Resourceful, Creative, and Whole: Tapping into Creativity for Successful Coaching

By Kelli Hearn, Program Officer for Financial Stabilty at LISC Kansas City 

The Cambridge Dictionary defines creativity as “the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative.” As an artist, I often use this word in conjunction with literal art, but creativity doesn’t have to be artistic.

Not every creative endeavor culminates in a sculpture or framed art piece. Any time we push against norms, standards, or traditions, we are being creative. As Financial Opportunity Center® site staff lean on the basis of the FOC framework – that every person who accesses our services is resourceful, creative, and whole on their own. With that frame, how do we tap into our creativity as we collaborate with each participant on their financial journey?

Donna L. Miller, author and instructor, writes creative thinkers ask unfamiliar questions, suggest new ideas, shift how we think about things, take risks, and consider other perspectives among other things. It seems FOC coaches are on the right track, as these are actions they do in collaboration with each client. But we can take it further by utilizing tools that cultivate creative thinking in FOC participants, for example: word association exercises to think through the reasons they’re incurring debt or mind mapping to talk through current feelings affecting their progress.

Creativity can be a great tool for successful coaching in a world that is constantly changing. If you find that your old faithful strategies are no longer working, tap into your creativity stash. What methods are you using to foster creativity in yourself and those around you?