The Art of Leadership
Creativity is seen in the innovations, inventions and ideas that men come up with. God is our creator. God created man in His image and therefore man is innately creative. A good leader will either use his creativity or not. The world is divided into rich and poor, and most of the poor sections of the world are populated by people who do not use their God-given creativity.
“And God said, LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” Genesis 1:26-27.
The Advantages of Creativity
- Creativity will allow you to experience real success.
Very few get to experience real success. Creative people accept the challenges, work hard to overcome them and when victory results, they savour the moment. Even when they fail in the beginning, they do not give up.
When people lack creativity, they are forced to live off the natural resources of their land. This gives rise to farming, fishing and mining as the main activities of the people. These diminishing returns activities also give rise to hunger, poverty, migrations and wars.
“For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle” Genesis 36:7.
- Creativity will change your life completely.
Creativity helps you to change the old things in your life by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. You will benefit from the privileges and outcomes of your ideas. This will make you competitive and you will learn how to win at all costs. You will learn the need to achieve in everything you do. You will learn the need to be first and not second or third.
Creativity will make you a hard worker. You must be creative because it will make you a strong leader who has his own goals. It will boost your confidence as you achieve greater and greater results. Creativity will cause you to develop in practical wisdom and common sense.
- Creativity will make you into a truly successful person.
You must be creative because it will make you successful in spite of your age, sex or educational level. “During the1950s, 60s and 70s the large majority of people starting companies were in their 30s and 40s.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were both in their early 20s when they started apple computer. Ray Kroc was 59 when he started the McDonalds’ restaurant chain.
Until recently, entrepreneurship was considered by many to be an all male affair. This is no longer true as many businesses are now being started by women.
Knowledge and skills are very important, but how you acquire your skills and knowledge is not so important. In some cases, university degrees have been known to be a handicap rather than an asset. One researcher suggested recently that one of the biggest handicaps you can have when you start a business is a PhD. For example, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft left Harvard after his second year.
- Creativity will make you enjoy your work.
Most people who work in regular jobs get exhausted at the end of the day and dread the morning of the next day, especially after weekends. Now, an entrepreneur works all the time and thus puts all of his energy into his work. By working this hard, he enjoys whatever he does and because of this, whatever venture he puts his effort into, will eventually turn out to be a great success.
Creative people do things because they love doing them. Creative people do not work primarily to enjoy the pleasures of the rich. Getting to execute his ideas is what satisfies him. For a true entrepreneur, work is not a means to an end. It is an end in itself. The process is as rewarding to him as is the end product. Because an entrepreneur is consumed by his desire to work hard, he gets really no time to engage in trivialities of everyday life.
- Creativity will allow you to be in control of your life.
The best thing about a creative person is that he creates his own life and is in absolute control of his life. He does not have to report to anybody. He can take a vacation any time he feels he needs one. He gets to decide what can happen in his venture. Best of all, nobody can fire him. It is great to be your own boss and to create your own destiny.
By the grace of God we have the innate ability to be creative. Let us use this God-given gift to propel us into innovations and inventions!
Culled from ‘The Art of Leadership’
theaol@ymail.com
By Dag Heward-Mills