CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

Designing Best Creative Strategy Towards

Best Creative Vision
I. INTRODUCTION
Character, Call and Commitment, and Competencies address essential
individual leadership qualities for building a Growing Community of
Change Leaders. Community building brings together like-minded
people into a leadership team to help lead transformation together. A
growing community of change leaders is the foundational block in
transforming leadership. This community leads together.
The first task of a community of change leaders is to exercise
Creative Leadership in setting direction, which includes vision and
destination, as well as the best strategies for leading toward the
vision.
Creative Leaders set direction by bringing about new leadership; new
ways of thinking and new value systems.
The design of the course of action should be premised on character,
integrity and the core values of the organization. The leaders should
be transparent and create an environment that holds every person
accountable for creative change leadership. The organization should
also create intentional accountabilities with the community of
stakeholders in which it operates.
Creative leaders create communities that lead change through the
envisioning of new futures, strategic capacity building (coaching,
communication, collaboration), the celebration of milestones, and the
building of a next generation of leaders to ensure continuation.
II. OPENING STORY
Steve Jobs
How can creative leadership be developed? A perfect example of the
development of creative leadership is with the late Steve
Jobs. Innovative strategies are harder to implement, and thus, require
a mature leader who has honed his leadership skills over many years.

For example, early on, Microsoft led by Bill Gates, ruthlessly crushed
Apple and Steve Jobs. However, after Steve Jobs developed his
creativity over the years (i.e, grew into a true creative leader), Apple
crushed Microsoft (and virtually every other company) over the past
15 years or so.

Steve Jobs had many bright ideas and innovative strategies.

However, it wasnt until later in his career that he mastered the art of
executing those ideas. While Steve Jobs had some early successes at
Apple, it wasnt until he had matured as a leader that he was able to
produce repeat blockbuster ideas. This is mainly because creative
leaders take time to develop and mature.
Sony was a dominant player in the personal CD player and MP3 player
market. Sony could have easily leveraged its strong position into
new, more compelling consumer products. Instead, Sony seems to
have pursued a strategy of incremental improvements and product
line extensions. This strategy maximized current revenues but missed
the opportunity to disrupt the consumer music markets.
In contrast, Steve Jobs, who had developed creative leadership, had a
vision much more expansive than mere revenue generation. Jobs
strategy was to revolutionize consumer music hardware, software,
and distribution. Jobs strategy was revolutionary (not incremental)
and involved the integration of music hardware, software, and
distribution into one seamless, consumer-friendly system. The iPod,
iTunes and Apple store represent the brilliant solution that executed
the brilliant strategy that Steve Jobs developed.
Jobs ideas, strategies and executions were brilliant. These are the
marks of creative leadership. Thus, a critical part of creative
leadership development involves teaching leaders to develop
strategies that are revolutionary (rather than merely incremental) in
nature. As a result, creative leaders tend to exemplify the qualities of
visionary leaders who think and act outside conventional boxes.
III. DESIRED OUTCOMES
Participants will be able to
A. Explain the differences between conventional and creative
leadership.
B. Explain the differences between innovation and creativity.
C. Learn techniques for creativity or problem solving.
D. Apply techniques for creativity and problem solving.
E. Identify practical steps to building an environment of
creativity in a specific institutional context.

