Entrepreneurs top common skills (4) – Creativity and Adaptability

We have been making good progress reviewing the skills that are commonly found in successful entrepreneurs. Today we are going to look into creativity and adaptability. These two concepts come together when we talk about entrepreneurship. We live in a changing world. Our modern world is changing more quickly than ever and the ability to create new ideas, adapt ourselves and adapt our ventures to this changing world is key to being successful.

Probably one of the most unique traits that every entrepreneur has is the talent to recognize opportunities that others do not. They are able to understand a problem that exists for consumers or a need that has not been yet resolved and they “create” a solution. Usually this solution requires to be adapted as it is being implemented. Here is where creativity and adaptability tie together: the entrepreneur has to be creative again to adapt the original idea taking into account the new circumstances as they appear.

I recently read an article in www.businessnewsdaily.com that presented the idea that creativity is a bigger indicator of success in life than intelligence. This is an interesting concept although it is clear that not too many institutions or business are worried about how creative their future students or employees are. It is true that creativity is something difficult to identify and even more difficult to quantify.

Something also interesting to be mentioned is the fact that creativity needs some structure to gain traction. Not really too much structure, as it may jeopardize the spontaneity, but enough to guide the process toward the correct result.

I am going to list some of the most common techniques used to stimulate creativity:

(1) Brainstorming

(2) Brainwriting

(3) Method of Creative Orientation

(4) Method of Creative Confrontation

(5) Method of Systematic Structuring

(6) Method of Systematic Specification of Problem

I will write a post in the future to review these methods. Very interesting ideas if you want to become a little more organized in your creativity process.

Finally I would like to share with you something that I find remarkable. In many cases creativity appears best at the intersection of disciplines. Most impacting discoveries occur when two or more disciplines work together. Usually more than working together is arguing together. Looking at the same problem from different angles frequently creates conflict. This conflict may bring the inspiration for a new solution. Had it not been for the fusion of these different opinions and knowledge the new solution would have never been imagined.

So don’t avoid the difficult discussions with those who disagree with your ideas. They may have the key for your success. You just have to listen carefully and give them a chance to tell you how they would improve your venture.

Next week we will tackle the last skill of my selection: Persistence and resilience.

That is going to be a good one…