With the pace of change in today’s world, leaders are being pushed to adapt faster than ever before. We’re facing a unique challenge – technology is advancing at a rate our ability to adapt can’t quite match.
In this reality, creativity and innovation aren’t optional, they’re essential.
If you want to lead high-performing teams that can thrive through complexity and uncertainty, you need more than traditional leadership strategies.
So today, I’m sharing a book recommendation that I believe can be a game-changer for any leader looking to drive performance in their organization:
Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results by Dr. Amy Climer
Based on both my professional experience and Dr. Amy’s well-researched insights, here are my top three reasons why this book is a must-read.
Tip #1: Use Creativity as a Response to Change
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by rapid change, you’re not alone. We’re living at a tipping point where the speed of technological advancement is far outpacing our natural human ability to adapt. Dr. Astro Teller, CEO of X (formerly Google X), visualizes this dynamic in a powerful model showing the growing gap between the rate of change and our ability to keep up.
This widening gap isn’t just interesting, it’s a leadership crisis. And creativity may be one of our best tools to close it.
In Deliberate Creative Teams, Dr. Amy provides a clear methodology to help leaders build more creative, adaptable teams. The book isn’t about inspiration, it’s about process. It shows you how to structure creativity so it becomes a reliable tool in your leadership toolkit.
Want to explore how Arc Integrated helps leaders respond to change? Learn more about our executive coaching approach.
Want to explore Dr. Teller’s model? Read his insights on unleashing radical creativity on the X blog.
Tip #2: Apply a Clear Framework for Innovation
One of the biggest challenges in leading creative teams is measuring where you are and knowing how to improve. What I love about Dr. Amy’s work is that she offers a concrete, actionable scale for assessing where a team is on the spectrum of creativity and innovation.
The book guides you through how to recognize your team’s current state and offers specific routines and strategies to help your team move up that scale. This framework aligns closely with what we believe at Arc Integrated, where we help leaders evaluate their team’s emotional intelligence, communication, and resilience through real-time feedback and structured coaching.
This book makes the intangible (creativity and innovation) tangible and measurable.
Tip #3: Think Beyond Innovation & Build High-Performance Teams
What surprised me most (and impressed me) about Deliberate Creative Teams is that it’s not just about creative thinking, it’s about building the conditions for long-term, sustainable performance.
Dr. Amy weaves together stories, research, and practical leadership strategies that go beyond creativity. She explores what it truly takes to foster collaboration, trust, and accountability – all of which contribute to high-functioning teams.
Her research supports what many of us in leadership coaching already know: creativity is just one part of the performance puzzle. When paired with clear leadership behaviors, it becomes a powerful lever for engagement, innovation, and results.
Want to dive deeper into the research around creativity and performance?
Here are a few standout resources that offer valuable insights into how creativity works in teams and what holds it back:
- Don’t Let Gen AI Limit Your Team’s Creativity (2024) explores how AI impacts collaborative problem-solving, showing both its potential and its limitations in team settings.
- How to Kill Creativity (1998) remains a timeless look at the organizational factors that foster or stifle innovation.
- Harvard Business Review Analytic Services Study (2024) reveals that while 90% of leaders value creativity, most organizations aren’t doing enough to support it—and the ones that do invest in leadership, culture, and tools see far better outcomes.
Leadership in today’s world demands adaptability, creativity, and connection. If you’re looking for practical ways to strengthen your team, foster innovation, and lead more effectively – Deliberate Creative Teams is a valuable guide.
It’s a book I’ll be recommending often, not just because of the insight it offers, but because I’ve seen these strategies work in real-time.
Want to learn more about how we help leaders build creative, resilient, and high-performing teams? Request a strategy call.
Be well,
Michael
Resources
- Book: Deliberate Creative Teams by Dr. Amy Climer
- Video: Watch the full review
- Blog Post: 5 Ways Leaders Can Create Resilient Company Cultures
- Arc Integrated Coaching Services
