January’s Midweek Spark theme is Creativity and Your Business Success.
What is Creativity?
“Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.” – Einstein
I love Einstein’s definition. We all have a unique slant, approach, product or solution that we choose to share with the world through our businesses. As entrepreneurs, we have to be creative in our business. We have to be creative problem solvers, communicators, developers, and visionaries.
In my coaching practice, I meet many different types of entrepreneurs, those who are too creative; those who believe they are not creative; and those who naturally have found their creative balance. Where do you think you sit?
Several years ago I was fortunate to attend an event held by the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI – now Invest Ottawa) where the keynote speaker was Sir Ken Robinson who is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, and human resources.
Sir Ken’s passion and belief is that we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out if it. It was a fabulous presentation on how we need to recognize what creativity really is and nurture that skill.
“It’s interesting that people see creativity and critical thinking as being opposed. It’s partly because people associate creativity with being totally free and unstructured. But what we really have to get hold of is the idea that you can’t be creative if you don’t do something. Creativity is a process of having original ideas that have value. A big part of being creative is looking for new ways of doing things within whatever activity you’re involved in.” – Sir Ken.
Isn’t that what we are in business to do? We provide solutions or unique experiences to our clients. If you own a restaurant you strive to have a unique menu, ambiance, and experience that attracts your ideal clients. That requires a huge amount of creativity to develop the menu and the systems to ensure a consistent experience.
As a business coach, I’m hired to bring a unique perspective to my clients. It might be to help them create they unique sales proposition (USP) or to help them navigate a difficult situation. In most cases, I help my clients think outside of their box, whether it is solving an urgent problem, communicating in a difficult situation or developing a new product of service. Creativity and critical thinking are key components of having a successful business – one continues to grow and serve more people.
I’d like you to think about how important creativity is to your business and identify those areas where you are using creativity to improve your business. Also, identify those areas where you may need to apply more creative thinking to improve or develop new opportunities. Please share your thoughts below.
Next week Midweek Spark Topic: How to Get the Creative Juices Flowing
I love to see entrepreneurs follow their passions, serve more people and create the lifestyle of their dreams.
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Hi Heather,
Yes, in business we are there to provide solutions. I don’t believe in business as selling or making money. Yes, that all comes with the territory but I feel that it’s really the solutions and that value we give to our customers. This is the beauty of being an entrepreneur. It allows us to be creative all while providing solutions. Thanks Heather!
Nate – isn’t that the fun of it. Being creative and helping people at the same time. 🙂
Absolutely agree! As a writer I have to be creative to produce my work, but that is only half the story. Finding outlets and marketing my work demands a different sort of creativity.
Karen: Absolutely, and that point I’m trying to made. Creativity is required in all aspects of a business not just the traditional definition. I thinking marketing your business requires creativity and managing people well requires a huge amount of creativity and ability to balance it.
Thanks for commenting.
Great post, Heather! I LOVE being creative, especially through writing and music! It’s such a great way to express yourself 🙂
Emily: Thank you for commenting. Creativity is a great way to express yourself. There are so many ways to do so, committing to writing a blog frequently is a really good way to stretch your creativity as it requires you to create content. I know for myself it improved my ability to create value quickly.