Creativity in Coaching


The first thing I did was to look up, what is creativity? I found a few definitions and my favourite is, “the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form”.

But why do we need creativity in coaching? As coaches, creativity helps us explore new ideas and creative methods to help coachees uncover different perspectives and gain fresh insights. As the coach we need to remember that coachees are creative, resourceful and whole… as the coach, our role is to facilitate the process to allow creativity to flow…

Ok, now that we know what it is, and why we need it… what do we need to do to be creative? How to we hone the ability to make or bring into existence something new, or a new solution to a problem? While looking into this, I found a study conducted by NASA. In the study, of 1,600 school children, 98 per cent were considered ‘geniuses’ at divergent thinking at age five. At 10 years old this number dropped to 32 per cent, by age 15 it was 10 per cent and down to just 2 per cent by full adulthood.

So why exactly are adult creativity levels so low? My theory is as adults our “creativity” are limited by our pre-conceived beliefs as a result of our experiences, culture and maybe even our environment. Children understand that to be creative, we need to be free, happy and uninhibited in our imagination. As adults, we must recapture that spirit. And that means embracing the things that make us feel alive, and rejecting the barriers that stifle us. Only then can we rediscover the creative genius of our inner child.

So what can we do?

1. Be adventurous – Begin to explore possibilities and imagine what could be. Go off the beaten path. As coaches, explore the use of different methods and maybe tools to facilitate creativity with the coachee.

2. Be bold – Try new methods, something never done before. We can’t expect different results if we’re doing the same thing. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”, said Einstein. Trying something new can be daunting, but if the risks are low… why not?

3. Be curious – Welcome new ideas, experiences, and perspectives. Help the coachee explore the unfamiliar.


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