Two words that many experts treat like the holy grail of business disciplines. And they are not far off. The only problem I have with most of the teaching on this is that many of these ‘experts’ deal with either one topic or the other, when the truth is that they are inseparable. Creativity without innovation is useless, and innovation without creativity is impossible.
Creativity is the use of the imagination to create original ideas or refine existing ones; but does not necessarily denote putting those ideas to work. Innovation is the act of putting creative ideas together for all the world to see. The word is designated as a noun; but I tend to think of it as a verb, because it truly is an action word.
Looking at it in the way I have just described it, it seems so simple; but I am sure we all know incredibly creative people who have never done anything with the inspiration they have been blessed with. And on the other side of the equation, I’ll bet you also know people who are doers, but don’t seem to have an original bone in their body; they just get things done. How great and powerful the potential of businesses that have both elements at work!
Are you a business owner who is so tired because of operating your company day by day that you don’t have any energy left to be creative Or maybe you don’t feel that you are a very creative person. Sure, it would be great to be all things, but few people truly have the whole package.
Do the best with what you’ve got. For those of you with limited creative juices, there are plenty of ideas around that are not ‘owned’ by others. If you notice something is working for another business that strikes you as a great idea; see if you can take the kernel of the idea and adapt it, making it your own. The idea is probably most effective if it originates from outside your industry.
You may have heard of a blues guitar legend named Eric Clapton. If you haven’t heard of him, you might want to check if your passport is from another planet. Born thousands of miles from the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the blues; he interpreted the music that influenced him in his own way, and in turn became one of the most influential bluesrock guitar players of all time. How cool would it be if you were the Eric Clapton of your industry
Sometimes you can be creative just by being a contrarian. If everyone in your industry is doing things the same way, just doing things a little differently will get you noticed. Blaze your own trail, it is good marketing. If you are intensely creative but lack the skills or the gumption to put your ideas into practice; it is not a bad idea to partner with someone who knows how to get the job done.
Worried about the potential of a business partner to steal your creativity and run with it Spend the money on a lawyer and have them create a unanimous shareholder agreement. This will help provide you with protection and peace of mind that things are above-board. Of course, if the other party objects to this, run away as fast as you can! Again I say, probably the most powerful combination I can think of is a fantastic idea that has been well executed. A one-two, knockout punch! It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, and it is within your reach.
