Creative Leadership: There is a Hack for That

By Cynthia Plonien DNP, RN, CENP, TONL Communications Committee Chair

Creativity and leadership are interconnected qualities that fuel innovation, problem-solving, and successful outcomes. Highly creative leaders can change their worlds. They approach challenges with seemingly unconventional, “out of the box” ideas, uncovering pieces of the puzzle that seem to eclipse the eyes of others.

What happens when creativity is not at the level of excellence necessary for a given situation? To quote a keynote speaker at AONL’s 2023 Conference, Phil Hansen, sometimes “creativity sucks.” Then what? The answer may be simpler than expected. 

A study at Stanford University found that walking increased a person’s created output by 60%. Walking indoors or outdoors, creativity was boosted during the time of the walk and shortly thereafter (Wong, 2014). Also, research has shown that walking affects the physiology of the brain, increasing the hippocampal volume (Varma, et al, 2014).      

Brendon Bruchard (2023), the author of High-Performance Habits, provides an added dimension to increasing creativity, emphasizing the importance of play. He states that all psychological research associated with mastery has found that the highest of all achieving people associate their craft with a sense of play and joy.  His first suggestion to increase creativity is to connect the mental with the physical and take a walk when creative thinking is blocked. Walking is a reset mechanism, clearing the mind, and allowing ideas to flow.  

Throughout history, high performers have used walking to generate creativity in various fields. Charles Darwin, William Wadsworth, and Aristotle were known to be obsessive walkers. The rhythm of walking is attributed to helping them generate ideas (Reigel, 2021). Ludwig van Beethoven was an avid outdoorsman and walked as a hobby to clear his mind and think deeply about the music he was creating.

Walking, it seems, is the hack that can be used when creativity lags, and it is supported by science and history. 

References:

Bruchard, Brendon. Overcoming Procrastination. 7/24/2023
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overcoming-procrastination/id821746377?i=1000622132922

Hansen, Phil. Creativity Sucks. Penguin Random House LLC, 2020. (p. 3).

Popular Beethoven. Beethoven’s hobby: a walk in the woods. 7/25/2023. https://www.popularbeethoven.com/beethovens-hobby-a-walk-in-the-woods

Reigel, Deborah. Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk. Harvard Business Review, 2/02/21     https://hbr.org/2021/02/dont-underestimate-the-power-of-a-walk

University of Maryland School of Public Health. Study finds brain connectivity memory improves in older adults after walking. University of Maryland. MarylandToday, 7/24/2023.
https://today.umd.edu/briefs/umd-study-finds-brain-connectivity-memory-improves-in-older-adults-after-walking

Varma, V., Chuang, Y., Harris, G., Tan, E., Carlson, M. Low-intensity daily walking activity is associated with hippocampal volume in older adults. Research Article: Wiley Online Library. 7/07/2014  https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.22397

Wong, May. Stanford study finds walking improves creativity. Stanford News. https://news.stanford.edu/2014/04/2