Creativity is not fueled by money

I was reading this very good article from Daniel Goleman ( http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121113194359-117825785-people-aren-t-creative-for-money ) and I found myself nodding approvingly. I started thinking about the most creative people I know, and revised if money was a top incentive for them - if you paid them more, could they be more creative? And the answer was "no".

You can pay for time that is allocated to your projects - and that might actually result on a redirection of creative efforts, or in you hiring an external creative team to do the work or inspire it. But that is it! If you are talking of the talent that you already have in your company, it is not the act of paying it that will make them more creative.

Creativity is fueled (as Daniel is saying in his article) by motivation and passion. It is feeling excited about the work one is developing, positive about outcomes and conditions. It is believing that the idea that is being developed will cause an impact. And that is where a company can work the most to stimulate creativity - it is on ensuring that positive mood, focus on what is important, make sure employees find themselves meaningful. I truly believe the human mind is an amazing thing, and, nothing drives positiveness as much as feeling we are making progress in something that matters and has an impact (as Daniel is stating).