Last week, I was at a conference with 2,500 inspirational leaders and individuals in Glasgow.
While participating in this event, we looked at creative ways for businesses and individuals to grow in alignment with their plans. I was also looking at where the right synergies may be for me to share some actionable advice with you this week on the topic of ‘Creativity’.
As you may be aware, we’re now on to the 3rd article of our 12 series blog on personal and business leadership.
So, how do we create as leaders?
Being creative as a leader or individual is one of the most important skills we can have both in an innate or learned way. It’s also great to know that we can start from where we are and these skills can be developed over time.
Creativity
Although only recognized as a soft skill in some circles, it is the one skill that the most outstanding leaders e.
g. Richard Branson use to stand out from the crowd in a good way. He’s apt to tell us the extraordinary role creativity has and continues to play in the growth of the Virgin brand. As if that’s not enough, he also gives us his top 10 creativity quotes. My favourite is:
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” – Mary Lou Cook
Yes! Creativity does involve challenging the status quo and being unpopular sometimes.
But! As a co-creator, you have qualities that are unique and cannot be exactly duplicated by anyone else.
Here are 3 tips to keep in mind
Let’s imagine a scenario where you are about to go into an important business or personal meeting with Jo Smith. You want to ensure you get the best outcome from this meeting. You’ll be better off to turn up at your creative best. So, tune up your creativity a nudge! You may have already heard the expression ‘win-win’ haven’t you?
My formula for you today is to tune it up to ‘win-win-win’! Let me break down the 3 wins for you:
The ‘Jo Win’ – Is there a problem to be resolved for Jo? What does she want? How would she feel when this is resolved? Could you help resolve it?
The ‘You Win’ – Could you have a solution for Jo? Do you have the information needed? Is it a good enough fit? Can you think outside the box? Are you willing to solve the challenge? Can you agree on next step?
The ‘Other Win’ – How did the meeting go (regardless of yes/no decision)? Would you or Jo recommend each other to other people? What was the experience like? How does this impact others outside this conversation? Did you agree to disagree; if this was the best action to take?
Managing these three wins right holds the potential for us to turn most interactions into great and creative ones that create win-win-win results for all involved whether for business or personal reasons.
How to create win-win-win scenarios
- Create the desired scenario before the actual incident – If your mind has suddenly thought about visualising the meeting with Jo beforehand, you’re absolutely right! Whatever your practice to tap into for inner strength to attain your highest potential or perform at your peak; you can apply it here to support your creative endeavours (mindfulness, meditation, affirmations, breathing etc.)
- Be authentic during the incident – This ensures you’re not giving mixed messages. Yes, you can combine learned and innate skills appropriately to win here; but always stay true to yourself. Do not try to be someone else just because they’ve had success at similar meetings.
- Take action after the incident – Do your follow up. Move to take the next step even if the results are not clear yet. It’s really important to take this action even if you think the results may not be the ‘yes’ you wanted or you will not be getting immediate results.
There’s tremendous power in taking an action after setting an intention regardless of the perceived reality at any moment in time.
Enjoyed reading this? Thank you for liking, commenting below and sharing!
Maggie Sarfo is a passionate author, speaker, advisor and mentor for ambitious business executives, entrepreneurs and professionals looking to explode sales revenue, create new markets or access their highest potential. Her blog is her playground, where she explores the topics of business growth, personal growth and peak performance. Learn more about her programmes.
