Conscious Creative Leadership: Transforming Organizations for People
We talk about leadership as one of the most relevant competencies for this era. Where change comes from the root, from rethinking the way we work to the way we live, produce, learn, and, of course, create.
Leadership joins the key disciplines that shake the foundations and structure the way people build under change. Leadership generates the pathways and guides people towards goals and continuous and consistent development.
Looking for a definition of leadership, I would unify two that seem relevant to me:
The first is the leadership that influences the achievement of objectives, very similar to what I mentioned before. It is summarized as “the process of influencing the activities of an individual or group in efforts toward the achievement of objectives in a given situation” (Hersey and Blanchard, 1977).
The second goes towards a figure not only focused on the performance of the company but as a fundamental axis of a process of social construction in organizations. This can be understood as a series of interaction processes in which a person assumes leadership by assuming and earning the right to lead.
What this second point of view suggests is that leadership is not only about directing or influencing others but also about having a vision, a direction, organizing and inspiring people, especially in complex and uncertain situations.
Creating conjunctions: Leadership + Conscious Leadership + Creative Leadership.
To talk about creative leadership, we decided, as we do when we generate our methodologies and research, to open the range to pollinate our vision and be able to create a concept that reflects the creative leadership we want to work on.
For this, we have studied 3 concepts and styles of leadership: general leadership, conscious leadership and creative leadership. The latter is from the integration of our perspective.
Conscious Leadership. A leadership from human development and the environment.
Conscious leadership can be defined as a leadership style characterized by an intention to care for others, self-awareness, compassion and a focus on the common good; beyond the objectives of the organizations (not depreciating them), investing in the development in the present and towards the future.
Conscious leaders take a long-term view and seek to balance financial success with the well-being of people and the environment. They adopt a collaborative leadership approach that values long-term relationships and promotes teamwork and participatory decision-making. In addition, conscientious leaders promote a culture of continuous learning and encourage the personal and professional development of their employees.
A conscious leader is the one in charge of directing, and facilitating a sense of responsibility towards the well-being of all stakeholders, including employees, customers, society and the environment. That, in conjunction with the overall leadership concept, is complemented by a more human and people-centred perspective.
Conscious leadership is based on four pillars: full awareness, compassion, integrity, and responsibility. These principles guide leaders to make more informed and ethical decisions, considering the long-term impact on people and the planet. Mindfulness and compassion foster greater empathy and understanding of others, while integrity and responsibility ensure an ethical and sustainable approach to decision-making.
Creative Leadership from Conscious Leadership. From people to people.
Personal creativity is the first step for the development of collective creativity and this in turn together in spaces of exploration and manifestation towards objectives generates a culture of creativity in organizations.
If we look at it, the beginning starts with the individual, with the creative confidence and the space for the development of creativity and empowerment from the collective.
So, if creativity from this first point does not find a guide, or finds a guide that is not very agile and inflexible. Then, from the first step, creativity has little room for development.
Therefore, gathering the characteristics of conscious leadership to unify them with creative leadership, generates a vision that propitiates from the beginning a space for development. For the steps, because being creative is a process.
The Intersection of Creative and Conscious Leadership.
Creative leadership from conscious leadership generates a profile that links capabilities and skills for innovation and creative development, with the empowerment and development of individuals towards a culture of innovation.
Prioritizing human welfare linked to creative leadership proposes a vision with a transformative approach to the orientation and management of teams and people. Where flexibility and adaptability coupled with high levels of empathy and emotional intelligence are the main skills to understand and motivate their teams.
Creative leadership represents the ability to empower creativity and innovation, directing teams and organizations towards problem-solving objectives and generating new developments. It emphasizes visionary thinking, adaptability and the search for novel solutions. It goes beyond traditional management practices to foster environments where new ideas and unconventional strategies are valued.
Creative leaders are distinguished by their ability to envision new possibilities and foster innovative thinking. They promote a culture of curiosity, and experimentation and foster innovative thinking.
Organizations led by creative leaders often exhibit a strong culture of innovation. These leaders improve team performance by empowering members to think creatively and take initiative. They are adept at navigating through periods of change and uncertainty, making them invaluable in today’s business world.
Creative leadership plays a crucial role in enhancing individual creativity, fostering a culture of innovation, and having a positive impact on organizational culture and employee competence.
Creative Leadership. For the development of a human-centred innovation culture.
While creative leadership focuses on innovation and vision, conscious leadership adds elements of development and empowerment from a human perspective.
As Sir Ken Robinson mentions in his book “Out of Our Minds” Creative leaders enable a culture of innovation by encouraging diversity of thought and nurturing the creative potential of their teams.
This form of leadership is proposed in 4 dimensions: sensitivity to problems, perseverance, initiative, and creativity. (Aljubair, 2022)
Creative leadership plays a crucial role in enhancing individual creativity, fostering a culture of innovation, and positively influencing organizational culture and employee competence. Creative leadership is intertwined with transformational leadership qualities and is essential to the success and competitiveness of modern organizations.
- When we talk about human-centred innovation, we propose processes, and methodologies to include and focus on human-centred development. This is an approach that the organization must have from the inside out; so it is ideal that the company itself includes this axis also towards its human structures that include all stakeholders.
- By adopting this approach, leaders can not only achieve business success but also contribute to the well-being of their teams and the world at large. In an ever-changing world, this type of leadership is not only desirable but essential.
- A human-centred approach enables the generation of products/services/experiences that truly serve the people they are intended for, with a positive impact on the ecosystem in which they are developed. At the same time, internally a conscious culture towards creativity and innovation can be the answer to generate belonging and a good development of professionals within the company.
- Creative leadership from conscious leadership reinforces self-knowledge, integrity and commitment to personal and collective growth. With emphasis on empathy and adaptability, as well as elements of mindfulness, development of thinking skills and personal and team ethics.
- They possess a unique combination of emotional intelligence and empathy, which allows them to connect with their teams and environment on a deeper level. Together, these leadership styles create a holistic approach with the power to transform organizational cultures.
- Creative and conscious leadership represents an opportunity for organizations to not only survive but thrive in an ever-changing business environment. Despite the challenges, the advantages of adopting these leadership styles are clear: from fostering a culture of innovation and engagement to improving organizational sustainability and resilience. The key is to approach these challenges with a strategic and proactive mindset, seeing them as opportunities to grow and evolve.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!