Why Being Creative Is Important
Creativity doesn't come naturally to everyone—and it’s often not encouraged in our careers or society. If you’re a startup investor, digital marketer, or entrepreneur, the importance of creativity might not be immediately obvious. After all, if creativity doesn’t come easily, is it even important to be creative?
Fortunately, creativity can grow with time and some effort, and it’s worth understanding why it’s important. Before diving into four reasons why being creative is essential, let’s first explore the concept of creativity.
What Is Creativity?
In the business world, creativity is a way of thinking that motivates, challenges, and helps business owners and investors find innovative solutions and create new opportunities out of problems. Creativity is the source of inspiration and innovation, and the reason some businesses wow us with new and amazing products or services, while others simply follow the same beaten path over and over again.
According to LinkedIn, creative thinking is one of the most demanded skills. Researchers have also ranked creativity as one of the top three required skills to operate and manage a company, alongside problem-solving skills and critical thinking; as creative thinking often drives business innovation and growth.
So, what does creative thinking bring to business growth? It’s simple, creativity:
Help businesses remain competitive.
Nurtures a business’s culture.
Works in facilitating increased means of productivity.
Helps in finding new solutions to key problems.
When you think about it, a new business won’t be successful if it uses old and outdated methods. Today’s quick-paced economy favors businesses that are flexible, adapt quickly to change, and think fast. None of this is possible if an operation holds on to outdated processes.
Every company strives to grow and expand to overtake its competitors. To be successful, it’s essential to bring something different, new, and valuable to target audiences to achieve future business goals.
Copying what a competitor does is not the way to be a leader in the industry. To be the best, a company must be creative, come up with outstanding solutions, and push the limits. In some cases, a business may reach out to a creative professional. Click here to read our article on explaining what a media agency is, or to learn about the differences between a creative agency vs an advertising agency—all of whom can lend their expert skills to the task at hand.
Being Creative Offers A New Competitive Edge
Don’t settle for offering bland solutions or services and unappealing products that customers don’t want. Stepping out of your comfort zone and stimulating creativity is a great way to explore new and innovative solutions to today’s challenges.
In the past, one could just lower their prices to beat the competition. But economic dynamics have changed. Today there’s nothing that the saturated market can’t offer. Businesses need to find creative ways to nurture customers and keep them interested in what they’re offering.
Being creative in business helps solve problems easier and faster than before. Creativity helps digital marketers and investors discover unique ideas that keep customers interested and engaged.
That’s why creativity is crucial to any business’s success. It helps a company stay ahead of the competition by uncovering what customers need or want before even they know it. In addition, not only does being creative go hand-in-hand with problem-solving, it also helps businesses discover new opportunities.
Encouraging Creativity Generates Results
In the business world, brilliant employees typically generate creative ideas and drive them to deliver concrete results. No enterprise would exist without the talented people behind it.
Businesses that understand the value of growing and nurturing creative talent know that it’s a crucial element in corporate culture. Being creative is a skill that you can nurture, but it can’t be forced.
Creating a business environment conducive to creativity involves more than open office space and swapping ordinary office chairs for ergonomic ones. Physical changes to an office design only scratches the surface when it comes to encouraging non-traditional approaches to problem-solving.
Being Creative Boosts Productivity
Another major benefit of creativity in the business world is that it boosts productivity. Being creative can help businesses reach into uncharted territories, and this motivates every member of your team to excel and achieve their best.
Creativity in the business world also makes employees feel appreciated. It nurtures their professional and personal growth by acknowledging that they’re exceeding expectations as they come up with new and exciting ideas.
Being creative also encourages healthy feedback generation and collection. Without constructive criticism, it’s daunting to figure out what’s being done well and what needs improvement.
When you’re creative, mistakes are likely to happen and that makes it easier to understand and accept feedback. If implemented properly, being creative can boost workplace morale while simultaneously stimulating ideas and encouraging new perspectives.
Being Creative Helps Solve Every Problem
Creativity as a problem-solving skill that helps uncover new opportunities and view problems as places for improvement. Paired with a curious and growth-oriented mindset, creativity facilitates innovation, as creative problem-solving helps everyone navigate from problem definition to solution execution with innovative and imaginative approaches. It also helps you see challenges and obstacles from a different angle and often turns them into spectacular solutions.
However, this doesn’t mean that the process is easy. It requires considerable time, effort, and collaboration to find original and unique ideas that are both useful and viable.
Final Thoughts
You can’t expect a company to stand out from the competition without being creative. Problem-solving and creative thinking are fundamental tools on the road to innovation and success. Yes, mistakes will happen because you’re in unknown territory. But creativity allows you to explore unusual options, play with new ideas, and watch as innovative courses of action unfold. There are bound to be challenges along the way, but if you take the creative leap, the results will be extraordinary in the long run.