Why Creativity Is a Leadership Superpower

When was the last time you paused? Not for strategy. Not for solutions. Just to imagine.

For many leaders, creativity is something we relegate to the marketing team or the innovation lab. But as my recent conversation with author and strategist Natalie Nixon reminded me, creativity isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the very skill that will define the next generation of leadership.

Natalie is the author of Move, Think, Rest: The Human-Centered Operating System for Optimizing Work and founder of Figure 8 Thinking. She’s spent her career helping organizations unlock the power of creativity as a competitive edge.

And if you think creativity is about painting or poetry, think again.

“Creativity is our ability to toggle between wonder and rigor,” Natalie told me during our interview. “It’s not about artistry. It’s about problem-solving with relevance and novelty.”

Why This Matters for Leaders

We’re leading in a landscape that’s more volatile, more complex, and more ambiguous than ever before. The models and playbooks that once offered stability? They’re now outdated before they hit the printer.

That’s why pattern recognition, and the ability to unlearn old responses, is so critical.

Natalie calls this unlearning, and it’s one of her top leadership practices. “We often think unlearning is negative,” she says. “But it’s actually a skill. It’s about making room for a new frame of reference.”

When leaders get stuck in outdated frameworks, they limit innovation and slow down decision-making. But when they embrace creativity, when they toggle between wonder and rigor, they create space for transformation.

The Science Behind the Shift

Neuroscience backs this up. The default mode network, the part of the brain responsible for imagination, daydreaming, and creative problem-solving, is most active when we allow space for rest and reflection. Yet, our current corporate structures often value productivity over pause.

Natalie’s Move/Think/Rest framework is a direct response to that imbalance:

• Move: Get your body in motion to disrupt routine thinking and improve cognitive flexibility.
• Think: Allow space for deep focus and intellectual processing, what Natalie calls “analog thinking” time.
• Rest: Prioritize intentional rest, not just to recharge, but to allow the brain to integrate and connect ideas subconsciously.

It’s simple, but radical. Especially in a world where burnout has become the norm.

Action Steps You Can Take This Week

Here’s how to begin applying Natalie’s creativity framework to your own leadership:

• Audit your schedule: Are you over-indexing on “Think” time without enough “Move” or “Rest”? Try adding walking meetings or creative breaks.
• Unlearn something: Identify one habitual leadership move that’s no longer serving you. Name it. Then choose a different path.
• Start with wonder: Before jumping to solutions, ask a curious question. One that begins with “What if…” or “Why not…”
• Create space for reflection: Block 30 minutes this week for what Natalie calls “analog thinking”: no screens, just pen and paper. Let your mind wander.

As Natalie said so powerfully: “The currency of creativity is time. And yet, we squander it. But it’s the leaders who learn to protect and repurpose time who will shape the future of work.”

Final Thought

The most effective leaders aren’t the most efficient, they’re the most creative. They know how to move with agility, think with intention, and rest with purpose.

If you want to lead teams that thrive in ambiguity and shape what comes next, start by reclaiming your creativity. It’s not a distraction from leadership, it is leadership.

Want to lead with more intention, and less instinct? Explore Susan’s Enneagram Applied program to discover the hidden patterns shaping your leadership.