A creative manager

What means creative? Lets start with the definition of the tranzitive verb create
which means to bring into existence out of nothing ; to originate; to make; to produce; to give
rise to; to cause; (Slang) to cause a commotion.
The definition of the noun creation is the act of creating, esp. of bringing the world into
being; the world; anything created; any original production of the human maind and the
definition of the noun creativity is the ability to create.
The idea of creativity should not be confined to the creative industries as they need
creativity as a necessary function of the business. Managers in other field often believe that
creativity is a working practice that is irrelevant to them with little direct effect on heir bottom
line, let alone their team performance. Corporate creativity is not the same as individual
creativity. The goal of creativity in the workplace is to make the act of creativity a normal part of
everyday business life.
The power of including creativity in the managers skill base should not be
underestimated. The key to creative management is to make this process more successful, to
identify strenghts and develop areas of weakness.
The creative manager needs to sustain an open and creative environment, should possess
the courage to reassess current working methods and question the unthinkable whilst remaining
realistic about the ideas development and implementation, must accept full responsibility for
their decisions and be accountable for ongoing assessment during the development of a project>
Now, Ill give you some tips:
1. Never underestimate the powr of giving a few words of encouragement during a creative
failure;
2. You should be ready for events such as those on 11th September 2001, which can affect
you directly or indirectly and in this case you should have creative spontaneous
strategiess to counter adverse effects.
In this chapter, we will discuss:
A. Building creativity into management sparking a creative culture;
B. Realising and driving ideas for excellence;
C. Active team dynamics sustaining creative, alive collaborations.

A. Building creativity into management

In order to build creativity into management, there needs to be an atmosphere of

openness, honesty and trustworthiness.
a. The role of the creative manager
There are two aspects to building creativity into the workplace. The first criterion is to
encourage and maximise the personal creativity intrinsic to everyone. The second is
to provide the environment to allow creativity to flourish.
I can give you a tip:
You get the best out of others when you demonstrate trust and loyality to them
and give the best of yourself;
The role of the creative manager is to develop these energies and implement them to
maximise the individuals and the collectives performance.
The ever-increasing demands to better the economic, social and environmental
working standards or triple bottom line is yet another pressure on todays managers.
Lets play a game!
I need your answers at some questions by grading yourself between 1-5 (1=poor,
5=excellent).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Do you learn from your and other peoples experience?

Do you look to improve your own performance?
Do you encourage opinions and feedback from work colleagues?
Does the company culture encourage open debate about working?
Could mistakes from the past happen again?
Does the workplace enable a healthy work/life balance to suit
individuals needs?

The perfect score would be 30 of all questions.

b. Key skills of the creative manager
1. Strive for genuine improvement
2. Excellent interpersonal skills
3. Courage to follow through and be accountable
c. Strategies to build on
For development to take place here are some strategies to review to build upon
to bring creativity into your management style and the workplace.
Example areas where a manager can exhibit creativity in the workplace are:
On a one-to-one basis with members of the team;
2

 Creativity meeting;
Cross-company cooperation.
A creative manager takes the time to focus an individual team members values,
expertise and purpose to benefit the team as a whole:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Value their strenghts and expertise;

Give them the accountability for their own job performance;
Support them in developing of their skills and talents;
Challenge them to work at their full potential;
Provide an environment where their own creativity can flourish