leaders keep their businesses adaptable and competitive.
👩🏫 Starting them young. Schools that prioritise creativity serve as incubators of future innovative leaders.
WATCH
In this Ted Talk, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt discusses how big tech’s attention-focused business model can diminish our creative abilities.
THE FULL PICTURE
A 2022 study by Leadership Circle revealed that female leaders excel in building relationships, mentoring and community focus compared to their male counterparts. While this doesn’t affirm that women are inherently better leaders, it highlights the advantages of having them in leadership teams.
KEY PLAYER
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao
CEO of VietJet Air Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao is recognised for her innovative approach to expanding the airline in a competitive market by focusing on service innovation and cost management, highlighting the importance of creative leadership in traditionally rigid industries.
HONOUREE TO KNOW
Martine Ho
Martine Ho is the creative eye behind the perennially fresh and hip Sunnies group, which currently houses five cult brands, including eyewear brand Sunnies Studios and makeup brand Sunnies Face.
ONE FINAL THING
Creativity in the animal world is linked to social standing. While some species like goats, giraffes and gazelles tend to be more innovative when outcasted, in several others, from elephants to songbirds, creativity is sparked by bravery and persistence.
