Risto Ristov

Project Coordinator & Content Editor

Creativity is more than just art

People are not used to the topics of creativity and business in the same conversation. A lot of people out there believe that business is purely financial and about making money, while creativity is more of an artistic value. Yes, an artist should be creative and share creativity with the world, but so should a software engineer in order to build rational and sustainable solutions, a mathematician to solve the hardest math problem , a salesperson to attract perspective clients, or a CEO to lead a company in the right direction.

Creativity is a crucial factor in today’s business environment because it represents a way of thinking that can inspire, challenge, help people to solve existing problems and find innovative solutions. It’s the source of inspiration and innovation. Simply put, it is solving problems in original ways.

Creative people in companies

Creative people are needed across every industry and every function more than you think. Software companies don’t just want someone who can write code, they want someone who can dream up new solutions to fix old problems. Companies don’t want business analysts who just crunch numbers; they want analysts who can think of creative solutions based on what the numbers are telling them. People need to think “out of the box” and bring progress and value to their projects and ultimately to their company.

If we want to steer our career in the right direction, there’s no better approach than focusing on thinking more creatively. We should stop using solutions that worked previously and push ourselves to think of newer, better ideas, ideas that could bring better performance.

Business

There is no business or project that had great success without any creative or innovative ideas being implemented. Creativity is one of the most important reasons why businesses can thrive in a world of “big” technology-sustainable ideas. In today’s challenging and groundbreaking technology market, creative business ideas set companies apart from one another. Without creativity, we might be going around in circles and doing the same things, over and over again. What kind of a fun world and competition would that be? Where would progress be? What would set us apart?

Top 10 skills

The World Economic Forum placed creativity in top 3 required skills to run a business in 2020.

in 2015

  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Coordination with Others
  • People Management
  • Critical Thinking
  • Negotiation
  • Quality Control
  • Service Orientation
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Active Listening
  • Creativity

in 2020

  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Creativity
  • People Management
  • Coordinating with Others
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Service Orientation
  • Negotiation
  • Cognitive Flexibility

Source: Future of Jobs Report, World Economic Forum

In 2015, creativity was in the top ten skills but it was placed in 10th place. In 2020, the World Economic Forum placed it in 3rd place. According to their research, more companies are starting to realize how important creativity is to their overall business success.
What does creativity brings to a business?

  • Competitiveness
  • Improves company culture
  • Increases productivity
  • Solves problems
  • Brings Innovative solutions that can change the world

Every company tries to grow and expand while surpassing the competition. It is crucial to bring some new ideas, something different, something helpful to your customers in order to achieve greater value. If you simply copy what other businesses do, you can’t expect to become the best in the industry. You need to innovate, come up with the best rational solutions, and push the boundaries of what is really possible out there.

There is no dumb idea

Every idea during a creative process has merit. Whether or not the idea sounds good, or is laid out perfectly, it can be worked and modified and morphed into absolute brilliance. People should stop being so critical of their inner geniuses. There should be no restriction to dumb ideas from reaching their potential. When an idea pops up in our minds, let’s not right away say that it is a dumb one. Rather, communicate it with the team and work your way around it, shape it into the best possible solution and the results can be nothing short of extraordinary in the long run.

Creativity can be found in environments that are prone towards adaptability, flexibility, environments that are based on trust, respect, who welcome new ideas, experiments and encourage people to be curious and explore.

There is no business without its people behind it. Companies need to find smarter ways to attract new clients and to keep the interest of the existing ones. This is why nurturing creativity within employees which often goes together with problem-solving, can create opportunities and overcome challenges. With a mindset of growth and curiosity, companies can become the best version of themselves and a catalyst for innovations, therefore, offering greater value.

Exploration is very tightly related to creativity and even though it sounds exciting, it is still not an easy task. You get to explore something new, something that you haven’t seen so far. You get to play with your idea, share it with others, and possibly shape it to the best version you can think of. There should be no pressure into delivering results right away. Innovation takes time but waiting for it is totally worth it.

Productivity Boost

A major benefit of creativity is that it helps boost productivity. It will bring a feeling of belonging, a feeling of creating something new, something innovative. It will make people feel appreciated, and with that kind of motivation at hand, we can expect for them to surpass the limits and the expectations. This doesn’t mean that people are not susceptible to make mistakes, but it means that when mistakes happen, it will be easier to accept them and understand feedback about it at the highest level.
Despite what you have thought before, creativity is a skill. And just like other skills, it can be developed and nurtured if everyone works on it.

In the very end, I will say this, step out of your comfort zone, explore new solutions, and stimulate creativity. The world is up to you to change it. Dream big because in terms of technology, anything is possible if we just get our minds into it.


Risto Ristov
Project Coordinator & Content Editor
May 2021