Why is creativity important?
This illustration might assist you in determining the solution:
This relates to O P Bhatt, who took over as State Bank of India chairman in 2006. You must be aware that, with 20,000 branches and 200,000 staff, SBI is one of the biggest and oldest banks in India.
When SBI appointed OP Bhatt as chairman, the organization was beset with several issues. Even though it remained the market leader, private competitors like HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank posed a serious threat. SBI’s expansion was slower than that of its rivals, and as a result, the Bank had begun to lose market share. Due to its inability to attract wealthy and youthful clients, SBI as a brand started to be seen as dated and stuffy.
At this point, Bhatt understood that a change was unquestionably required. But he faced several obstacles because the Indian government controlled a portion of the bank:
He could neither get the right people on board nor allow the wrong people to go.
He was unable to financially encourage his managers to take on creative project leadership because his own monthly take-home pay was less than $1000.
At this point, Bhatt made the decision to tackle the issue creatively. He devised Parivarthan, a significant internal communication campaign.
Parivarthan’s objective was to persuade staff members of the necessity of the changes the bank planned to undertake in order to win their approval and support. The main goal of this initiative was to help staff members acquire a customer-centric mindset by helping them to change their approach and attitude.
The bank quickly resumed its excellent performance and regained the market share it had previously lost. Through his innovative methods, O P Bhatt was able to significantly alter his staff members’ attitudes toward their jobs.
That’s what I mean when I talk about creative leadership!
To become the most inventive corporation in the world, an organization needs a creative leader. I have encountered several imaginative leaders that have a propensity to foster creativity in all that surrounds them. Both inside and outside of their enterprises, they have a tendency to create incredibly passionate groups.
In order to excel as a leader in the modern world, you must embrace qualities like creativity, invention, and flexibility.
So what makes a person a creative leader?
You must think like an artist if you want to be a creative leader. In order to stay ahead of the pack, you must first use your creative intellect to motivate others around you to work harder while maintaining your agility.
The following five characteristics set innovative leaders apart from others:
Innovative leaders jostle established norms.
In business, nothing should ever stay the same. Some people take matters into their own hands and force themselves to act, while the majority wait for events to dictate how they live. They spark change by imagining possibilities. They rattle everything, including their own cages. Even if they are not widely acknowledged, they upend long-standing institutions and ideas. The primary quality that sets them apart from the rest is their willingness to defy the herd, even if it means earning the moniker “lone wolf.”
Creative leaders pay close attention to their gut feelings.
Things that appear genuine to us are frequently untrue. It seems like we never quite figure out how to strike a balance between reason and gut feeling. When making decisions and resolving issues, we frequently depend on our education and experience. Here’s where we make a mistake. Conversely, creative leaders combine this intelligence with their intuition. They become aware of what they sense. They are aware that possibilities exist outside the boundaries of knowledge. If you want to actually achieve progress, it makes sense to pay attention to what they have to say.
Innovative leaders move quickly.
You are completely mistaken if you believed that your greatest quality was your perfectionism. It really is the largest obstacle to your achievement. It is impossible to attain perfection, according to creative leaders, and pursuing it would only impede one’s advancement. That’s why they walk steadily, no matter how large or tiny their steps are. Their progress will be greater the faster they take this step.
Innovative leaders are steadfast in their beliefs.
In our need for safety and stability in our lives, we frequently have a tendency to turn to outside sources for direction and advice. We often lose sight of our identity and our priorities along the process. If you want to be a creative leader, you must have conviction. Examine your inner self to discover what it is that gives you life. Begin completing the gaps between your current self and your potential self. If you discover what your purpose is, make sure you dedicate yourself to it.
Few creative leaders ever perform to expectations.
The thing that sets outstanding leaders apart is their capacity for original thought. It will not be feasible for you to envisage fresh possibilities until you break free from the conventional thinking. All of us has a great deal of creativity and individuality, but we rarely use it. Why? Since maintaining the status quo takes up the majority of our time and energy, we have a lot of obligations, including our families and work. You must stop doing what other people expect of you and start doing the things that only you can accomplish if you want to unleash your creativity.
Three obstacles must be overcome if you want to embrace creative thinking: your fear of failing, your guilt about being conceited, and your utter ignorance of the possibilities. All the attributes you want to have are within your reach. All you have to do is get going. Waiting till your circumstances start asking more of you is not a good idea. Begin immediately. Because creative leaders operate in this manner.
