“I think, therefore I am.”
— René Descartes

“I think how I think, therefore I am a creative leader.”
— Dr. D

We stand at the cusp of a creative revolution. The Sixth Wave of Technology Innovation is not just changing what we create—it is also fundamentally transforming how we create, driven by the profound integration of artificial intelligence into business, innovation, and creative workflows.

And in this brave new world, creative metacognition—the ability to think about and regulate how we think creatively—is no longer optional. It’s an essential leadership skill for any individual seeking to stay ahead, guide others, and thrive in an era where human and machine intelligence converge.

What Is Creative Metacognition?

Creative metacognition is the self-awareness and self-regulation of your own creative process. It’s the ability to step outside yourself, observe your thoughts, actions, and inner states, and deliberately adjust your creative strategy depending on what’s needed in the moment.

Great creators don’t just “go with the flow”—they know when to flow, when to pause, when to diverge, when to converge, when to create, and when to critique. They recognize whether they’re in a mode of playful exploration, deep focus, or non-consciously incubating ideas beneath the surface—and they manage themselves accordingly.

While raw creative talent is a gift, creative metacognition is a capability—one that develops over time through reflection, feedback, and experience. It’s the bridge that transforms occasional flashes of brilliance into repeatable, strategic creativity.

Why It Matters Now—Especially for Creative Leaders

In previous eras, organizations could get by with outsourcing the “how” of creativity. A creativity facilitator or innovation process expert would guide innovation teams through an innovation project, ensuring that stages of the creative process (such as ideation or evaluation) and the resulting outputs remained on track. But the Sixth Wave changes everything.

With the rise of generative AI, new tools can now ideate, remix, optimize, and even co-create with us. But these tools also introduce new risks, new blind spots, and new responsibilities. To lead effectively in this evolving terrain, creative leaders must become highly conscious of how they create—and how their teams are creating alongside AI.

Metacognition becomes a compass in complexity. It helps leaders:

• Reflect on and upgrade creative routines
• Avoid over-reliance on AI outputs
• Maintain originality and strategic intent
• Optimize co-creation processes between human and machine

In essence, creative metacognition becomes the anchor of intentional, adaptive creative leadership in a time of exponential change.

My Own Journey in Creative Metacognition

Looking back, I realize I’ve been practicing creative metacognition long before I even heard of it.

As the creator of the X-IDEA innovation method and a facilitator of over 200 innovation project workshops, I was constantly thinking about how to guide teams most effectively through a particular innovation project, in general, and at each stage of the creative process in particular. From Xploration to Ideation, Development, Evaluation, and Action—each phase required a different mindset, energy, and outcome orientation.

In those sessions, clients—often unknowingly—outsourced metacognition to Thinkergy and me. They relied on us to steer their teams, adjust the process on the fly, and ensure we hit the right creative outputs at every turn. For example, ensuring that after applying 8 to 10 ideation tools (each of which tends to contribute specific, yet diverging output targets), a team of 10 would walk away with 800–1,000 raw ideas—that’s creative metacognition in action, measured and optimized.

X-IDEA’s granular architecture has allowed us to monitor and manage creative output at a level that is almost invisible to clients—but incredibly deliberate behind the scenes.

The Shift: From Creative Guide to Creative Leader of Creative Leaders

But with the Sixth Wave now rising, my role is evolving. I am no longer just an innovation guide or a creator of creative methods—I see myself becoming a creative leader of creative leaders.

Yes, I may still facilitate X-IDEA innovation workshops (because I love to do it). But I now also see it as my mission to develop creative leaders and teach them—and their creative teams—the art of metacognition. Now and going forward, creative leaders must learn to reflect on their own creative practices—especially as they enter partnerships with AI—and help their team members do the same.

In the past, we “took care of it all.” In the future, we must pass on the mirror. And this mirror isn’t just a one-time glance—it becomes a regular habit:

• How am I creating now?
• What role is AI playing in my process?
• What’s working? What’s shifting? What needs rethinking?

Personal process reflection logs. Weekly creative debriefs. Team discussions about how ideas were formed—not just the ideas themselves. These become the new creative leadership rituals.

Practicing Creative Metacognition—Practical Pointers

Here are a few simple ways creative leaders can begin practicing metacognition today:

• Before you begin a task, ask: What creative mode am I in? What’s required now—divergent exploration or focused evaluation?
• During collaboration with AI, pause and reflect: Is the tool guiding me—or am I guiding it? Am I accepting outputs too easily? Am I deliberately pushing back on output that intuitively feels superficial, shallow, or perhaps even nonsensical?
• After a project phase, debrief not just what was done, but how it was done: What internal states were present? What strategies were effective? What didn’t work out as well as planned? What surprised you and worked out much better than expected?
• With your team, create a safe space to discuss process—not just performance. Encourage experimentation with awareness.

Final Thoughts: Think How You Think to Lead the Future

Metacognition is more than a buzzword—it is a creative superpower.

It transforms blind action into intentional impact. It sharpens our discernment. It makes our creative lives more reflective, more strategic, more meaningful.

And as we begin to surf the wave of AI-augmented creativity, it gives us the awareness to navigate complexity, harness opportunity, and avoid stagnation. In line with the secret motto of the Sixth Wave (Less, but better”), it invites us to explore and experiment how to create better—with fewer resources and in less time.

In the end, “I think how I think” is not just a clever turn of phrase—it’s a mantra for modern creative leadership.

Let’s be brave. Let’s be bold. Let’s be reflective.
Let’s lead not just with better ideas and outputs—but with awareness of how to think in bold new ways.

Until then, keep thinking how you think.

• Want More? In my upcoming book, “Surfing the Sixth Wave of Innovation,” I’ll explore in greater depth how AI is reshaping the creative economy—and how leaders can adapt, thrive, and drive meaningful innovation in this new era.
• Want to find out more about X-IDEA? Explore the X-IDEA booklet, visit the X-IDEA website, or check out Chapter 4 of my book, Unleashing Wow! The Creative Leader's Guide to Breakthrough Innovation.
• Curious how you can develop metacognition as a creative leader? We teach this creative super skill now as part of Genius Journey, Thinkergy’s creative leadership development program. Check out our Genius Journey booklet and the Genius Journey website. Or learn about creative leadership and the Genius Journey method in Chapter 7 of my Unleashing Wow! book. 
• Want to learn how to create and work more consciously and effectively in an AI-augmented new world? Contact us to tell us more about you and your creative team or company, and we tailor a creativity workshop that perfectly fits your needs.

© Dr. Detlef Reis 2026.