For a long time, I believed I simply was not creative. At the time, I did not yet understand what creativity in business leadership actually looks like.
Not in the way creativity was presented, at least.
I could not draw. Music never came naturally. Painting felt awkward and forced. Somewhere along the way, I quietly accepted a story that creativity belonged to other people. The artistic ones. The naturally gifted. The ones who seemed to have something I did not.
That story followed me into adulthood, into business, into leadership.
And then it cracked.
Creativity in Business Leadership Begins with a Story
At the time, I was working with a coach with a focus on clarity, not creativity as I understood it then. Through their questions, our conversations, and my own honest inquiry, something unexpected surfaced. I began to see that the issue was not a lack of creativity. It was a narrow definition of it.
What I had labeled as self-doubt slowly began to loosen its grip.
I could see patterns others missed. I could reframe problems. I could design experiences, conversations, workshops, and pathways forward where things had previously felt stuck. That was creativity. Just not the kind I had been taught to recognize.
Over time, what once felt like a flaw began to flourish.
Jumping In Before Feeling Ready
Today, as a bespoke workshop creator, facilitator, and coach, and in the way I approach leadership and learning, one of my most consistent practices is flow writing. It is similar to Julia Cameron’s morning pages from The Artist’s Way, though I did not come to it through artistry. I came to it through necessity.
In practice, flow writing became a place where I could think without forcing answers, explore without editing myself, and listen to what was already present beneath the noise. Over time, it became clear that creativity was not something I needed to manufacture. It was something I needed to allow.
If you search for a definition of creativity, you will likely find something like this:
Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of artistic work.
That definition is not wrong. It is just incomplete.
Dig a little deeper and you will find another framing:
Creativity is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways.
That is where the door opens.
Seen this way, creativity is not reserved for artists. As a result, it becomes accessible it belongs to problem solvers, leaders, builders, designers, parents, and teams. It belongs to anyone willing to pause long enough to see differently.
Which means this.
We are all creative, whether we claim it or not.
How Creativity in Business Leadership Serves Everyone
If you are a business owner or leader, you have likely seen it before. A team that feels heavy. People who are capable and yet stuck. Motivation that quietly erodes. A sense of lethargy that no amount of meetings seems to fix.
In many cases, this is not a performance issue. It is an energy issue.
A simple, consistent creative practice can help release that internal stuckness. It does this by creating space rather than adding pressure. At times, what emerges is more than relief. New ideas. Process improvements. Unexpected solutions that reduce friction, cost, or effort.
Creativity does not distract from business outcomes. In fact, creativity in business leadership often unlocks them, especially in leadership capability at multiple levels.
What Creativity Actually Does
Creativity engages more of us than logic alone. From this place, we gain permission to step outside rigid thinking and explore without immediately needing answers. In going so, curiosity returns. It loosens what has become tight.
There is research pointing to benefits such as improved mood, reduced anxiety, and enhanced cognitive function, as shown in research on creativity and cognitive function. Yet beyond the data, there is something more visceral that happens.
An activation.
Then, often, a deep exhale.
Tension softens. The eyes relax. The shoulders drop. The mind becomes less crowded. When we engage creatively, we release energy that has been stored in holding everything together.
Play returns. Sometimes quietly. Sometimes unexpectedly.
The Process, Not the Performance
There is no single creative process, because each of us brings our own intention, hope, and context into it.
What matters most is the felt experience rather than the appearance.
Start with intention. Not a grand one. A human one. Who do you want to be more of? Why does this matter now? What outcome are you quietly hoping for?
Set aside 15 to 20 minutes. Create a container free from interruption. Notice how you feel before you begin. Then begin.
Your creative practice might involve writing, designing, building, rethinking a process, or imagining something new that does not yet exist. When the time is done, pause. Notice what shifted. Notice what surprised you.
Offer yourself gratitude for listening, not for what was produced.
Over time, you may choose to reflect on what emerges with a trusted person. Someone who can listen without fixing or judging. Creativity thrives in safety.
Ideas for a Creative Exercise
Creativity can take countless forms.
Writing.
Designing a course your industry needs.
Reimagining a broken workflow.
Building visual boards.
Writing poetry or lyrics.
Creating something tangible from discarded materials.
Designing movement.
Working with wood or fabric.
The form is not the point. Engagement is.
A Gentle Experiment
In professional environments, we often expect people to perform without ever renewing the internal conditions that make performance possible.
What if, for five days, each person had 20 minutes to engage creatively during the workday?
What if, at the end of that week, the team simply reflected together on what shifted? Energy. Thinking. Ideas. Perspective.
Something would change. It always does.
Creativity is not a luxury. Creativity in business leadership is a pathway back to inner wisdom.
And once that door opens, it rarely closes again.
Wishing you a great year and joy in the inquiry.
