C-Suites are Missing the Most Important ‘C’
Authored by Ron W Roecker, Award-winning brand and creative strategist and best-selling author
Right Brained. Left Brained. Both Brained?
I took Accounting in college and, for some reason, I kept thinking, “What if we woke up one day and X equaled Y?” I thought the hypothetical was interesting — because X always having to equal X felt so limiting. I posed the question to our professor (whose background was in commercial accounting, not teaching). Without addressing the question or asking a single follow‑up, she told me to drop the class and find a new major that was “more conducive to my way of thinking.”
Despite testing out of Calc I and II and earning an A and a B in Stats and Econ, respectively,I was told my thinking was all wrong for “serious analytics.”
This kind of thinking has pigeonholed people and shaped business culture for decades. And it’s all based on one of the most persistent, damaging — and thoroughly debunked — physiological myths: that people are either “right‑brained” or “left‑brained.” Creative or analytical. Imaginative or quantitative. Visionary or operational.
Neuroscience has disproven this for decades1.
Human beings do not use one side of their brain more than the other. Creativity and analytical thinking are not opposites — they are partners. The same person can be deeply imaginative and deeply strategic. A designer can be highly data‑driven. A CFO can be wildly creative. A surgeon can be an extraordinary storyteller. A software engineer can be a pattern‑seeking artist.
The right‑brain/left‑brain myth didn’t just mislead individuals about what they were capable of — it shaped entire corporate structures. The worst thing it did was separate “the businesspeople” from “the creatives,” as if the two were incompatible.
The Corporate Blind Spot: Efficiency Without Imagination
Most executive teams are built for predictability. They excel at optimization, risk mitigation, and scaling what already works. But efficiency is not a strategy for a world defined by disruption.
· Blockbuster didn’t fail because it lacked resources.
· Kodak didn’t fail because it lacked innovation.
· Nokia didn’t fail because it lacked talent.
· Sears didn’t fail because it lacked infrastructure.
They failed because they lacked inspiration and imagination.
Today, companies are expected to have a soul, not just a strategy. To offer personalized experiences instead of one‑size‑fits‑all transactions. To be transparent, interactive, emotionally intelligent, and narrative‑driven. To share the same ethics and values as their customers. To contribute to solving global problems instead of gauging success solely by margins. And to cultivate cultures of adaptability, creativity, psychological safety, and resilience.
All these expectations require creative thinking.
Companies that thrive today — Apple, Nike, Airbnb, LEGO — have creative leadership at the center of decision‑making. Why is that a game‑changer? Because creative leaders bring capabilities traditional leadership pipelines rarely cultivate:
- Pattern recognition in chaos
- Comfort with ambiguity and rapid change
- Human‑centered thinking that builds trust and loyalty
- Narrative framing that makes strategy meaningful
- Imagination that generates solutions that don’t exist yet
- Empathy that strengthens culture and customer connection
In a world where AI automates tasks, markets shift overnight, and customers expect emotional resonance, creative leadership is no longer optional. It is the differentiator.
FIVE ACTIONS COMPANIES CAN TAKE NOW
1. Bring Creative Thinkers Into Strategic Conversations Early
Most companies bring creatives in after the strategy is set, asking them to “make it pretty” or “bring it to life.”
Creatives should be in the room when:
- problems are being defined
- assumptions are being challenged
- customer insights are being interpreted
- new opportunities are being explored
2. Redefine Creativity as a Leadership Skill — Not a Job Title
Creativity is not limited to designers, writers, or marketers. It is a way of thinking — one that can be cultivated across roles. Make it part of executive hiring, development, and evaluation.
3. Build Cross‑Functional Teams That Blend Logic and Imagination
Innovation rarely comes from siloed expertise. It comes from collisions — between disciplines, perspectives, and ways of thinking.
Create cross‑functional “Think Tanks” that address specific tasks or challenges
- a strategist
- a designer
- a data analyst
- a storyteller
- a product or operations leader
4. Cultivate Psychological Safety & Reward Experimentation
If people don’t feel safe to fail, they won’t push the envelope. Make out‑of‑the‑box thinking part of job descriptions and team development. Reward experimental thinking and creative solutions — not just predictable ones.
5. Make Storytelling a Core C‑Suite Capability
Data informs decisions. Stories drive them. Creative leaders know how to translate complexity into meaning — for employees, customers, and stakeholders. Train executives to pair narrative with metrics so storytelling begins at the top.
The next era of leadership will not be dominated by the most efficient organizations, but by the most inspired ones. If companies want to thrive today — and prepare for tomorrow — they must elevate creative thinkers, cultivate adaptable and resilient cultures, and become human‑narrative‑driven storytellers from the top down.
1 University of Utah Health Study 2013
Author Bio: Ron Roecker, Chief of Brand Strategy & Music Industry Expert, Be Differently