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Creativity or intelligence: What predicts success better? - Pearl Academy
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What really makes one successful – an intelligent mind or a creative one?

There have been several studies on what really makes people successful. Many educational institutes and businesses value people with intelligence over creativity. The reason for this is pretty simple –intelligence is easier to quantify than creativity. It is also much easier to identify and manage intelligence. Creativity, on the other hand, is tougher to spot. It is also time consuming. History tells us how most creative people struggled in school, but then became highly successful.

So what really is the difference between creativity and intelligence? According to the dictionary, intelligence is ‘the ability to acquire and utilise knowledge’; creativity is ‘the use of imagination or original ideas to create something’. Unlike what most believe, creativity isn’t about coming up with revolutionary ideas, but about connecting existing concepts to create something new.

This demonstrates that intelligence plays an active role in being creative. Once you have a certain level of intelligence and knowledge, being creative is connecting the dots to create something new.

Here are a few reasons why being creative helps you be more successful:

  • The world is changing rapidly. So are professions. The only way to keep up is to be creative. Industry needs creative and breakthrough ideas.
  • Most people say the obvious. Generating fresh ideas isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The professional world needs people who bring incremental solutions and ideas to the table.
  • Break new ground. All professions are doing away with the monotonous and run-of-the-mill solutions. People need ideas that are creative that allow work to be exceptional.
  • Companies are becoming mortal. To be able to sustain is one of the biggest challenges before companies. This is why innovation, creativity and ingenuity are the only way they can sustain themselves.
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