Creativity is one of the top ten skills that we all need to survive and thrive in the digital age, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report.
Yet many people believe they are not creative or that this vital capability cannot be learned or taught, and for that reason most humans do not even try their hand or mind at it.
According to Lien Potgieter, entrepreneur and creativity teacher, the reason why we do not even take a chance on creativity is that we have the wrong idea of what it means.
“Creativity is so much more than making beautiful things or connecting the dots. If you understand the full meaning of creativity, you will know that it is the cornerstone of human progress and vital to all realms of our lives. Also, we start the process of creation the moment we open our eyes,” says Lien Potgieter, entrepreneur and creativity teacher.
“It is the one vital so-called soft skill that you must develop and cultivate and when you have creativity and creative thinking skills sorted the other nine skills listed in the Report will be as easy as pie.”
According to the report, the top skills and skill groups which employers see as rising in prominence in the lead-up to 2025 are analytical thinking and innovation, active learning and learning strategies, complex problem-solving, critical thinking and analysis, resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility, creativity, originality, and initiative, leadership and social influence, reasoning, problem-solving, and ideation, emotional intelligence, technology design and programming.
“For example, when you decide what to think or how to feel, you are already creating and when you decide how to react, feel, or think about a challenge, you are also creating an outcome. So, resilience and stress tolerance should be a breeze because you know that you have control over your mindset and emotions. The same goes for emotional intelligence.”
When it comes to teaching people to be more creative, there are ways and means to improve your creative intelligence even if you believe you don’t have a creative bone in your body.
In her one-of-a-kind online course and workshop, Potgieter teaches leaders from all walks of life to recognise their kind of creativity and how to recognise creativity in others, as well as the building blocks of everyday creativity and how to become your most creative self. The course is ideal for life-long learners, people interested in personal development, leaders, and entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.
More information
Lien Potgieter is an entrepreneur, author, colour therapist, and creativity teacher.
Read more here: lienpotgieter.co.za/creative-leadership-makeover-plan
She is available for interviews and can about the following topics:
- Little c and Big C creativity
- The building blocks of creativity
- The characteristics of a creative person