F. Demonstrate the utilization of a Strategic Leadership process

for exercising Creative Leadership.
IV. DESCRIPTION
Leadership creativity provides vision, direction and strategy to bring
about the desired state of affairs. Creative leaders generate new
ideas, insights, and directions by creating environments that are
characterized by safety for risk takers, affirmation, challenge, and
engagement.
The process of Creative Leadership involves bringing together a
community of change leaders to design the Best Creative Vision and
the Best Creative Strategy for accomplishing it. The real exercise of
Creative Leadership lies within the creating of a safe and inviting
environment that is also characterized by passion, high energy and
ownership.
Identifying, recruiting, engaging and optimizing the best minds and
hearts on the mission, is the primary objective of creative leadership.
V. CORE CONTENT
A. Definition of Creative Leadership
B. Source of Creativity
C. Environment for Creative Leadership
D. Qualities of a Creative Leader
E. Practices of a Creative Leader
F. Problem Solving Skills for Creative Leaders
G. Hindrances to Creativity
H. Enhancers for Creativity
I. Steps to Innovation
J. SWOT Analysis
K. Strategic Leadership
A. DEFINITION OF CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
1. Creativity
To create means to bring (a product or idea) into being (to birth,
hatch, innovate, make, pioneer, procreate, produce); to bring into
existence or to foster development (cultivate, generate, grow,
plant, raise, breed); to invent or fabricate; to improvise, concoct,
dream up, think up, or conceive (Excerpted from American
Heritage Talking Dictionary. Copyright 1997 The Learning
Company, Inc.).
Creative Leadership involves engaging the best minds and
hearts to design the best creative vision for an idea, and
the best creative strategy for the most effective execution.

Creative Leadership begins with the personal lives of leaders.

Leaders need to have dreams for their future. They can then go on
to design the most creative strategies for the most effective
executions of the vision for their lives. It is leaders who are
succeeding in capturing and living out their dreams that are able
to utilize creative leadership for transforming institutions.
2. Creativity and Innovation
Creative leadership is creating value by leading people in the
implementation of new ideas. Creativity is typically used to refer to
the act of producing new ideas, approaches or actions. Innovation
is the process of both generating and applying such creative ideas
in some specific context.

a. Creativity is the capability or act of conceiving something

original or unusual.
b. Innovation is the implementation of something new.
c. Invention is the creation of something that has never been
made before and is recognized as the product of some
unique insight (Daniel Burrus).

Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new

things (Theodore Levitt).
B. SOURCE OF CREATIVITY
Exercise (Open Discussion)
What is the source of creativity?
1. HUMAN BEING What is the source of the complexity and interrelatedness of the human body?
2. NATURE It took great creativity to get the world, the solar systems and
the galaxies to exist in a well-organized and sustainable manner. What is the
source of the power that holds the universe together?

C. ENVIRONMENT FOR CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

The following are some essential characteristics for Creative
Leadership:

1. Good attitude towards self, team, organization and even the

problem/challenge (seeing challenges as opportunities to learn
and to grow).
2. Transparency/openness to new ways of doing things.
3. The freedom for everybody to contribute to the organization.
4. Intentional mentoring of the next generation.
Exercise (Open Discussion)
1. What contributed to the creativity illustrated in the following great
achievements of civilization?
a. Egyptian Pyramids,
b. Great Wall of China, and
c. First walk on the moon by a human being?
2. What lessons can we learn about creativity from these achievements?

D. QUALITIES OF A CREATIVE LEADER:

The following are some essential characteristics of Creative Leaders:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Inquiring minds
Intellectual insight
Spiritual insight (gifts or revelation)
Innovation
Argument construction
Intellectual risk
Emotional capacity able to work well with others from diverse
backgrounds
8. Good character, clear calling, and holistic growth (in all aspects)
E. PRACTICES OF A CREATIVE LEADER
Exercise (Group Discussion)
What are some practices of a Creative Leader?
**Considerations for Facilitator:
1. Seeing what no one else is seeing
2. Hearing what no one else is hearing
3. Feeling what no one else is feeling

4.
5.
6.
7.

Thinking what no one else is thinking

Imagining what no one else is imagining
Smelling what no one else is smelling
Tasting what no one else is tasting

F. PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS FOR CREATIVE LEADERS

Steps to problem solving:
1. Define the problem (which will bring about the greatest benefit
to your people and their context)
2. Determine the sequence of or point at which things break down
3. Brainstorm possible solutions to the problem
4. Choose the best possible alternative
5. Implement the solution
6. Monitor and evaluate the solution
7. Review the problem again (using the insights gained from
previous process).
a. Overview several methods of creativity
b. Need for holistic preparation of the leader (emotional,
spiritual, intellectual, physical and social) for the process
The acronym PrEFACE defines a process that is useful in solving
complex problems. PrEFACE is a linear procedure that mirrors the
intuitive process. The process works best when written by a facilitator
on a white board or flip chart. Though this is a group process, each
step does not necessarily require everyones full participation. At
times it is wiser to let individuals or subgroups define the problem,
come up with facts and alternatives, etc. The entire team however
must agree to the real problem and what a good decision will look
like. PrEFACE is outlined as follows:
1. Problemdefine the problem and its cause
2. Establish criteria for what a good decision or solution will look
like
3. Factswhat are the relevant facts?
4. Alternativeswhat are the alternative solutions?
5. Choose the one(s) that best solve your problem
6. ExecuteDo it!

