Creative Leadership

I was recently asked by Leadership Circle to reflect on this question and provide a short video soundbite that could be easily shared with others. After picking my route through the options that came to mind, and 34 takes later (give or take 20) I was able to deliver a decent 45-second answer that I felt pretty good about. I’ll share a condensed version of that here below, but then I also want to share what else came to my mind after continuing to sit with that question a bit longer as I feel my second offering speaks more authentically to a deeper aspect of creativity that I didn’t touch upon in my recorded answer.

Here's a loose transcript of my first answer.

To my mind, “Creative Leadership” suggests the ability to tailor one’s actions specifically to what each unique moment calls for in order to move your team or organization forward and closer to fulfilling your shared vision of success, while also doing so in ways that increase the felt sense of connection, cohesion, and genuine “team” sense that deeply informs the bigger mission. In other words, Creative Leadership is about optimizing the dynamic tension between “doing good” and “feeling good.” 

Not bad. But not great either.

I’ve previously written other pieces that are in the same zip code of “Creative Leadership,” like this one on Leadership Effectiveness, this one on what it means to be a Leader IN vs Leader OF, this one on Transforming Whiners into Winners, but the deeper question of “What is Creative Leadership?” still called out to me for further consideration and expression.

So, after letting the question marinate for 24 hours, here is my simpler, and hopefully better, response.

My mind holds an image of a martial artist in their “ready position,” hands and eyes up, feet moderately apart, hips open, energy poised & calm, mind alert & present. Looking more closely at their stance, I see they have their back foot firmly planted, grounded in their integrity, their confidence, and their power. Their front foot, however, is only lightly set upon the ground, allowing them near infinite flexibility and optionality in how they choose to respond when called into action.  

For Leaders, this visual metaphor translates into having the back foot of their “Leadership stance” firmly rooted in their integrity, authenticity, and commitments - to their visions, their missions, their teams, and their shared goals. Their “lightly planted front foot,” however, speaks to their ability to be spontaneous, adaptive, flexible, and truly responsive to the uniqueness of whatever challenges or opportunities that come their way.

In this regard, the “Creative Leader” maintains one foot in each side of the dynamic tensions found in the polarities of Predictable vs Unpredictable, of Stable vs Dynamic, of Task vs Relationship, of Challenge vs Support, and so many more. Having equal connection and access to both poles, yet bound by neither, allows Creative Leaders to transcend the limitations that each pole brings on its own while also including and uniting the strengths of both, accessing whatever degree of each as needed.

And as we head full speed into 2025, we’ll need more Leaders who can be relied upon to creatively respond to the ever shifting demands of today’s increasingly VUCA world. The more you can embody a stance of “Creative Leadership,” the more effective you will be across all contexts and conditions, for yourself and for your team. After all, effectiveness is both the first and final measure of Leadership. 

What’s your plan for increasing your Leadership effectiveness in 2025?