Why Creative Thinking is the Secret to Confident Leadership

I was coaching a CEO last month whose leadership team was completely stuck on their quarterly planning. Three hours in, everyone looked defeated. The energy in the room was flat, and they kept circling back to the same tired solutions.

So I asked them to stand up and improvise their challenges. "Show me what it feels like when a project stalls," I said. "Don't explain it – perform it."

You should have seen their faces. It isn’t easy to bring a room of corporate leaders around to getting up on their feet for seemingly frivolous activites. But within half an hour, one exec was literally acting out being pulled in six directions, arms stretched everywhere. Another was miming trying to push a boulder uphill. Suddenly they could see their problems – and each other's – in completely new ways. The breakthrough solution came from someone who realised they'd been the "boulder pusher" for months, and that they needed support.

It’s moments like these that reinforce my mantra: creativity isn't just for artists. It's probably the most underrated leadership skill out there.

The Thing About Creative Leaders

Most of us think creativity means being artsy or having big, wild ideas. But really, it's about mental flexibility. It's being able to pivot when Plan A crashes and burns. It's finding ways to connect with people that go beyond PowerPoints and quarterly reports. I've noticed that leaders who think creatively tend to be the ones people actually want to follow. They're not just managing — they're inspiring. And honestly? They seem way less stressed than the rest of us because of it.

Here's what they do differently:

They tell stories instead of just sharing data. Numbers are important, but stories stick. When you explain why the Q3 results matter by talking about the customer who called to thank your team, people get it on a different level.

They reframe problems. Instead of "We don't have enough budget," they ask "What could we accomplish with what we have?" It's not toxic positivity, it’s practical problem-solving.

They're comfortable with uncertainty. When something unexpected happens (and it always does), they don't panic. They get curious.

Three Things I Help Leaders Do

1. Borrow from storytellers. I teach my clients to think like documentary makers before big presentations. What's the human story here? What would make someone care? One CEO I work with now starts investor pitches with "Last month, something unexpected happened to one of our customers..." instead of leading with revenue slides.

2. Play the "What if" game. When teams get stuck, I have them brainstorm ridiculous solutions. What if we had unlimited budget? What if we could only use purple materials? What if we had to solve this in 24 hours? Most ideas are terrible, but usually one or two are genius. It's amazing what happens when you give people permission to think absurdly.

3. Get comfortable being wrong. This one's the hardest for most leaders. I encourage them to deliberately put themselves in situations where they have to think on their feet. Join a debate about something outside their expertise. Try improv. Have conversations about topics they know nothing about. It's like going to the gym for your brain—uncomfortable but strengthening.

Why This Actually Matters

Look, leadership development often focuses on the serious stuff—strategy, delegation, performance management. All important. But if you can't connect with people, if you can't adapt when things get messy, if you can't communicate in a way that actually moves people to action—the rest doesn't matter much.

Creativity isn't about being the "fun" leader (though that's not terrible either). It's about being effective when effectiveness matters most.

Next time you're in a meeting that's going nowhere, or facing a problem that feels impossible, or trying to get your team excited about something that's honestly pretty boring—try thinking like an artist instead of just a manager.

What's the worst that could happen? You might actually enjoy it.

If this resonates and you want to dig deeper into leading with more creativity and confidence, I send out practical tips and real stories in my newsletter. No fluff, just stuff that actually works. Sign up here or drop me a line. I'd love to hear how you're experimenting with creativity in your own leadership.