G. HINDRANCES TO CREATIVITY

Exercise (Reflection on 1, and 2 and Group Discussion on 3 and 4)

Reflect on your childhood experiences (ages 1-12):
1. What creative things do you remember doing as a child?
2. What creative things have you done after age 13?
3. What would you consider as essential factors that enhance your creativity?
4. What would you consider as hindrances to creativity?

Children are usually born with high creative capacity, but this is
normally lost in the process of growth, education and socialization
due to other factors that influence their creativity.
These factors include environment, leadership, inter-personal
relationships, view of crisis, fear of mistakes, fear of risks,
unwillingness to take responsibility, cultural conditioning.
Creative leaders must anticipate challenges and obstacles.
H. ENHANCERS FOR CREATIVITY
The following are some factors that enhance creativity.
1. Positive attitude
2. Knowledge (Reading, exposure to other contexts, the
Internet, etc.)
3. Skills
4. Competenciesincreasing the ability to apply knowledge
and skills (self-understanding, exposure, facilitation, enabling
environments, etc.)
5. Leadership style that creates a free and empowering
environment
6. Creative thinking skills
7. Courage
8. Perseverancewaiting for the right time or for the
cycle/process to complete
9. Technology or ways of thinkingchanges in technology or
thinking can birth creativity that shifts paradigms; the way
society looks at things; the way things are done. Examples
are the shifts from the Swiss watch to digital watches; the
shift from slide rule to calculators and then to computers.

Exercise (Reflection)
How are you doing as an agent of creativity?

Creativity often results from brainstorming sessions and the

process of group thinking. Some breakthroughs may even come
unexpectedly after intense work, during rest or unrelated activity.
Creative leaders are committed to being continually transformed
by the renewing of their mindstheir outlook on life, and their way
of thinking.
I. STEPS TO INNOVATION
1. Ask new questions
With every situation there are expected questions and answers
that keep repeating themselves. Unless new questions are asked,
there cannot be new answers. Sometimes the new questions are
taboos. It is for this reason that in most cases the first step in
innovation is the breaking of taboos.
There need to be questions asked about the elephant in the
room that no one feels safe or comfortable to talk about.
2. Arrest conventional answers
Innovation calls for conventional answers to be ruled out as
options. This may for a moment result in a sense of lost-ness or
even hopelessness. In the long run it will pay off. When people are
prevented from reverting to traditional responses or solutions, they
are then forced to think about new answers. This is what births
innovation.
3. Access new alternatives
The next step in innovation is to explore all the possible what ifs.
At this stage, people should not be scolded or shut down for
thinking about wild options. Thinking outside the box is the only
requirement. The answers should all be entertained.
4. Acknowledge best alternatives
When enough alternatives have been explored, it is then necessary
to rate them in terms of their perceived effectiveness.
The best options should be identified and placed on a priority list.
5. Activate a best alternative
In most cases there is not one magic alternative that is obviously
superior to all the others. Many factors have to be weighed
feasibility, cost, benefits, risks, advantages, etc.

