I hear it all the time: “Being creative is only for certain types of people.” Turns out, it’s a wrong opinion and assumption.
A popular study conducted in the 1990s found that 86 percent of kindergartners surveyed tested at “creative genius” levels. Alternatively, only 15 percent of high school students fell into this category. Something happened that went well beyond being born with the “creativity DNA.”
You could argue our culture has created an elitist mentality around creativity or placed a clear lack of emphasis on exploring, nurturing, and developing an individual’s creative side. Either way, somewhere along the line people start believing they aren’t meant to be creative.
This can be felt immensely in the workplace. Professionals get scared to show their creative side and don’t come up with new ideas or leave the creative problem-solving for someone else for fear of failing.
Tags: allen gannett • creativity • leader • leadership