Mar 11th 2020

Top tips for creativity to flourish in your business

What is creativity? Let’s take a look at what these famous people interpret it as:  

“This might not work.” – Seth Godin, Entrepreneur and blogger

“Making the simple, awesomely simple – that’s creativity.” – Charles Mingus, Musician

“Giving the world something it didn’t know it was missing.” – Daniel Pink, Author

Each of these interpretations is correct. Creativity is the ability to use your imagination and inventiveness to create something new. In business, it is what fuels big ideas and opens up the door to a realm of opportunities and innovation. Creativity is what gave the company Apple its competitive edge. 

According to our research, against other soft skills like time-management, communication and attention to detail, 40% of SME and startup business owners see creativity as the most important soft skill to have in business.

Ash Young, Managing Director of digital agency Evolut, says that:

Despite this, less than a third of businesses have taken actionable steps to enhance creativity in their teams.

The best kind of creativity is hiring the right people. And who better to ask than those at the centre of it? We’ve pulled together advice from a bunch of creative business leaders on distinguishing candidates with the right skills to help creativity flourish in your business.

4 top tips from creatives

1. Own personal flair

Every Tom, Dick and Harry can claim to be creative…. but how do they prove it? Brand Consultant, Steven Mzar, says you can spot that creative spark from candidates that really “let their personality shine through the work they talk about… with original and unique ideas at the core of everything they do.” A candidate that is able to bring this to life in an application or in an interview is a candidate worthy of the ‘yes’ pile. 

2. Think outside the box

“Creativity is the art of looking sideways at any problem, coming back with a straightforward, and hopefully, entertaining solution,” says Creative Consultant, Ben Parish. If a candidate demonstrates the ability to think more obtusely in a difficult scenario then ding, ding, ding we have a winner. So take a look at the journey they go on to reach a solution – this says more than a thousand words in any cover letter.  

3. The bold and the brave

Steven Mzar believes that a candidate “should not be shy to show how different they are. That’s what’s going to make them stand out from the crowd.” There is no point in saving the gold until the end. A candidate should back themselves as the confidence to be a bit risqué is what you need to breathe creativity into your business. Ash Young believes this is especially important for “uncreative roles or junior roles where the stand out factor is more important – therefore being creative is a sure-fire way to differentiate themselves.”

4. Hunger for more

Be on the lookout for those that live the side-hustle dream. According to Ben Parish, a candidate should “eat with their eyes and be interested in everything, consuming as much culture and experiences from life as possible.” It allows them to learn and develop creative versatility. Steph Melodia, Director of marketing agency Bloom Ltd, highlights this as important. She says that “a variety of styles that uphold the same level of quality throughout shows they can deliver creative work for a mix of clients.”

Creative skills are not just about being able to draw a picture. It’s a soft skill that brings diversity to the way you approach things as a business. And with the right team in place, creativity will flourish.

Meet the Masters of More 

Side hustles. The gig economy. Job hopping. Careers are changing, and the way people think about work is too. 

We spend 90,000 hours of life at work. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. You do the math. If you harness your time you can learn, hone and master nine skills throughout your career. Who do you want to be?

Throughout nine weeks we dive into nine soft skills in high demand by employers. We introduce candidates who are nailing this new world of work. Meet the Masters of More.