Fostering a culture of creativity

How To Overcome Leadership Challenges in Fostering Creativity & Innovation in Organizations​

The Synopsis of My Panel Talk Delivered in Women Economic Forum Kolkata, India Jan. 3rd 2017

For YouTube Video & Photographs Please Visit Following Links

http://www.wef.org.in/wef-india-kolkata-videos/

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THE SYNOPSIS

Indian Women Who Are Considered- Most Creative – Because Of Their Nature & Role => Demonetization Brought This Out Beautifully By Showing How They Extract, Save & Hide Money – Entire Male Community Is Shocked – They Don't Even Know What Hit Them

• Creativity Is Not An Activity As The Popular Myth Goes. The Activities Like Singing, Painting, Dancing Etc Which Are Traditionally Considered Creative – Can Be Done Uncreatively

• Creativity Is Actually A Habit, A Culture, A DNA, Or Nature – Which Can Be Learned, Inculcated, Polished, Enhanced & Powerfully Utilized Both Personally As Well As In Organizations

Unlike Tam Hank's Classic Dialogue In The Movie Forrest Gump -"HShit Happens" – Creativity Just Does Not Happen By Itsel

So What Are The Leadership Challenges That Prevent Nurturing Creativity & Innovation In An Organization

The Single Biggest Challenge Is The Top Leadership Itself – It Is The Top Leadership That Promotes Or Prevents The Creativity & Innovation

The Great Management Guru Peter Drucker Said The Only Job Of Top Leadership Is Innovation & Marketing

As You Know That We Are Living In VUCA Atmosphere – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex & Ambiguous – There Are 10 Major Challenges Created By Top Leadership

1.The First & The Most Basic One – Let Me Find Out From You => How Many Of You Feel Happy When You Feel Your Performance Is Very Good – Please Raise Your Hands => This Is The Biggest Enemy Of Creativity & Innovation. If You Accept Good & Very Good Performance The Creativity Cannot Survive => To Sustain Creativity Absolute Focus On Excellence Is Basic. It Is Like Olympics – Where The Bar Is Raised Every Time & Next Time Someone Breaks It. It Is Also Like Zippo Lighter – Which Were Guaranteed For Life

2.Next – If You Are Not Working Continuously On Making Your Own Product & Services Obsolete & Working Towards Reinventing Yourself And Finding The Next Break Through – Do Not Expect Creativity – So What Is The Way => You Can Use A Concept Called MECE Pioneered By Mckinsy To Evolve Your Vision & Mission Keeping Excellence As Your Only Benchmark – By Developing 360 Degrees All around - Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive Principal

3.You Hire People Whom You Can Control. You Do Not Hire Those Who Are More Qualified/More Knowledgeable/More Experienced/Smarter Than You Are

4.You Are Not Meritocratic – The Exceptional Performers Are Not Recognized, Treated & Rewarded Exceptionally

5.You Are Not A Learning Organization – Stay Hungry-Stay Foolish Theory. If You Do Not Have Curious People & They Are Not Hungry For Superlative Performance. Some Signs Of Not Being A Learning Organizations Are => Mistakes Are Punished, Rebel Thinkers/Disruptive Thinkers Are Frowned Upon/People Questioning The Processes Are Looked Down/No Mentor-Coaching Cultural/You Expect People to Conform

6.You Do Not Involve/Engage People Up To Grass Root Levels + Information Is Not Shared => GE Started This In 90s By Workout – Google Has Multiple Platforms & All The Other Great Organizations Have Equivalent Ones

7.When You Talk – You Talk Big – But Your Talks Are Not Supported By Your Actions/Resources/Follow-Up

8.You Do Not Have Frighteningly Ambitious Targets – Like Becoming 6 Sigma/Going Totally Lean/Being No.1 Globally In Your Category Etc => Dabbawalas Did It More Than 6 Sigma

9.You Do Not Demonstrate Strong Positive Values + You Do Not Live Your Mission/Vision

10.You Believe The Myth That – Creativity Is Something No One Has Thought About + Creativity Is So Complex => As Against Google's Think Big – Start Small