Creativity - Leadership Prayers
Creativity
Send your Spirit of freedom, and break me out.
Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17
Creativity is hazardous, but lack of creativity is fatal. Effective leaders encourage creativity by modeling it personally and by protecting and rewarding it in others.
I HAVE trapped myself in a box that I can’t even recognize, Lord. You are the one who sets prisoners free. Release me. I am ready to leave the box of my normal thinking, willing to destroy it in the process, if that is what it takes. I must find the opportunity that lies disguised in this problem. Show me the truth that will set me free.
I am a prisoner of my old ways of thinking. My assumptions blind me to new possibilities that you have for me. What I think I know keeps me from knowing what I cannot yet think. I see people’s weaknesses; you see the strengths you gave them. I see what they have done so far; you see what they could do. I see why we can’t do it; you see how we can. I see the limits of our visible resources; you see the potential of your unlimited resources. I see the problem; you see the solution. Break me out.
Do you need to move me to a new place for a different view? Am I protecting something or someone? Am I protecting myself? What am I afraid of in this situation? Have I surrounded myself with people who think too much alike? too much like me?
You created this universe from nothing, lacing all of its expanding and self-renewing intricacies together in absolute perfection. You anticipated that we humans would sin and separate ourselves from you and your creation, so you created the perfect solution for our hopeless mess in Jesus Christ. You are the Father of all creativity.
I am your child. You made me in your image, so I, too, love to create. I love to think new thoughts and bring them into existence. I love to create solutions for the messes people get into. I want to be creative like you, Father. I want to enjoy all kinds of people. Give me the creative freedom of your Spirit. Silence my censors, and awaken the slumbering artist within. Give me a new song to sing, a new story to write.
I tried to be creative, and I worked myself into this dungeon.
Send your Spirit of freedom, and break me out.
Reflections
Consistently successful organizations are constantly improving, constantly learning new ways to think and act, and are therefore just slightly out of control. A leader’s most important contributions to such corporate creativity are to staff for strengths, to maintain a high tolerance for ambiguity, and to demonstrate personal creativity. Each is risky activity.
Creativity depends on bringing differences together. For creative decision teams, the leader must ensure that the organization proactively identifies and honors all the necessary types: those who are wise—and possibly cautious; brave—and possibly foolhardy; artistic—and possibly impractical; pessimistic—and possibly cynical; optimistic—and possibly gullible.
By requiring such wide diversity, we not only risk the serious flaws that often accompany great talent, but we also increase the potential for conflict. Innovative organizations are exciting, but they are not tranquil. They are productive and progressive, but they are not peaceful.
Contradiction is often a necessary element of a constantly self-reforming organization with its face to a future that may be inherently contradictory. The most difficult contradiction for many leaders occurs when the leader’s own cherished idea or program must be questioned or altered. If the leader can initiate the necessary changes or support those who do, a compelling message is sent about the core value of creativity. The leader doesn’t have to provide all the creativity—just inspire, protect, reward, and pray for it.
