Creativity is often misunderstood as artistic talent or spontaneous inspiration, but effective leaders know it is something much more practical. Creativity is the ability to imagine new possibilities, solve problems, adapt to uncertainty, and create environments where innovation can flourish. In this episode, Kate Johnson is joined by Glory Lichon, Melissa Norcross, and Kristen Pavle and Dave Gorum of Play Into Being to explore what creativity looks like in everyday leadership.
Together they discuss the role of self-trust, self-awareness, psychological safety, experimentation, collaboration, and play in creating workplaces where people feel safe enough to think differently. Rather than treating creativity as an individual talent, they describe it as something leaders intentionally cultivate through the environments they create, the questions they ask, and the freedom they provide for others to contribute their best ideas.
Whether you're leading a department, building a business, or simply trying to think more creatively about the challenges in front of you, this conversation offers practical ideas for creating the conditions where better thinking—and better leadership—can emerge.
Guest Information, listed alphabetically
Dave Gorum is the Co-founder of Play Into Being, who has turned his aspirations of being an animator into a business designed to support creative founders. He describes his role as that of a Producer, informed by a core belief: Your project is alive and it chose you to come into being. The way you treat it is the way you treat yourself. Together with partner Kristen Pavle, Dave runs workshops, incubators, and 1:1 producing engagements to help founders navigate that vulnerable space where vision meets reality, without losing what makes the work alive in the first place.
Glory Lichon is a founder, speaker, veteran, and mentor devoted to redefining how women lead. She is the co-founder and CEO of Glow Bright Therapy, a multi-state pediatric therapy organization, and the founder of Elevate Beyond Boundaries, where she guides women founders and leaders through embodied leadership, nervous system regulation, and aligned expansion. Glory also hosts The Embodied LeadHer podcast, where she shares honest conversations and reflections on leadership, identity, capacity, and self-trust for women who are ready to lead from a more grounded and aligned place.
Glory Lichon - Glow Bright Therapy, LLC | LinkedIn
The Embodied LeadHer - Podcast
Melissa Norcross is the co-founder of Ad Lucem Group, an Executive Moderator at Collaborative Gain,, and co-author of The Intentional Executive, a purpose-driven playbook to transform leadership. She leverages her 20+ years as a strategy executive to coach and develop leaders who deliver extraordinary results while building highly engaged, collaborative teams.
Kristen Pavle is Partner and Co-founder at Play Into Being where she blends producing, community, and education to help creative leaders bring their visions to life. As a relational designer, her background is in co-creating community ecosystems that prioritize collaboration, innovation, and meaningful connections. The throughline is finding play in your work, leading from the spark within you.
LinkedIn profile: Kristen Pavle | LinkedIn
Key takeaways
- Creativity is not artistic ability; it is the leadership practice of imagining possibilities, solving problems, and making better decisions.
- Creative leadership begins with self-trust. Leaders who understand their values and purpose are better able to discern which ideas deserve attention.
- Self-awareness is essential because creativity flourishes under different conditions for different people. Leaders should intentionally create environments that support their own best thinking.
- Innovation requires psychological safety. Employees are far more willing to contribute ideas when they know mistakes are treated as opportunities to learn rather than reasons for blame.
- Failure and creativity are inseparable companions. Experimentation is only possible when people are free to discover what does and does not work.
- Leaders are responsible for designing environments—not controlling outcomes. The role of leadership is to create the conditions where creativity can emerge.
- Structure and creativity are not opposites. The most effective leaders balance clear expectations with enough flexibility to allow new ideas to develop.
- Well-designed prompts, thoughtful questions, and playful exercises help teams become more comfortable thinking creatively together.
- Creativity is collaborative. Leaders create better ideas by inviting multiple perspectives rather than relying solely on their own expertise.
- Choosing grace means giving people the room to explore, experiment, learn, and contribute without expecting perfection.
Timestamps
00:00 — creativity beyond artistic ability
01:25 — self-trust and creative leadership
03:08 — creating the conditions for creativity
06:27 — why innovation requires failure
09:08 — designing creative workplaces
12:00 — psychological safety and vulnerability
15:09 — balancing creativity and business goals
20:19 — the leader's role in creative culture
22:26 — invitations, prompts, and psychological safety
26:58 — final reflections on creative leadership
Keywords
leadership creativity, creative leadership, creativity at work, critical thinking, innovation, innovation leadership, psychological safety, creative problem solving, workplace creativity, leadership development, self-trust, self-awareness, experimentation, learning from failure, organizational creativity, team innovation, leadership skills, creative culture, psychological safety at work, emergent design, enabling constraints, studio mindset, collaboration, workplace innovation, employee engagement, leadership podcast, The Well-led Podcast, Kate Johnson, choosing grace, creative teams
Powered by the WRKdefined Podcast Network.
Sponsors
