Most people have some of the characteristics shared by exceptionally creative people. The more of these characteristics we have, the higher our creative potential. Innovation is one of the top organizational goals for leaders. Consider these facets of potential:

Intelligent people are more creative because they are better at solving complex problems. They also may be more creative because they can recall more information related to the task at hand. Many personality traits influence creativity including proactive personality, self-confidence, risk taking, tolerance for ambiguity, and perseverance. Hope, self-efficacy, and positive affect also predict an individual’s creativity. Expertise is the foundation for all creative work and the most important predictor of creative potential. The potential for creativity is enhanced when individuals have knowledge, abilities, and similar expertise to their field of endeavor.

Although creativity is linked to many desirable individual characteristics, it is not correlated with ethicality. According to recent research. It may be that dishonesty and creativity can both stem from a rule-breaking desire. Most of us have creative potential we can learn to apply, but by itself it is not enough. We need to be in an environment where creative potential can be realized. If you aren’t motivated to be creative, it is unlikely you will be. Intrinsic motivation, or the desire to work on something because it’s interesting, exciting, and satisfying correlates moderately with creative outcomes.

Good leadership matters to creativity, too. One study of more than 100 teams working in a large bank revealed that when the leader behaved in a punitive, unsupportive manner, the teams were less creative. When leaders encourage the development of their employees, they are more creative.