Creativity is a quality that is natural but can also be learned… well, to a point. Seventy-five percent of people feel they aren’t living up to their creative potential. There are so many avenues to be creative but there aren’t always open opportunities or the right environments to foster that creativity. Here is why hiring managers desire creativity in their employees, small ways employers can manage a creative workplace and the truth from creative people.

Workplace Creativity


“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” – Joseph Chilton Pearce

Depending on the field you work in you may not believe you use or need to use creativity to get your job done. However, creativity can be a huge asset to any job whether the task be big or small. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority commissioned the survey, that showed 73% of U.S. workers believe they are creative people, but only 42% think their current jobs allow them to be creative. If you are among the 42% that think you have no room for creativity in your job, you are wrong. Now, it may not be in a big extravagant way but there is always room for new ideas or new processes. Getting someone to listen would be the next hurdle but we won’t get into that right now.

You may be surprised at this desire to see creativity in their employees. They look for it when hiring. Don’t believe me? Look at the facts:

82% of hiring managers
say they seek well-rounded candidates who are able to creatively apply core skills to a range of business and technical problems.

41% of hiring managers indicate that creativity and innovation will be among the most “in-demand” skills.

Almost 60% of CEOs called creativity the most important quality for leadership.

78% of hiring managers believe creativity is required for economic growth and 85% believe it is valuable to society.

94% agree that creativity is key when evaluating candidates and prefer those with creative skills over conventional skills by more than 5 to 1.

I could keep throwing facts at you but I won’t. The point is, employers crave creativity from their employees. They see the need and see the possibilities from people who carry this skill.

Cultivating Creativity
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein

Companies who practice cultivating the environment for creativity, especially reap the benefits. Creating a positive work environment is said to be the “breeding ground” for creativity. Sixty-nine percent of creative firms reported winning awards and national recognition for being a “best place to work.” Who wouldn’t be having fun with they worked in a positive environment where everyone is being creative?

Another way to cultivate creativity is putting it on the work agenda. Yeah, you heard that right, creativity IS the task. Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed said they set goals around creative outcomes. Eighty-two percent of companies believe there is a strong connection between creativity and business results.

Lastly, another quick way to foster creativity is to have leadership support. Studies have shown, that when business leaders nurture, fund, promote programs to increase creative capability it not only benefits the employee but increases the effectiveness of the employer’s brand.

We want to be creative!
“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” – George Bernard Shaw

Those who know they are creative, want to be creative. According to the survey, 27% of employees would tell their bosses they’d quit if offered a position that let their creative juices flow. Times have changed. People are wanting to work in industries that interest them. It’s not about working any job just to get a paycheck. Employees want to be able to have the freedom to be themselves and love their work.

How do you rank?
I have heard people say they didn’t think they were creative but are. Yet, I have heard others who think they are wildly creative whenthey in fact, they value structure more highly. Snapchat Founder and CEOsaid “I think everyone is born creative but it can be suppressed by fear.” Don’t let fear get in the way of cultivating the creativity you have inside.
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This article originally featured on the Vitru blog.
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</br>Bio: Ryan Mead</strong></em>

Ryan Mead is the CEO and Founder of Vitru, an employee assessment tool that provides recruiters, hiring professionals, coaches and managers with the insights they need to manage their teams and make better hiring decisions. Powered by science, yet practical and easy to use for a variety of teams, Vitru works for organizations of all size. Want to learn more? Visit our blog or sign up for a free team building personality test account to assess your team today! Tweet me at @GoVitru