Guest Post: Leadership is Creative

Guest Post: Leadership is Creative May 7, 2013

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 Alli Polin is one of the most creative friends I have. She is also an authentic and insightful leader, which makes her very qualified to write about creativity in leadership. I thought it could only help me be more creative if Alli would agree to trade guest posts with me about creative leadership. Read both of our posts and let us know.

Alli and I have both lived in Washington, DC, and both moved away to continue creating. I moved to Southern California, and Alli moved to Alice Springs in the Australian Outback. We trade mystery novel recommendations.

Alli is an experienced and creative leader, and an excellent leadership coach who actually listens to her own coaching. I listen to her, too, and trust what she says.

My siblings are all in clearly creative professions.  My sister is a designer, brother has his own theater company and my other brother produces documentary films.  They often look at me as the odd one out since I went into business.  They say that when I was younger, I was creative too, and they are confused by where I went off track.  I didn’t go off track at all but have found another outlet for my creativity, leadership.

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Leaders face immense, seemingly unsolvable, problems countless times a day; new challenges that can’t easily be solved looking in the places we’ve already been.  I thrive on turning problems upside down and inside out until I no longer see the original problem, but instead see a new opportunity.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that many leaders, like myself, find new sources of creativity and inspiration from playful exploration that grows through three levels of relationships: group, individual and self.

Leaders bring creativity alive with the team by getting excited and engaged about possibility.  As a leader, I facilitate and co-create with energy and aliveness when I ask questions that are not laced with judgment or a desire to prove wrong, but instead fueled by deeply authentic curiosity.  The goal is to ultimately create a safe space for the team to engage with each other, not just the leader, without worry about looking bad or silly, opening up a new world of creative options.  

Leaders bring creativity alive with individuals by fully trusting their ideas and capabilities.  When the leader has my back, I’m much more likely to take risks and challenge myself to find new ways of accomplishing old tasks.  Creativity is born from the empowerment and belief that I have what it takes.  If I’m worried about punishment and blame as an outcome of failure, then I’m much less likely to step up into my most creative self.

Leaders also bring creativity alive in their own hearts and minds through questioning without fear.  In the quiet moments, when I ask myself “Is that true? How do I absolutely know that it’s true?” I find am able to grow a thread of an idea that has just started to surface with new confidence by taking the time to turn my curiosity inward.  Embracing my own creative and fearless heart enables me see that success lives down many different paths that I’m absolutely open to discovering.

Every circumstance is a new opportunity to learn, reflect, integrate and grow.  Creativity lives in the space between “been there, done that” and big new resonant and thrilling goals that call us forth to live bigger and play bolder.

What calls forth your most creative self?  Where do you find the greatest energy and inspiration exists for you?

Alli Polin is Founder and CEO of Break the Frame, LLC.  As a leadership coach, consultant and speaker, Alli focuses her work with people and organizations that are ready to break from the status quo, lead, and engage with renewed passion and purpose. You can connect with Alli on her blog www.breaktheframe.com or on Twitter @AlliPolin.

[Image by Tomasz Stasiuk]


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