7 habits of highly creative leaders

Linda Naiman, CreativityatWork.com

THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY CREATIVE LEADERS Presented by Linda NaimanFounder of Creativity at Work

Smart Savvy LeaderLounge June 29, 2016


Defining Creativity

Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. If you have ideas but don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.

Linda Naiman, CreativityatWork.com© Linda Naiman | Creativity at Work.com

Creativity is a practice

We learn to be creative by experimenting, exploring, questioning assumptions, using imagination and synthesizing information.

Source: T.M. Amabile,Harvard Business Review Oct. 98

Creativity

Motivation

Creative-thinking SkillsImagination

Expertise Knowledge:

Technical,procedural &

intellectual

Intrinsic / Extrinsic


The role of the Director is to create a space where the actors and actresses can become more than they’ve ever been before, more than they’ve dreamed of being. —Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance speech

Cultivating Creativity at Work


“My job as a manager is to create a fertile environment, keep it healthy, and watch for the things that undermine it.”

“Candor is the secret weapon to great results.”

—Ed Catmull president of Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Cultivating Creativity at Work


“My role has been to pick good people, and give them the maximum authority and responsibility.”

—Sam Walton


“Great leaders of innovation are not visionaries who set direction and inspire others to follow. Instead, they create the context in which others are both willing and able to innovate. As one leader said, “My job is to set the stage, not to perform on it.”—Linda A Hill, author, professor at Harvard Business School

Linda Naiman, CreativityatWork.comLinda Naiman CreativityatWork.com

Yes, and…. Listen for Brilliance Tell me more..Yes, what if..What I like about this is...Let’s play with this…Let’s explore this some moreWhat else?

Idea Busters:Yes, but... Are you serious?We’ve never done it that wayIt’s not in the budgetIt’ll never work

Setting the stage


The ability to come up with new ideas is a defining characteristic of creative and innovative leaders.

You could be as innovative and impactful as the most creative people in business – if you change your behavior and develop these 7 habits....


5 Discovery Skills of Disruptive Innovators

Innovator’s DNA 1. Associating2. Questioning3. Observing4. Experimenting5. Networking

“Entrepreneurs (who are also CEOs) spend 50% more time on these discovery activities than do CEOs with no track record for innovation.”— Innovator’s DNA by Clayton M. Christensen et al.

A disruptive innovation is an innovation that helps create a new market and value network, and eventually goes on to disrupt an existing market and value network, displacing an earlier technology.

http://www.creativityatwork.com/2012/05/29/mind-the-creativity-gap/


“Creativity is just connecting things.”—Steve Jobs

Habit #1: Associating — the #1 skill that separates innovators from non-creatives


Practice your ABCDs: Always Be Connecting Dots.


Habit #2: Questioning


"You don't invent the answers, you reveal the answers by finding the right questions.“

- Jonas Salk


Master the art of


What is? Why?

What if? What else?

What wows? What works?

Why not?

photographs by Michael Maggs

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Photographs_by_Michael_Maggs


Habit #3: Observing

“All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions.”

— Leonardo da Vinci

Visual Literacy through Art History Ed: Yale, NYPD


“Observation is the big game changer in our company.” — Scott Cook, founder, Intuit

Two key observations:

• Wife’s frustration on keeping track of

their finances

• Sneak peek at Apple Lisa


Visual Thinking: The Power of Art ignites imagination and creativity-crucial components of innovation. Art puts us in touch with our humanity, and giving

people the freedom to express their inner artist at work helps them tap into meaning, purpose, energy and enthusiasm.


106,000 aluminum cans used in the U.S. every thirty seconds.

Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait by photographic artist Chris Jordan.


32,000 Barbies = The number of elective breast augmentations performed monthly in 2006.

Chris Jorden


9 Faces


Habit #4: Experimenting

Three ways that innovators experiment: 1. Try out new experiences 2. Take apart products, processes, and

Ideas 3. Test ideas through pilots and

prototypes

“Think big, act small, fail fast; learn rapidly.” —Agile Mantra


“Effective prototyping may be the most valuable core competence an innovative organization can have.” Think about It. Innovation = Reaction to the Prototype—Michael Schrage, MIT

Prototype


Give permission to try something new

“You have permission to try something new…don’t wait for the invitation. There are a lot of opportunities to grab. If you see a better way, you have an obligation to do it.”

—Beth Comstock, vice chair of General Electric

Listen for Brilliance in others

“Force people to LISTEN to each other.” —Miles Davis


Habit # 5: Networking

Discovery driven executives network to: • Learn new, surprising things • Gain new perspectives • Test Ideas “in process” • Target experts and non-experts with very different

backgrounds and perspectives


Habit #6: Frame opportunity areas

Start with the phrase “HOW MIGHT WE...?”


Getting the right framing is the only way to create the right solution.

Reframing the role of manager

My job was not to have the answer, but to give my team whatever they needed to create the answer. It was a shift from the way management is generally thought of, where as a senior manager you must have the answer.

—Claudia Kotchka: (Former) Chief Barrier Buster at P&G

“Creativity is about how you set your team up for success.”


Habit #7:What is the best way to motivate employees to do creative work?


1. Psychological safety: Can we take risks on this team without feeling insecure or embarrassed?

2. Dependability: Can we count on each other to do high quality work on time?

3. Structure & clarity: Are goals, roles, and execution plans on our team clear?

4. Meaning of work: Are we working on something that is personally important for each of us?

5. Impact of work: Do we fundamentally believe that the work we’re doing matters?

Source: Google re:Work

https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team/ (Retrieved Jan12, 2016)

5 questions to ask your team:


"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." —Lao Tzu


How would you summarize the 7 habits?

What will you put into practice?


Let’s connect!

CreativityatWork.comConsulting | Training | Coaching

[email protected]: +1 604-327-1565

@LindaNaiman

7 habits of highly creative leaders

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