Developing Creativity for Lifelong Career Success
Nowadays, discussing the future of work may be difficult without thinking about technologies like AI and big data. While they are important to changing how we work and achieve business success, it's just as crucial not to overlook the human aspects of business, like developing our soft skills. Insights from the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report list creativity and problem solving as vital skills needed in the future of work by 2025. In recent years, the need for creativity, flexible thinking, and problem-solving skills has intensified to help business owners overcome new situations and adapt without compromising productivity.
Creativity is among the most sought-after skills in work today, even when the job or role isn't within the creative field. Just as the technologies around us continue to grow and develop, so too should we humans and our soft skills. Today, we'll go over some of the ways we can develop creativity to boost career success:
Starting young
Creativity is a great skill to nurture from a very young age, as it doesn't have any prerequisites that may hinder one from becoming more creative. In a past post titled "Turning Play into Pay", we highlight how creativity in young children led to entrepreneurial opportunities for them, allowing them to explore not only their interests but their knack for business and entrepreneurship as well. Even if you're not particularly young anymore, it's never too late to start and explore your creative side. In the best-case scenario, you learn to pick up new interests while integrating your creativity with aspects of work and business. Worst case scenario — well, you learn to pick up new interests, which is never a bad thing at any age.
Practicing creative leadership
Creativity may not be one of the first things that come to mind when you think about leadership, but creative leaders are a rare breed of authority who know how to think outside the box when making necessary decisions for their business and their employees. As insights on creative leadership by LHH highlight, the term "creative leader" has been around since the mid-1950s, when psychologists and development practitioners first attempted to establish the criteria for effective business leadership. However, creativity was often left off many lists because nobody could agree on a definition. Generally, creative leaders are curious, flexible, and decisive, all essential traits we should strive to have as business leaders. Unlearning how you limit yourself and adopting a mindset of always embracing change is a good starting point to establishing yourself as a creative leader.
Collaborate with others
Business and entrepreneurship don't have to be a lonely path, and knowing how to work with those around you will only help instead of harm. Collaborating allows for multiple perspectives on a specific issue or project that you may not be able to come up with on your own, showing you new ways to look at old problems. Insights from Harvard Business Review indicate that meaningful workplace connections make employees more productive and creative; even workplace disagreements can lead to innovative solutions and better decision-making. Since thinking out of the box is a massive part of being creative, the ability to be receptive to other people's ideas and critiques is crucial. Even when you think you know how to do something right, someone could come along and show you a better, faster, or more efficient way to get things done.
