In a world where creativity and innovation are seen as crucial to development, it is becoming clear that it is not enough to give people knowledge. Knowledge in itself is only a potential. It is only when it is used, tested and challenged that it becomes competence. And that transition requires something more. It requires response.
The expression “knowledge needs response to develop competence” contains an important insight about learning. When someone takes the courage to use what they have learned, it is the leader’s responsibility to respond. Not by correcting, judging or evaluating. But by asking questions, encouraging reflection and reinforcing learning in the direction the person themselves is moving. Competence does not arise from reading a book or listening to a lecture. Competence is a combination of knowledge and experience. And experience requires action. When someone dares to use new knowledge, we as leaders must be ready to respond, not with a preconceived idea, but with curiosity.
The right response makes us grow
This is especially true in creativity and innovation. Here it is not about right or wrong in the same way as in more technical contexts. Instead, it is about exploring, trying, failing, discovering and understanding. It is an environment where mistakes are not only inevitable but often necessary for development. But that is precisely why it is also sensitive. If a person who is trying something creative is met with silence, disinterest or criticism that does not lead to further progress, there is a risk that they will stop trying. If someone leads a creative workshop but the participants do not get going and the person is told afterwards that it “did not work”, it may be a very long time before that person tries again. Not because the method was bad, but because the response killed the courage to continue learning.
But it could have been different. Imagine that the same person was asked afterwards: “What do you think made it not really fly?” or “What would you like to try differently next time?” Then something completely different happens. Then a weak result is transformed into an opportunity for development. Then failure does not become an end but the beginning of a deeper understanding.
Creative environments place greater demands on growth
Leadership in creative environments is therefore about being a catalyst for learning. Not by delivering answers but by creating security, encouragement and targeted responses that make people want to grow. Giving positive feedback is important, but it must be specific and grounded in reality. Giving constructive criticism is also important, but it must be formulated in a way that leads forward, not depresses.
What have you learned today?
A powerful approach is to transform our assessments into questions. If instead of saying “this went wrong”, we say “what did you learn from this attempt?” we have opened a window towards further development. If instead of saying “this was good”, we say “what did you do that worked so well here?” we help the person understand their own success factors. In this way, we reinforce learning without creating dependence on our assessment.
A concrete example: an employee tries an improvised design exercise with a team for the first time, but the results are scattered and the participants seem confused. A leader who only sees the outcome might conclude that the method is not suitable. But a leader who sees the process might say: “I thought it was brave that you tried a new shape – what do you think happened in the room? What would you like to adjust if you did it again?” That type of response opens the door to curiosity, development and long-term growth.
What are we developing? – products or people who develop products
The same principle applies to larger development processes. When a team develops a new product or service, formulates a new way of working or tests a new digital solution, it is often uncertain and tentative at the beginning. Meeting leaders who are interested in what works, what feels difficult and what inspires, rather than whether it was “right” right away, is crucial for the process to come to life.
Leading the development of creative competence therefore requires both courage and sensitivity. Courage not to know best. Sensitivity to hear what is about to become, rather than what does not yet work. It is about seeing people in learning, not just in performance.
We should see our leadership as a constant conversation, where we follow the growth of others with respect and commitment. Then our role will not be to provide knowledge, but to build an environment where knowledge can be used, tested and shaped into real competence. An environment where creativity can exist, even when it is incomplete. Because it is precisely there, in the unfinished, that the solutions of the future are born.
