Creativity
Creativity has long been the untapped secret to success in business. Entrepreneurs have however found their paths aligning with the search for better ways to market their products. Creativity thus surfaced to pave a path that more businesses are indulging to increase not only sales but grow their customer base. The uniqueness of a product on sale stimulates a tremendous connection to customers. Leaders at the helm of such organizations have embraced the spoils offered by creative ventures. Creativity has proven to have a low-profit return in the first years of a creative venture coming out but with time, it garners speed to form suitable returns. Creativity cannot be encaged, it can only be utilized for the better good.
Several creative processes have inspired me. One of these processes includes tapping creative ideas from all ranks. An organization entails different systems that work in sync to produce an entity worth of consumer use. When creativity is entailed from the different sections, workers get encouraged to voice out ideas. An item can be produced uniquely but without creative marketing strategies to cut a niche in the market, the sales made may be limited. Bringing creative ideas from all sectors ensures all parties get involved and a creative strategy put in place right from production to the sales. In doing this collaboration of workers is enabled. Collaborating workers in one environment motivate them to speak out and air their views. Robert Sutton, a professor at Stanford University noted that collaboration in organizations is hampered by the big differences in salaries paid thus making a bit harder for employees to speak freely. Leveling the field albeit slowly to reduce margin gaps of salaries stands to create a more cooperative atmosphere for employees. Enhancing work relations by encouraging workers to work together in projects contributes to making a more collaborative organization (Amabile & Khaire).
One of the most overbearing questions posed by entrepreneurs before embarking in exploring their creativity remains on whether the venture pays. Amabile and Khaire (2008) indicate that stable handling of commercialization of the venture renders a sustainable return revenue. Commercialization comes about after mapping stages the product goes through before completion. One method of commercializing a product has been through the use of startups. Startups often start from strategizing a business model from scratch making it easier to accommodate the formation of a new product. Existing organizations tend to face a hard time creating a suitable model to accommodate the new creative work which takes more time and capital. Processing of a new model and product can still be done by existing organizations despite the toll it takes (Kotelnikov). The success of the creative idea/product can still be hampered through inner sabotage within an organization. Creating mechanisms that facilitate the removal of such instances enlightened me as it helps the entity stay afloat longer. The giant pharmaceutical firm, Merck has enforced what they refer to as “kill fees” through Peter Kim, head of R&D. killer fees refer to the money paid out to scientists of the organization who pull out of projects that are performing dismally. Rewarding failure equates to motivating employees to try more to achieve goals. The reverse action counts to ensure both failure and success are highly regarded thus admonishing inaction (Sutton).
I was able to acquire several insights on how to further develop my creativity in the process of learning more on creative leadership. A man is not an island, therefore I intend to involve myself more in intelligent conversations with like-minded peers. Through the sharing of ideas, I will not only be able to come up with more ideas but build on my creative intuitions as well. Widening my reading scope has been another way I have realized embellishes on creativity. Learning more about what has been done and what has yet to be accomplished creates a gap that needs fulfillment. This gap created satiates a creative mind as one explores the different mediums to pursue to fill it. To add on that creativity is a road traveled by few. The scarcity of creative leaders inspires me to become one. Becoming a creative leader will not only expose me to more opportunities to be discovered but also creates a platform through which I can learn more about this less-traveled path. Before becoming a leader, however I intend to embrace creativity and try my hand in being involved in creative ventures. Upcoming creative ventures will serve as a learning ground and motivating factor to do more.
Creativity as said by Amabile and Khaire “one manages for creativity”. Creativity in its pure essence cannot be managed only exploited by the holder to produce magnificent outcomes. To ensure continuity of businesses, organizations should embrace the use of creativity in their sectors. Embracing creativity does not equate to increased sales as work has to be taken to commercialize the product, which requires time and patience. The phase of marketing product and consumer reviews is what causes the spiral downfall of most creative ventures. Most give up after receiving negative feedback, which in necessity should be regarded as the fuel for making a better version for the consumers. To ensure a positive comeback, creative leaders should involve all employees in their various sectors as they count as first consumers of the product. Creativity thus lies within the borders of an organization, leaders need only know how to explore and utilize the benefits it offers.