We confuse creativity with innovation, we think that innovating means having lots of ideas, and we believe we're not creative. These misunderstandings are costing organizations dearly.
Every April 21st, the UN commemorates the International Day of Creativity and Innovation. A date that, for most companies, goes completely unnoticed. And that, in itself, already says a lot.
When I ask in a university setting who considers themselves creative, four or five people raise their hand out of an entire room. The same happens in companies: most employees assume that innovation is the exclusive territory of a specialized department, of the tech team, or at best, of those who were born "with that gift." This deeply rooted, widespread belief is one of the most costly barriers organizations face today.
As a consultant specializing in organizational change, I have accompanied companies across industries as diverse as retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and professional services. And in all of them I find the same patterns: myths that keep repeating themselves, that are taken as truth, and that silently sabotage any real attempt at transformation.
This is the most common confusion and perhaps the most damaging. Creativity is the act of generating new ideas: it is imagination, divergence, exploration. Innovation, on the other hand, is when that idea is successfully implemented and generates measurable value in the market or within the organization.
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most eloquent examples: he was an undisputed creative genius, but a large part of his inventions remained as sketches and very few ever became reality. Creativity without methodology, investment, and implementation does not become innovation. Innovation requires strategy, clear KPIs, clarity on return on investment, and risk management.
Everyone is creative. Creativity is not a fixed trait you either have or don't have — it is educated, exercised, and developed. The education system, one of the sectors that has evolved the least in the last 50 years, taught us that either you drew well or you weren't creative. That false equation follows us into adult life and professional life.
The reality is that we apply creativity all the time, even in the most everyday decisions. The more the creative muscle is worked, the more ideas are generated. The difference between more and less creative people is not one of nature — it's one of practice.
Creativity has no industry or function. It can — and should — be applied to any decision: from how to structure a manufacturing process to how to design a more effective team meeting. The mistake lies in associating creativity exclusively with the visual or the artistic, when in reality it is a way of thinking.
Organizations that hire creative talent and then confine it to rigid processes, with no room for exploration or tolerance for error, are canceling out exactly what they were looking for. Creativity needs space to breathe.
How many times have we heard: "Now we're really going to innovate — let's do a brainstorm!" The team gathers, someone sticks post-its on the wall, and a week later no idea has been evaluated, none has been implemented, and the project has been forgotten.
The creative process has a precise methodology. The post-it is not an accident: when writing an idea, the physical downward motion activates focus and reduces mental noise. The thick marker forces you to express only one idea per note, because the key is to move, combine, and prioritize. Without a facilitator guiding that process — from divergence through convergence to evaluation — the result is collective frustration and a tree felled for nothing.
The reality is the opposite: rigid structures, internal politics, and pre-defined budgets kill innovation. When the budget determines the idea rather than the other way around, creative thinking gets trapped before it can even be born. The most powerful way to boost innovation is to create an organizational climate where people dare to try: where there are spaces for genuine listening, circles of trust, and tolerance for error. A team member who tries to do something differently and receives "just do it the way you always have" as a response will not try again.
Knowing these myths is not enough. The real call is to leaders: how are you creating the environment that allows your people to use their creative and innovative mindset? Because if you have brilliant talent but keep it locked in a shell, don't expect different results.
Adaptability and flexibility — the coefficient that determines who survives in a constantly changing environment — are built from the top down. A leader who believes in their team, who opens up space to experiment, and who accepts that the first attempt may not be perfect, is building an innovative culture. One who demands the right answer from the very first moment is destroying it.
Companies that keep doing things the way they always have stand little chance of staying relevant in a world that is constantly changing. Every company has to innovate. But the hard part to face is whether leaders are willing to create the conditions for that to happen.
By Irene Marqués, Partner at Olivia México.