Everyone can be creative. I believe it more and more each day as I’m marveled by the way people around me navigate life and situations. Creativity is all around us. But not everyone is created to be a leader. Everyone has a different capacity of how much they can handle and thus, how much they can lead.
But what happens when a really creative person is put in a position of leadership? Sometimes, it’s amazing. Other times, it can be a complete disaster.
If you’re creative and want to be a leader…we need you. It’s time to go to bootcamp and step it up. Lives and amazing art are in the balance. Are you ready? Because there are people waiting for you to assume your role and lead them into their future and God’s best for your life!
Creative Leaders Tend To:
- Challenge. They tend to be uncomfortable with the norm. They want to make changes, see momentum gained, and help build the “next” things. When they can’t do new things, they at least want to do the old stuff in new ways. It’s a gift and a curse.
- Question. They ask a lot of them because they know without them, expectations won’t be clarified.
- Make connections. Creative people tend to see things others don’t. They solve problems differently and process differently. Their imaginations lead them and their ideas often create solutions. This could scare or challenge an organization, or at least until it works.
- Dream. They are full of ambition and vision for what they want to do. They see what “could be” and will drive, work, and fight to pull that out of their teams or themselves.
- Feel. It’s good and bad. Sometimes their feelings will save an organization. Other times, their moodiness is going to drive everyone crazy. You can’t always have the amazing ability of connecting the emotions necessary to create great art with the ability to control those same emotions.
- Drive. The challenge of the art or the search for a solution drives them. They will work relentlessly to get it right before they quit because they know quitting will haunt them.
- Get “gumby.” Creative leaders tend to be more flexible and more able to adjust. They understand the canvas is rarely perfect and understanding this, they’re not shocked when things change. They’ve learned to adjust and compromise to make their best – no matter what the circumstances.
- Buy! They buy the vision. It fuels them. They stay on brand because they’re passionate about the work and are always looking to connect to something bigger than themselves.
What would you add?
Pass & Protect. Leaders who are comfortable in their abilities & who they are as an artist pass the credit to those who deserve it & protect those they lead when criticism comes.
All valid points and well written! Thank you! Matthew
Solve Problems. Make decisions quickly and decisively. They don’t always need to be right, but they do always need to make a decision.
Wow! This is spot on! The tension between the extreme creative and the leader are sometimes too much. I would say one of the biggest struggles would be the pull between structure/systems (leader) and the desire to let things happen organically (creative).