The real source of wealth and capital in this new era is not material things … it is the human mind, the human spirit, the human imagination, and our faith in the future ~ Steve Forbes
Two Groups of Businesses
There are always two groups of businesses and businesspersons.
The first group is comprised of those that have either become, or are gradually becoming history. In this group are businesses that were once successful, but have now failed.
The second group is comprised of those that are set to make history. In this latter group are businesses that are being positioned to become successful and influential, no matter the challenges posed by the operating environment.
What is Creativity?
According to Dr. Betty Edwards, “Creativity is the ability to find new solutions to a problem or new modes of expression; thus it brings into existence something new to the individual and to the culture”. Creativity is therefore the fuel of innovation. It is what stretches the mind of a person or people to innovate.
Creativity and Innovation
It is impossible to separate creativity and innovation because the two are linked together. Creativity is the process, while innovation is the product. That is why creativity and innovation are expectedly the platform for continued business improvement.
Without the power of creativity, the entrepreneurial spirit and compelling drive of the entrepreneurs of our time become sabotaged and their ability to innovate hindered. This is because it is this the possession of creative thinking ability that makes entrepreneurs the change agents in the business landscape. Without creativity, a business would always lack originality, uniqueness and would be treated like just another commodity.
On the other hand, the ability to innovate in business presents the opportunities for an organisation to remain relevant and influential. It also presents it with the platform and confidence to try out new ideas, processes, designs and operations. The resultant effect is the commitment to making business and service offerings to be faster, easier, simpler, and even more fun. This always brings about improved business performance.
The Most Important Factor
What makes the difference today in business is not just the abundance of money that a business possesses. Rather, it is the abundance of creative thinkers that the business can attract, utilise and hold unto as it continues to reinvent and re-launch itself to leverage the growth and impact opportunities that the marketplace presents.
The business that is set to make history is the one that understands that what is good today in business may not be good enough tomorrow, so it creatively innovates in a manner that would make it relevant today and even more influential in years ahead. If you were to take an impassioned look at your business operations, productivity, sustainability and impact, in which of these two groups would you place your business? Making history or becoming history?
Is Your Business Up to the Challenge?
Is your business taking up the challenge that increasing information and advancement in technology is stacking against today’s business owner and manager?
- Are you creating enduring systems that would place your business on the path of continued growth and improved performance, especially with increasing competition and extraneous business growth threats?
- Are your strategic plans developed with retooling options that would ensure that your business can outlast the competition?
- Are you embracing strategic thinking as a standard business practice and not just a business term?
- Are you ready for the coming generation of customers, who desire the best at the least cost and desire it now?
- Are you creating an environment that encourages creativity and innovation?
- Are you dismantling bottlenecks and hierarchies that hinder the free flow of very divergent ideas?
Business Coaching for Performance
Every coaching and mentoring intervention adapted to a business set up always has performance improvement as its goal. This is to ensure that the accomplishment of a given task can be easily measured against known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. Performance thus becomes a real business obligation that is tied to the commitment that a person makes to stretch his personal abilities to perform.
Abilities have for a long time been agreed by coaches to be among the most essential general human capacities related to the performance of tasks. They develop over time through the interaction of talent, passion, knowledge and experience. In this regard, coaching becomes one of the critical processes and techniques that improve abilities and build capacities in a business, making it long lasting. It is only when such capacities are built that true competency can be achieved.
Why not improve your business performance by getting coached.