14 May Shared Articles – By Deborah Sams

Rather than write an article on a business issue, I thought I would provide you with a few short articles that I enjoyed reading, learnt from, and two short quizzes, I hope will bring a smile to your face.  Enjoy, Deborah Sams

HOW IMPORTANT IS CREATIVITY IN BUSINESS?

And, what is your Creative type?

In business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing creativity is just marketing and that’s a luxury.  Hiring a Marketer is expensive, and other things are more important when working with minimal budgets.  Business is serious, financial stability and security depends on it.

“While being practical is often a good thing, too often our thinking is constrained by what we presume to be reality. This attitude chains us to convention and prevents us from tapping into the unique and innovative thoughts we might have if we simply stopped taking the constraints of “reality” as a given.” Suzanne Lucas, Freelance Writer, RealEvilHRLady.

So, does creativity in businesses really matter in your day to day business operations?

According to a study by Adobe and Forrester Consulting in the USA, companies that actively foster creative thinking outperform their rivals in revenue growth, market share and competitive leadership.

So, how do you embrace creativity in your every business day, not just when brainstorming for marketing ideas?  Unconventional thinking can foster a unique company culture that ultimately reflects and encourages creativity within each department; and aren’t we all looking for ways to improve our company’s culture, be more engaging, more efficient, more competitive, more unique, and more productive?

“If you have the opportunity to foster some creativity into the work that you do, it should be encouraged from all ends of the organization,” Ben-Yehuda, CMO, Blue Fountain Media, “being creative in both the approach you take as well as the execution of those plans becomes paramount as you try to grow your brand and accomplish the objectives your organization sets.”

The attached article, “How Crucial is creativity to your business success?” by Nicole Fallon, Expert with Business News daily, expands on ways to build a culture of creative thinking.

To help you on your way to being more creative, click on this, my creative link, find out what type of creative you are.  It is a fun and informative quiz, that will only take a few minutes to complete, but will provide you with a detailed creative analysis of your creative personality type.

Of course, you can’t just say, “Be creative,” and expect your staff to magically produce innovative ideas. An innovation-driven work environment must be carefully nurtured and encouraged, and it starts with your company’s leadership…

LEADERSHIP…What is good Leadership?

Notice the photo of the wolf pack, and the 3 wolves in front – they are the old and sick, walking in front to set the pace; the next 5 are the strongest – they protect the front side from an attack; the middle groups is fully protected.

The 5 behind them are also among the strongest – they protect the side and the last wolf is the leader.  He ensures no one is left behind, keeps the pack tight and on the same path, and ready to run in any direction to protect his pack.

In your opinion, what makes a great leader?

Everyone has a perspective on the qualities of an effective leader, and not all situations require the same type of leadership style.  Great leaders adapt to their environments and empower the team to succeed together.

What are the Leadership Styles, and which one are you?

1. Transformational Leadership – typically inspires staff by creating an environment of intellectual stimulation
2. Transactional Leadership – Establishes a clear chain of command utilizing a carrot and stick approach to management activities
3. Strategic leadership – a leader who is essentially the head of an organization, who fills the gap between the new possibility and the need for practicality by providing a prescriptive set of habits
4. Coaching leadership – teaching and supervising staff, motivates, inspires & encourages
5. Autocratic Leadership – Have significant control over staff, rarely considers worker suggestions or share of power
6. Laissez-faire leadership – characterized by their hands-off approach, allowing employees to get on with tasks as they see fit
7. Democratic leadership – participative leadership, leaders often ask for input from team members before making a final decision
8. Bureaucratic Leadership – implemented in highly regulated environments, where strict adherence to the rules are important
9. Charismatic leadership – relies heavily on the positive charm and personality of the leader
10. Visionary leadership – recognizes that the methods, steps and processes of leadership are all obtained with and through people.
11. Situational leadership – a theory that the best leaders utilize a range of different styles depending on the environment.

Below is a few statements from the attached article, “10 Unique perspectives on what makes a great leader,” Brant Gleeson, Contributor, Forbes:-

1. A mix of a lot of things, but importantly, having faith in your beliefs. You can’t expect anyone to consider your leadership, unless you have solid faith in your ideas.  You then build on it by good communications, listening to others, setting examples and not giving up.
2. Earn the respect of the team. Having the ability to show respect, empathy and caring
3. Know the team. Know the strengths and weaknesses of every individual to effectively manage the outcome of a team is imperative for success.
4. Know that people are key to success. A great leader understands that it is the people they lead that ultimately determine the success or failure of any venture.  Ultimately, a great leader creates and nurtures other leaders
5. Articulate a clear vision. You must possess a clear vision, be courageous, have integrity, honesty, humility and clear focus.  Great leaders help others reach their goals and are not afraid to hire people that may be better than them and take pride in the accomplishments of those they help along the way.
6. Do not lead by force. A great leader does not lead by forcing people to follow.  Instead, a great leader motivates people and leads by example.

“Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage and discipline…

• Reliance on intelligence alone results in rebelliousness.
• Exercise of humaneness alone results in weakness.
• Fixation on trust results in folly.
• Dependence on the strength of courage results in violence.
• Excessive discipline and sternness in command result in cruelty.

When one has all five virtues together, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a leader.”

— Sun Tzu^[10]

WHAT TYPE OF LEADER ARE YOU?

Click on this Leadership Quiz link, created by HubSpot, to work out what type of leader you are.  Just read the article and scroll down the page to get to the questions and quiz outcome.

I hope you found these articles interesting and of value.

Thank you for reading

Deborah Sams

Business Advisor,

Illawarra, NSW.