3 Habits for Becoming a Highly Successful Creative Leader
Strategies for stepping into your own as a creative professional
Becoming a successful creative leader is no easy task. You have to serve others first, and be present at all times. You have to inspire action, creation and idea-generation while delegating tasks efficiently and coaching and developing staff. You have to provide solutions to problems you don’t always have the answers to and be strategic with how you spend your time and energy.
It’s a lot to handle for one person. There are moments when you feel like you’re balancing multiple spinning plates on your head while learning how to swim in rapid waters.
As a creative professional stepping into my own as a leader, I realize some of the most successful leaders I admire are talented individuals who have the unique abilities to mobilize people and collaborate at a high level. They have extraordinary capabilities that give them the super power to navigate tough situations with ease while maintaining focus and most importantly, a level-head. These leaders are extremly gifted and influence change in their organizations.
But these talents did not spring into existence overnight. Every creative leader has to start somewhere. Here are three habits I believe we can all work on building to become innovative leaders in our respective sectors and industries:
1. Listen first, and then ask questions later.
One of the first habits we can focus on building is listening to others. I know this might be obvious for some, but it’s worth stating.
Some of the best and brightest leaders are often the quietest person sitting in the room. You don’t have to be the loudest voice in a meeting to get your point across. Resisting the urge to speak allows you to absorb all of the information before offering a suggestion or plan of action.
Being creative consumes a lot of mental energy.
When you consistently offer feedback to other staff members on your team, and guide and direct projects like a parent holding a child’s hand, it can be mentally taxing and take time away from getting stuff done. Instead, you can choose to protect your mental energy by listening to what others have to say. Listening to what others have to say creates a healthy environment where ideas have the wings to be explored to their fullest extent, without all originating from your ownself.
Exploration opens the possibility to navigate uncharted territory. By practicing the habit of listening, we can promote discovery in on our teams as creative leaders while maintaining a level head. In my position of influence and authority, I often reserve my time to speak until necessary. Waiting to speak and then asking questions allows the conversation to steer in a different direction that is often unexpected, but leads to clarity.
2. Find gaps and build bridges.
Another habit we can focus on building is discovering gaps in our teams and cultivating opportunities to communicate across groups.
Some of the most successful creative leaders are the ones who can bring people from different areas of expertise together for a shared goal. Bringing people together for one purpose is a skill I have yet to master as a leader, but I am learning in my work as a lead designer on a marketing team.
Often at times, we find team members working by themselves on a little island in the organization. In some cases, this form of isolation can lead to frustration among people and result in fragmentation in organizations that delay projects.
To fill in the missing gaps, I’ve learned from past managers in companies I’ve worked on practicing a habit of initiating open lines of communication that hold everyone accountable for what they’re working on for the team. Creating a space where we can all acknowledge our responsibilities and trust each other to get the work done gives everyone autonomy, which I think is essential no matter what level of leadership you serve.
3. Be a curious learner.
One of the last habits to build on, and arguably the most important is maintaining a commitment to learning and being curious about your work.
No matter the industry or sector, some of the most highly successful creative leaders show dedicated interest in improving their craft by upgrading their knowledge and skills. When you show any interest in furthering your experience through self-education, you signal to other team members in your organization that you believe in constant improvement.
Building an environment of learning encourages others to improve their work. Establishing this habit early on in your creative leadership journey supports your organization’s growth and development that will start from the bottom up, and onward.