Beginning the process of exploring alternatives with agreed upon

criteria helps with objective decision making when emotions
become prominent. Emotions become pronounced when the price
to be paid becomes obvious to people. When the criteria have
been agreed on, then it is easier to make the tough decision in
choosing a best alternative when emotions are high.
6. Assess and adjust
It is best to choose one alternative rather than continue to
entertain a list of possibilities. Choosing an alternative implies an
initial loss of other appealing options, but this decision allows for
ongoing evaluation and improvement of the alternative, which
ultimately holds the promise of minimizing the negatives whilst
increasing the gains.
7. Affirm
When the alternative is working, celebration is necessary. All
alternatives have their critics; who will not stop reminding
everyone of the limitations of the chosen alternative.
To succeed, it is important to make public the obvious; it is working
and it can even get better!
This releases energy for a much needed yet often neglected aspect
of innovation; the pursuit excellence.
8. Accelerate multiplication
Once the alternative is proven, it can be shared for broad
application. This is the stage of multiplication.
The alternative should invite ongoing evaluation without
compromising on focus. The bad news for innovation is that the
celebrated alternative will need to be changed someday. It could
be sooner rather than later. There are only two friends of
innovationeffectiveness and excellence. These two remain the
permanent elements pursued by innovators.

Exercise (Group Discussion)

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

What is an example of a lingering problem in your institution?

What are the usual responses or solutions to this problem?
Why have they not worked well?
How would you apply the 8 As of innovation to explore new solutions?
How would you implement the new solution so that it promotes effectiveness?

J. SWOT ANALYSIS
SWOT Analysis is a study of the strengths and weaknesses of an
institution as well as its internal and external threats and
opportunities. It was originated by Albert Humphrey in the 1960s.
SWOT provides a useful resource for relevant strategy formulation.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
1. Strengths:
a. What advantages does your organization have?
b. What do you do better than anyone else?
c. What unique or lowest-cost resources can you draw upon that
others can't?
d. What do people in your market see as your strengths?
e. What factors mean that you "get the sale"?
f. What is your organization's Unique Selling Proposition
(USP )?

2. Weaknesses:
a. What could you improve?
b. What should you avoid?
c. What are people in your market likely to see as weaknesses?

d. What factors lose you sales?

3. Opportunities:
a. What good opportunities can you spot?
b. What interesting trends are you aware of?

4. Threats:
a. What obstacles do you face?
b. What are your competitors doing?
c. Are quality standards or specifications for your job, products or
services changing?
d. Is changing technology threatening your position?
e. Do you have bad debt or cash-flow problems?
f. Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten your
business?

K. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
Creative Strategy Formulation addresses the road map for working
toward a Creative Best Vision. The key question has to do with how
the vision will be accomplished.
1. Strategic Leadership (Definition):
Strategic Leadership involves three main areas:
a. Strategic Thinking
b. Strategic Planning
c. Effective Execution
The framework for Leading Strategically covers these areas to ensure
overall leadership effectiveness in relation to mission.
Strategic Leadership is defined as creative thinking, planning and
execution to most effectively accomplish a vision.
2. Strategic Leadership Process
a. Direction(global direction; mission, vision, values, success
criteria)
b. Current Reality
c. Vision for a New Future
d. Changes Needed (Imperatives)

e.
f.
g.
h.
i.

Outcomes
Objectives
Critical Resources
Action Plan
Execution

3. Key questions that enhance Strategic Thinking

a. What is the agreed upon vision, mission, values and
success criteria?
b. What is the current reality (in light of the mission, vision,
values and success criteria)?
c. What factors have contributed to the current reality
(positive and negative)?
d. What is the best vision for a new future?
e. What needs to change (imperatives) in order to be able to
move toward the vision for a new future?
f. What outcomes need to be established for the vision as a
measurement of success?
g. What objectives need to be accomplished in order to realize
the outcomes?
h. What critical resources are needed for effective execution
of the objectives?
i. What are the plans for developing the resources needed for
effective execution of the strategic steps?
j. What are the action plans for executing each of the
objectives?
k. What kind of leadership is in place to ensure the effective
execution of the action plans?
l. What should be done to ensure greater leadership
effectiveness in the execution of the action plans?
4. Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Made Simple provides a simple format for
strategy formulation: L.I.F.ELong-term Objectives, Intermediate
Objectives, First Steps, Estimated Statistical Results.
a. Long-term Objectives:

