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While You Are Waiting… 1. At your place are three blank stickers. Write down three words that describe you, one per sticker. 2. Put them on. omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
While You Are Waiting…
1. At your place are three blank stickers.
Write down three words that describe
you, one per sticker.
2. Put them on.
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Creative Leadership
Making the Case for Creativity
as a Core Leadership Skill
Paul Reali, MS, MBA
OmniSkills, LLC
Why have this conversation?
IBM poll and interviews of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the No. 1 “leadership competency” of the future
Why have this conversation?
“Creativity scores had been steadily rising, just like IQ scores, until 1990. Since then, creativity scores have consistently inched downward.”
Session Description
A leader, by definition, creates a vision of the
future and then determines how to lead the
organization there. This is precisely what
creativity is: imagining a desired future state,
defining the problems that must be solved in
order to get there, solving those problems in
a novel way, and putting the plan into action.
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Our Objectives
Identify the thinking skills that comprise creativity
Identify the thinking skills required for leaders
Make the case that creativity is a core competence required for all leaders
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Creativity is…
…imagining a desired future state, defining
the problems that must be solved in order to
get there, solving those problems in a novel
way, and putting the plan into action.
…the production of something that is both
novel and useful.
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Creativity in Context
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Objective 1
Identify the thinking skills that comprise creativity
Identify the thinking skills required for leaders
Make the case that creativity is a core competence required for all leaders
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Creative Thinking Skills
Imagine the Future
Explore Acceptance
Craft Solutions
Plan for Action
Generate Ideas
FacilitateFind the
Questions
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Objective 2
Identify the thinking skills that comprise creativity
Identify the thinking skills required for leaders
Make the case that creativity is a core competence required for all leaders
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Leadership Thinking Skills
Visionary Thinking
Contextual Thinking
Critical Thinking
Tactical Thinking
Ideational Thinking
Diagnostic Thinking
Strategic Thinking
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Objective 3
Identify the thinking skills that comprise creativity
Identify the thinking skills required for leaders
Make the case that creativity is a core competence required for all leaders
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
1,500 Opinions: IBM Study
Embody creative leadership
Creative leaders invite disruptive innovation, encourage others to drop outdated approaches and take balanced risks.
They are open-minded and inventive in expanding their management and communication styles, particularly to engage with a new generation of employees, partners and customers.
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
More Opinions
Jim Collins, Good to GreatCompanies grow up from entrepreneurial stage the wrong way: they impose order and discipline at the expense of creativity and entrepreneurial behavior (e.g., Apple)
Michael Mumford, University of OklahomaEffective leadership behavior fundamentally depends on the leader’s ability to solve the kinds of complex social problems that arise in an organization
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Even More Opinions
Kouzes & Posner: The Leadership ChallengeChallenging the Process
Inspiring a Shared Vision
Robert Sternberg: Successful Intelligence
Analytic Intelligence
Practical Intelligence
Creative Intelligence
Wisdom
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Leadership Thinking Skills
Visionary Thinking
Contextual Thinking
Critical Thinking
Tactical Thinking
Ideational Thinking
Diagnostic Thinking
Strategic Thinking
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Creative Thinking Skills
Imagine the Future
Explore Acceptance
Craft Solutions
Plan for Action
Generate Ideas
FacilitateFind the
Questions
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Experience It: Lead by Example
1. Generate a list of problems (“challenges”) you have, either at home or at work.
2. Gather in groups of 2 or 3, and share your lists. Add to your list as inspired to do so.
3. Each person: select 1 problem to work on.
4. One at a time, with the help of your partners, restate the problem in sentences that begin with “How might I…” or “How might we…
5. Find the question that provides the best solution path.
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Thinking Tools to Take Away
• Diagnostic: Avoid premature closure
• Visionary: “It would be great it…”
• Strategic: “How might we…”
• Ideational: Defer judgment
• Critical: Praise first
• Contextual: Find your F
• Tactical: Expect more creativity
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
Bonus: Three Questions
1. How can we enhance creativity (in
ourselves)?
2. How can we foster it (in others)?
3. How can we identify it (in our potential
leaders)?
omniskills.com * creativeproblemsolving.com
