The CREATIVE2 Leadership Aptitudes
CREATIVE2 focuses on 8 leadership aptitudes, which form the basis for evoking the holistic, mindful, creative leader in the coachee. Each aptitude is briefly defined at the end of the document and more details are in my Research Paper: “Developing CREATIVE Leadership”.
The work on the CREATIVE2 leadership aptitudes can be the focus of the Reconnection step of the CREATIVE2 Process, and the rest of the steps can follow from here.
To begin the work on Aptitudes, a simple exercise requires the coachee to score himself on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being Poor and 5 being Excellent) on each of the 8 aptitudes. Each aptitude is represented by a ‘pie slice’ shape. When a score is marked in each aptitude ‘pie slice’ the area is shaded so that a score of 3 is partly shaded from the center to the third ring line and a score of 5 is fully shaded from the center.
While reviewing the chart with the coachee, the coachee may give examples of how he has demonstrated the aptitudes well or not so well. A discussion on what’s possible (Expansion step) and what’s actionable (Action step) to develop this aptitude can follow.
It would be ideal if he is able to invite others (peers, colleagues and direct reports) to give him feedback by also providing a score for him against the same aptitudes. We can easily check the alignment of self-‐perception and others’ perception by looking at the shape of the shaded area. The remaining un-‐shaded white areas are the focus areas for development.
Reflections through the Process
Context – what is the current reality?
Where am I? How did I get here? What can I be grateful for? What is true and not quite so true about my circumstances? What do I want to change?
Reconnection – what do I value?
What does a values-‐driven life look like for me? How am I maximizing my strengths and honoring my passions in life? What do I need to move towards a more purposeful life? What are my non-‐negotiables?
Expansion – how far can I go? What if?
What are the possibilities? What if there are no limits? What if I did not need material things – what would I do with my life? What does an ideal future look like? What does success look like?
Action – what can I do now?
What are the next steps? How do I find out what I don’t know? What support do I need to succeed? How do I prioritize the actions? Can I make time for these actions? Any low-‐hanging fruits?
Transition – what works? What doesn’t?
What is working and what is not? What are the actions that have the most profound and sustainable impact? What is in my way? What is the resistance from me – how can I break it down? What can be adjusted?
Integration – bringing new changes in
How do I transform new positive behavior into habits that stick? What are the new muscle groups I have built and committed to maintain for longer term? In aspects of my life that I perceive to be adverse – how have I develop effective coping skills e.g. attitude of non-‐judgment and acceptance?
Visibility – celebrate
What does celebration mean to me? How do I acknowledge that I have done a great job? How may I take a moment to pause and appreciate what has been achieved?
Evaluation – how am I doing?
How am I doing after some time has passed? How have I sustained (or not) the changes I sought to make? How do I continue to learn and grow? What can be improved or revisited? What can we celebrate?
The CREATIVE2 Leadership Aptitudes
Courage – Mastery of Fear
When we are challenged to step up, some of us rise to the occasion, but many of us suffer from fear of failure, ridicule, of letting others down. Courage is the ability to overcome fears and continue to accomplish endeavors in spite of them.
Resilience – Grit
Resilience is the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions, to bounce back from adversity. According to Martin Seligman in his book Flourish, resilience or GRIT is an extreme trait of self-‐discipline. It is a combination of very high persistence and high passion for an objective.
Empathy – Seeing with ‘their’ Eyes
People strong in Empathy feel connected to others though their ability to sense and understand what other people are feeling. They have a natural connection with people… and can feel what they are feeling. They love to put themselves “in another person’s shoes.
Authenticity – Being True to Self
People strong in authenticity are always true to themselves, even in the face of pressure from others. If one is high in Authenticity, whatever he does, he does it with genuine feeling and without pretense. He always keeps to his own values and beliefs, no matter what people want him to do.
Tranquility – Mindfulness
Tranquility means steadiness and stability; free from agitation of mind or spirit; free from disturbance or turmoil; unvarying in aspect. It means having calmness, centeredness and equanimity.
Improvisation – Thinking on your Feet
Improvisation is a state of being and creating action without pre-‐planning. … This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or new ways to act. It is an “on the spot” or “off the cuff” spontaneous moment of sudden inventiveness.
Vision – Seeing Around Corners
Visionary people pay attention to the wider factors and the bigger picture that will inform the decisions they make to achieve their objectives. Great leaders are not head-‐down. They see around corners, shaping their future, not just reacting to it.
Esteem-building – The Evoking of Self-Belief
People strong in Esteem Building help others to believe in themselves and see what they are capable of achieving. Their words and actions help to build self-‐ confidence and self-‐esteem in others. They clearly see the potential and possibility in people and help them to recognize it for themselves.
2 CREATIVE2 Aptitudes are explained in more detail in “Developing CREATIVE leadership” Research Paper. References are also cited in the document.