Vision: Creative Ideas

An idea is a fragile thing.

-Adrian Rogers

In the 2012 Masters golf tournament at Augusta, GA, Bubba Watson found himself in a difficult situation. It was the final round, and Watson, who was playing hole number 10, pulled his tee shot into the woods, in fact, it was deep into the woods. To get the ball onto the green for his second shot, Watson hit an impossible shot! From where he stood, he could not see the green or the flag. So he hooked a wedge perfectly and it landed on the green, 15 feet from the pin. I remember watching that shot and the commentary afterwards. The compliment that was made over and over was about Bubba Watson’s creativity. And to be honest it took a lot of creativity to hit that shot! And from there, Watson went on to win the tournament and his first green jacket!

The role of leadership requires exercising creativity and what often separates the truly outstanding decisions from the mediocre decisions is the time we take to approach challenges creatively. 

There are a number of words that we sometimes use interchangeably with the word creativity. For example, when we think of creativity we think of imagination, ingenuity, innovation, and a host of other words. However, sometimes we confuse the idea of being creative with the idea of being artistic. While they may have some similarities and some overlap, they can also be different. Some of the most creative people I know are not artistic, but they still have a vast imagination and a host of creative ideas. 

For a leader to be effective, creativity is essential. Problems in business, problems in church, and problems with people sometimes require management solutions; but more often than not, they require creative ideas and creative ingenuity.

A good friend of mine told me something when I was younger that I have never forgotten. He told me that real creativity doesn’t come from an abundance of resources; rather, real creativity comes from limited resources. The question is not what would you do if you had a million dollars but what would you do if you only had a hundred dollars. That is when we truly get creative!!!

One of the keys to effective leadership is to bring together people that have creative ideas and are not afraid to share them. Leaders not only look for creative ideas to difficult problems but rely on other leaders to join in creatively looking for solutions. So you can see how important creativity is for any leader in any organization.

But there is something about which we should be cautious, and I learned it from Dr. Adrian Rogers. Dr. Rogers was the longtime pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. Under his leadership, Bellevue church became one of the most respected and influential churches in the nation. On one particular occasion, Dr. Rogers was discussing the move from the downtown location where the church was landlocked and unable to grow to the new location east of the city. He related to us that he had been restless the night before an important meeting. His restlessness was because he had a creative idea: to relocate the church. I will never forget him sharing how the conversation occurred with some key leaders. He said, “An idea is a fragile thing.” He went on to explain that any one of those men could have listened and quickly dismissed it as “crazy” or “impossible” or even “a terrible idea.” Instead they listened with creative ears and imaginations. 

In a few short weeks, land was purchased for a new location, and the work to relocate the church had begun. There were a number of creative ideas that occurred during his time of pastoring the church. Some were implemented and some were not. But all were given a chance to be discussed, reviewed and prayed over. He was right; “An idea is a fragile thing.”

And that leads me to ask you a question. Does your business, your church, or your family take the time to develop good, creative decisions? Or is mediocrity the standard in your life, your work, or your calling? When I look around at the beautiful creation that surrounds us everyday, I cannot help but realize that our God is a creative God. And one of those good gifts He gives to us is the gift of creativity.

Creativity may be the very thing that can take you to new heights. It may be the very thing to broaden your scope and deepen your commitment. I encourage you today to sit down with a few trusted friends, articulate the challenge before you and then let the creativity begin. I suspect you will find creative ideas coming from you and your team or your family when you foster an environment of creativity. 

Creative people are often the people that invest “whatever it takes” to get something done and to get it done right! That is the kind of person I want to be. I want to creatively look for vision in the imaginations, innovations and ideas of others.