Leaders are visionaries—they are passionate about their beliefs, they set clear goals to be achieved, and they never give up on their desires, even if completed in unconventional ways. We have witnessed creative leaders throughout history; look at Steve Jobs and the way he changed technology, Ghandi and his nonviolent approach to human conflict, The Beatles and their rock music that challenged the mainstream. All these leaders were innovative and wanted to make a change in their respective industries.

When we look at creative leaders in the past, we remember how and what they did to achieve their dreams. All these creative individuals gained popularity by igniting a spark in others; these leaders knew how to speak to a person’s soul rather than blatantly sale their mission.  People felt personally connected with or intrigued by their words and ideas because these leaders defied the ordinary.

There are commonalities when we look at past leaders deemed as creative: they all provided a clear message of ideas, they essentially created the persona of an expert to their supporters, and they were able to maintain a dedicated and steady audience.

A growing issue in businesses and organizations today is employee retention. How do businesses keep their employees engaged and interested in their company?  If we compare creative leaders with ordinary business leaders, we can see that the same tactics in the former works for the latter—being passionate goes a long way.  It is believed that creative leaders have the ability to build teams, build collaborative work environments and provide the motivation to allow employees to think outside the box and take risks at work.  This new concept is called, “Creative Intelligence.”

Statistics compiled by The Corporate Executive Board Company states that small businesses suffer greatly from their quality of labor because “replacing one person on a small team could be equivalent to replacing 10% or 20% of the workforce,” which makes employee retention very important for these businesses.

Business leaders must have a clear mission and know what kind of employee they wish to seek who will also fit well into their company culture. If they can not establish a clear message as to what they want represented, then why would anyone want to represent them? In this day and age, people are more motivated to do work for companies they believe in, so wouldn’t executive leaders want to find the perfect candidate who strives to make the company better? One way business leaders can do this is via assessment tools, which screens prospective candidates by using various tests to determine their skill levels and overall work ethic.

Progressive leaders should strive to use Creative Intelligence in the workplace.  Their employees will be more engaged in their work and satisfied.  Retention will be reduced and bottom line number will grow. 

*e-VentExe is a full service Human Resource consulting firm that specializes in HR compliance, policy development, employee retention, training and development and assessment tools.