Vision is usually in graphic and captivating language. In

strategic planning vision is translated into measurable longterm objectives.
b. Intermediate Objectives
Intermediate objectives focus on objectives that need to be
realized in order for the long-term objectives to be
accomplished.
c. First Steps
First steps focus on what needs to be done differently in the
short-term in order to be on the right track toward the longterm objectives.
d. Estimations (numerical)
Estimated numerical goals are drawn from the objectives.
VI. RELEVANT CONTEXTUAL EXAMPLES
Engage participants in identifying local examples of Creative Leaders.
Discuss what made their leadership creative and transformative.
VII. APPLICATION FOR PERSONAL, RELATIONAL,
ORGANIZATIONAL AND SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION
A. PERSONAL
Exercise (Project)
1. Discover yourself (know your calling, gifts/personality, passion) and
the purpose for your life.
a. Study to understand your mission/assignment or calling (facts).
b. Think big/out of the box.
c. Determine the best/most creative way to accomplish.
2. What kind of creative vision are you pursuing for your life now?
3. What creative strategies are you implementing toward realizing your
personal life vision?
4. What help would you need so that in order to most effectively realize
your vision?

B. RELATIONAL
Exercise (Project)
1. Identify a group of people.
2. Train the leaders (Training of TrainersTOT).
3. Pilot creative thinking and leadership skills (solve real issues that affect
the organization or community around you).
4. Let the trained people identify and train others.
5. The newly trained people will again pilot creative thinking and leadership
skills.
6. Multiply this process to form a community of creative change leaders.
C.
Exercise (Group Discussion)
These are useful reflection questions (Radjou, Prabhu, Kaipa and Ahuja,
2010):
1. What barriers (cultural, political, organizational and technological)
should your organization overcome to develop more creative leaders?
2. What structures, reward systems, processes, metrics and goals are in
place to support reward creative leaders?
3. How do you encourage risk taking and learning from failure? How do
you measure it?
4. Do you simply adopt best practices from industry or do you shape
"next practices" that will make your organization the industry leader in
the future?
5. How effective are you in partnering with customers, suppliers,
employees and competition to improvise better solutions?
ORGANIZATIONAL AND SOCIETAL
VIII. QUOTES
There's a way to do it betterfind it. (Thomas Edison)

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and

they will surprise you with their ingenuity. (General George
Patton)

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing

which ones to keep. (Scott Adams)

A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on
the crowd. (Max Lucado)

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something

you want done because he wants to do it. (Dwight D.
Eisenhower)

We face neither West or East, we face forward. (Kwame

Nkrumah)

Good leaders should demonstrate character and core values

that reflect the safety, worth and dignity of people in their
cultural context. Creative leaders who are ethical do not steal
the ideas of others to get ahead; they also create value for the
majority not just for self or a few; do worthy common causes
not just for themselves or money; have a long-term orientation
not just the immediate context but the wellbeing of future
generations; mentor and promote emerging leaders; and they
leave a legacy which outlasts them. (Dr. Detlef Reis, 2014,
Bangkok Post)

Vision is the engine for creativity. People are motivated to make

unusual commitments to visions bigger than themselves. (Dela
Adadevoh, Leading Transformation in Africa, page 86)

IX. REFERENCES
Adadevoh, D. (2007). Leading Transformation in Africa. Orlando, FL:
International Leadership Foundation.
Adadevoh, Delanyo. (2008). Strategic Planning Made Simple. Orlando,
FL: International Leadership Foundation.
American Heritage Talking Dictionary. (1997). The Learning Company,
Inc.
http://www.cru.org/content/dam/cru/legacy/2012/03/EffectiveProblem-Solving.pdf, October 18, 2015.
Nkrumah, Kwame. (1967). The Challenge of the Congo: A Case Study
of Foreign Pressures in an Independent State. London: Nelson.
Gates, Henry Louise. (1999). Wonders of the African World. PBS DVD
Video.
Burrus, Daniel. (2011). Flash Foresight: How to See the Invisible and
Do the Impossible. New York: HarperBusiness.
Reis, Detlef. (09/07/2015). The Innovation Manager of the Future.
Bangkok Post.
Radjou, Prabhu, Kaipa and Ahuja. (2010). How to Ignite Creative
Leadership in Your Organization. Harvard Business Review. May 2010.