Ducks In A Row: Hiring Creativity
by Miki Saxon
An interesting article from Knowledge at Wharton cites several recent studies that help explain the difficulty corporations have tapping creative types for positional leadership roles.
Those individuals who expressed more creative ideas were viewed as having less, not more, leadership potential. The exception, they found, was when people were specifically told to focus on charismatic leaders. In that case, creative types fared better.
The article and associated studies should be required reading for every manager charged with hiring, whether for a so-called leadership position or team member.
Every manager wants to hire creative talent, that isn’t new, but understanding why you might pass on the very talent you need is knowledge worth having.
Creativity, also known as thinking outside the box, isn’t always a comfortable trait to have around; moreover, it requires much more effort to manage.
But make no mistake, while in today’s high stakes global markets those who color inside the lines can maintain the company for a time, it is the creatives who will take it to the next level.
It’s also worth noting that not all creative people are charismatic and those with charisma may not have a creative bone in their body.
Read the article and determine how much applies to you/your organization (team, department, company), and then decide if it’s worth changing.
As always, it’s your choice.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zedbee/103147140/
