The terms creative leadership and innovation leadership are being used at a higher frequency. Research surveys show that a lack of creativity is seen as the most serious shortcoming in new hires, reports The Economist’s Global Talent Index Report 2012. Similarly, creativity is seen as the most important leadership quality in a 2012 study of IBM under over 1500 CEOs. So what is creative leadership, and what is sparking this interest in it?
What is creative leadership?
Creative leadership is the ability to create and realize innovative solutions especially in the face of structurally complex or changing situations. It refers to those people who, when all is shifting and new approaches are yet unknown, can still create clarity of purpose for their teams. These are leaders who seek to navigate – and even benefit from – the unpredictability around them. Not just for the organization or themselves, but usually also for society at large and the ecology of the planet.