One of the cool things about creativity is that every leader, every employee, and indeed every organization has the potential to be creative and likely already is to at least some degree.

But if all this is true, why haven’t “we” — and by “we” I mean the biz world at large and our respective workplaces specifically — got this thing down yet? Here are at least a few reasons that come to mind off the top of my head, as well as considerations for helping us think through what creativity is and isn’t.

I’m sure you can think of more. Feel free to add those in the comments section below!

1. People misunderstand what creative company culture actually is.

It doesn’t mean that the organization is always going to be coming up with some big, shiny, new, amazing thing. Sometimes we think and/or talk ourselves right out of believing we can be creative by defining it incorrectly. In our heads occasionally, anything less than recreating the wheel (what exactly would that be, anyway?) isn’t creativity.

Well, as many of my fellow Mojo mates have heard me say a time or twelve, words mean things. And here’s what creativity actually means:

• the state or quality of being creative.

• the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.

• the process by which one utilizes creative ability: Extensive reading stimulated his creativity.

2. Bureaucracy gets in the way of a creative company culture.

Leaders need to find ways to be more idea-friendly. Here are 6 ways they can do that.

[bctt tweet=”Sometimes bureaucracy gets in the way of innovation & creativity. #leadership #companyculture “]

3. Sometimes simplicity can be the key to a creative company culture.

In a lot of instances, creativity is actually finding ways to make things simpler for people. It’s not about finding new, complex products and services. It’s about making others’ lives simpler.

4. In a creative company culture, people understand that the good idea usually starts as a bad idea.

Great, creative ideas rarely, if ever, come out fully formed and ready to implement. That’s why collaboration and connection are so important.

[bctt tweet=”In a creative #companyculture, people know that a good idea often comes out of a bad one. #leadership”]

5. Companies with a creative culture understand that organizations are more often built to maintain than create.

Take a look around you. Is your team built and structured to create or simply maintain? Do you hire people with a propensity to create? Or are you more interested in folks who’ve demonstrated an ability to consistently maintain?

[bctt tweet=”Is your #companyculture built to maintain or create? #leadership”]

6. Companies with a creative culture understand that organizations are always trending one way or another.

There’s always some sort of trajectory. Creating increases the likelihood that that’s a forward trajectory. That means sometimes you just have the sand to say “to heck with the data” and create something.

What else do you have? Any other comments? Suggestions? Things you find especially helpful as you think about creativity?