Two weeks ago, I confronted you in this column with your biggest obstacle that prevents you from realizing the creative genius in you: your ego, your false self, the role you’re playing, the mask you’re wearing. Today, take the chance to better understand your true self, why resting in your true self is so important to produce outstanding creative work, and why fostering individuality is key to encouraging more innovation in organizations.

Realize your true self

Do you know anyone who looks exactly like you? Who thinks and acts exactly like you? Who does things exactly in your way? Probably you answer no to each of these questions. Then would you agree with me that you are unique? That you are original?

The truth is: You, like all of us, were created as an original. Neither is there at present, nor was there at any point in the past, nor will there be in the future a person who feels, thinks and acts exactly like you. You are unique. We all are. From now on, I urge you to stop copying other people’s lives, thoughts, and actions, and instead start living in accordance with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s maxim: “Insist upon yourself. Be original.”

What does it mean to be yourself?

When you are in harmony with your true self, your sole internal reference point is your own spirit. Rather than relying on the external approval of others that your ego craves, you approve yourself, which makes you immune to criticism of others: You know and feel what’s the right thing to do. While your ego is concerned about your reputation, your self focuses on refining your character. Being yourself means that you are self-confident and at the same time humble, as you have respect for all other people regardless of their status. You rest in your own power, which is permanent, not afraid of any challenge and focused on making meaning, and thus attracts people, opportunities and ideas to you.

Why is individuality and being yourself pivotal for realizing your creative potential?

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinion. Their lives a mimicry. Their passions a quotation,” observed Oscar Wilde. Do you think that when copying others’ lives, passions, thoughts and opinions, you can think original ideas? Realize that when you hide your true self behind a mask, and adopt the ego-driven copycat mindset of your environment, you disconnect yourself from your true creative potential. As Wayne Dyer asserts: “Ego and genius are mutually exclusive.”

Psychologists like Robert Sternberg who investigated personality traits of creative genius found that breakthrough thinkers are highly individualized. Geniuses relish and celebrate their individuality and uniqueness in a self-confident yet humble way. They rest in themselves. They’re open to entertain unusual thoughts, perceive in unhabitual ways, and open up a channel to receive novel insights and breakthrough ideas. They are originals, and hence they strive for and can produce original ideas and solutions and thus realize their genius potential.

The dilemma of creative individuals

Being yourself and living your originality and individuality enables you to connect to your inner genius potential and produce original ideas and solutions. And just as breakthrough ideas differ from normal ideas, so do geniuses differ and deviate from the normal ways of thinking and acting of a society where the majority of people wear a mask and conform to the demands of an ego-dominated world.

Geniuses who think differently, who bring about change, who push the human race forward, are initially seen by most others as misfits, as the crazy ones, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the unreasonable men. And in order to stand up straight in the face of ridicule and criticism, they need to believe in themselves and have the courage to be unreasonable. But no doubt about it, George Bernard Shaw is right: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him. The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself. All progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Implications for business leaders

All futurists and business gurus agree that creativity and innovation are mega-trends that will drive the growth of businesses and economies in the coming decades. If you’re a business leader or a would-be top performer in the creative economy, it’s worthwhile to ponder the following questions to help you unleash the creative potential of yourself and your organization:

• Do you consider yourself to be highly creative? Do you consider your organization to be an innovation leader? What original creative outputs have you produced over the past 3 years? How would you classify each output when considering the three categories: incremental, evolutionary, or game changing?

• Are you — at times — wearing a mask? Or are you always yourself? Are you an original or a copycat?

• How about your colleagues and other business associates? Are you surrounded by pretenders wearing masks? Or by confident original individuals?

• What are the driving forces in your organization? Greed, power, control, intimidation, fear and reputation? Or meaning, passion, freedom, empowerment, and self-confidence blended with humility?

• Does your organization encourage its employees to celebrate their uniqueness and to be themselves? Or are people expected to fit in and conform? Is your workforce shiny and diverse? Or characterized by sameness, conformity and uniformity (with “the lower charges” stuffed in uniforms)?

• What happens to a highly individualized employee in your organization? Will she be encouraged and celebrated, or molded to fit in with all the others? Or will she be among the first employees who’re asked to leave in the next downturn?

Conclusion: Nelson Mandela advised: “The first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.” Now do yourself a favor and throw away your mask. Then start to insist upon yourself and be original.

© Dr. Detlef Reis 2011. This article was published in parallel in the Bangkok Post under the same title on 9 June 2011.