Creative Leaders!

Great leaders use a heavy dose of creativity when finding new and unique solutions to problems in business… and in life. Combined with knowledge and expertise, creativity is the lubricant that brings it all together to make things happen. Steve Jobs, noted for his interest in Zen Buddhism, likely drew on this as he pondered putting the on/off switch behind the machine. How likely are you to turn off your Mac?

My wife could figure out how to maneuver three active teenage boys from one sporting event or another by tying into a network of moms who were all committed to doing what's best for their kids and helping one another to do it. Daily, she reads, takes some time to relax and keeps in regular contact with her posse of high performing moms. In another example of creativity, Ernest Shakelford led a group of 27 men across the perils of ice in Antarctica for two years before arriving back to civilization. He had hundreds of good ideas that kept them safe and forging toward their goal.

There are any number of creativity stories that boggle the mind and alight the spirit in all of us.

I have been very fortunate to work with some wildly successful and creative people. Whether it was the genius of the team of employees at @Advent Software to bring portfolio accounting to the PC; or the team at @Albridge Solutions who brought it to the web; or the insurance regulatory group at @State Street who keep America's largest insurers in compliance; or my current employer @Scivantage where creative solutions are used every day in cost basis accounting and the digital enterprise of wealth management.

Steve Jobs said, "If you are going to make connections which are innovative, you have to not have the same bag of experiences as everyone else does, or else you are going to make the same connections as everybody else and then you won't be innovative."

The key to creative thought in my estimation is to make yourself comfortable. I am at my creative peak when I return from work, sit on my deck, a glass of wine in tow and music blaring over a muted TV with a game on. (Everything seems easier when I hear music, everything!) Thoughts flow freely as I think about our company's challenges and opportunities, which I note on my iPad. I still reference ideas and notes from back in 2011. The iPad sits on the night table and I often wake up to type feverishly in the middle of the night. To encourage that comfortable environment at work, for the past 15 years I have played music in my office daily because for me, it works.

Institutionalizing creativity across your organization is tough. The Boston based company @Synecticsworld can help with that. I was trained on their methodologies in creative problem solving 25 years ago and still use them today. Creating a comfortable atmosphere in the work environment where all employees can feel equally comfortable enough to be creative is the ultimate goal.

Whether you get your ideas at the beach, bathtub or from Buddhism, set time aside for yourself and in your surrounding comfort give a fresh look at what you are trying to achieve. Then share with everyone how you did it.

My Best,