How can we be more creative, together? While collaboration has plenty of issues, creative imagining in teams is also challenging. Both are essential skills for the future of leadership: we need to harness as much collective brain power as possible to address future challenges, and find innovative solutions.

Dr. Amy Climer, an experiential educator and creativity specialist and TEDx speaker. Together we explore the process of creative problem-solving and how leaders can implement creativity in their teams by working through the four stages: clarify, ideate, develop, and implement. Amy dispels common myths about creativity, and how we might integrate generative AI tools like ChatGPT in the creative process.

SHOWNOTES are here.

Creativity is an essential leadership skill now and for the future. And it’s not just drawing!

Why you should listen: how creativity is a codified process that follows our natural instincts

• The importance of creativity in leadership and team dynamics.

• Stages of the creative process: clarify, ideate, develop, implement.

• Overcoming creative blocks and fostering a culture of innovation.

• We explore future technologies to assist leaders

• Using tools like Climer Cards to enhance creativity and team cohesion.

• Integrating technology and tools like ChatGPT in the creative process.

Questions Explored:

• Why do leaders and teams often overlook creativity?

• How can we be more creative together in the workplace?

• What are the key elements needed for teams to be creative?

Take action

Reflect on how you can incorporate creativity into your leadership and team dynamics.

Explore ways to foster an environment that encourages innovation and collaboration.

Tip of the week

Creativity is essential for future-fit leadership.

Understanding and using a structured creative process can significantly enhance team innovation.

Tools like Climer Cards and ChatGPT can be valuable aids in sparking creativity.

Key Moments

00:47 Reviving the Woolly Mammoth: Science or Science Fiction?

02:21 Artificial Wombs: The Future of Birth?

03:40 Updates from Planet Zoe: Novels and New Programs

05:49 Creativity and Collaboration in Leadership

06:12 Interview with Amy Clymer: Exploring Creativity in Teams

29:31 Sparking New Ideas Through Imagery

30:14 Overcoming Creativity Blocks

32:16 Leveraging Technology for Creativity

35:42 Using AI in Writing and Creativity

39:35 The Flow Cycle and Creativity

42:40 Fast Five: Quickfire Leadership Insights

50:59 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Planet Human:

Wooly mammoth being brought back to life

Planet Zoë:

Early Bird closing for Pilot Program 31 July 2024, Grace Under Fire

Help me with my research into Power Games - survey open until 31 July

About Amy Climer

Dr. Amy Climer is a thought leader in innovation, team development, and experiential learning. She teaches research-based practices, tools, and techniques to forward-thinking organizations such as the Mayo Clinic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the University of Wisconsin. Amy holds a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. Her research led to the Deliberate Creative Team Scale, designed to measure the three critical dimensions of team creativity. Her TEDx talk The Power of Deliberate Creative Teams explains her research and philosophies on innovation and her book on this topic will be out in early 2025. Amy is the host of The Deliberate Creative™ Podcast. She is the designer of Climer Cards, a creativity and teambuilding tool used by thousands to deepen conversations and generate ideas. In 2016 she won the Karl Rhonke Creativity Award from the Association for Experiential Education. Amy lives in Asheville, North Carolina in the U.S.

Related episodes on Leadership Creativity

132 Creativity is a leadership skill that you can learn with Kieran Flanagan

208 Leadership skills and creativity with Mark Simmonds

140 The four archetypes of disruptive leadership with author Charlene Li