As a public sector leader, you don’t make big decisions just based on vibes. You work with evidence.
You don’t just throw ideas around casually. You use frameworks, analysis, and robust processes.
So when I say: “Just tap into your creativity about your future…” you’ll probably think it sounds a bit fluffy.
But creativity isn’t about doing something vague or impractical. It’s an essential part of the exploration process. It’s the phase where you step back and ask: What else could be possible? Where you go wide before narrowing down.
Because if you don’t allow yourself to explore new ideas and to have a play with them… you’ll only ever choose from the options you already know.
And that’s exactly where a lot of us get stuck.
In this episode of the Space To Shift Your Career Podcast, I talk about why creativity is an essential tool for exploring exciting career options aligned with who you are now.
And I share 3 steps public sector leaders can use to tap into their own creativity.
Many Public Sector Leaders Struggle To Imagine An Alternative Career
The public sector leaders I work with are all intelligent, capable, and experienced people. They’ve built expertise. They’ve had impact and built a reputation.
And yet… they feel like something needs to change for them to feel alive again.
When they look ahead, they can’t picture anything different.
That’s when they tell themselves: “Well… I guess THIS IS IT then. I’ll just count the days till my next holidays.”
They tell me they feel frozen. Like their life is on hold somehow. As if they have to defer living it until … well someday in the future… perhaps when they retire.
When I challenge them and ask: “Isn’t life too short to put it on hold?”, they usually look down and nod. And then tell me that they genuinely don’t know what else they could do – or what’s out there.
3 Steps To Harness Your Creativity To Explore Career Options That Align
That’s what the exploration phase of career change is for. It’s not random. There is a method behind it.
It’s grounded in design thinking, behavioural science, positive psychology – and the same mindset you already use in public sector problem-solving.
Creativity is simply HOW we generate options. Because you can’t plan a future you haven’t imagined yet.
So how do you begin?
1. Start by Going Wide, Not Narrow
This might sound counter-intuitive. But it works.
Most leaders think career exploration means: “What job should I do instead?” That question is way too narrow.
A better starting point is: What sparks something in me? What lights me up? What do I find interesting, even if it doesn’t make sense yet?
Think of this like early-stage policy development. At the beginning, you don’t jump straight to implementation. You scan the landscape. You explore possibilities. You identify patterns.
Creativity in support of your career change works in the same way.
2. Create an Ideas Bank
One simple practice is to build an Ideas Bank.
Write down anything you’re interested in:
- Things you enjoyed as a younger person – and would love to do again
- Something you’ve always been fascinated by – but never got around to actually doing
- Activities that make time disappear
Not “shoulds.” Not obligations. But sparks.
Over time, come up with at least 30 things in your ideas bank.
Go out and do those things. Start the doing as soon as you’ve got some ideas in your bank, and add new ones as you go. It’s an iterative process.
As you try out different things, tune into yourself. Notice the energy: what lights you up – and what doesn’t. What makes you feel in flow. What would you love to keep doing forever if you could.
Do this for a couple of weeks. Allow yourself to dip into different things you feel drawn to – but you’d never thought you’d do. Let your inner child come out and have a play.
Don’t try to make sense of it just yet. Don’t self-censor at this stage. I know this might be hard! But resist the urge to put things into a box. Let go of that as much as you can. It’s key for your creativity to come alive. And for new ideas to form.
The goal is to fill your ideas bank with lots of ideas. Lots of rich experiences. Lots of data.
3. Notice Patterns and Themes
In the next phase, you bring back your analytical brain.
Take a step back, look at your ideas bank and notice what themes and patterns you see emerging.
Let me give you some examples. Perhaps you look at your ideas bank and you notice several items that have something in common around:
- building bridges between groups
- being active in the outdoors
- solving human problems, not just technical ones
- Or something completely different
These themes matter more than job titles. Because job titles don’t tell you much about the kind of stuff that makes your heart sing.
These themes give you clues about different future pathways that are more aligned with who you are now – and how you want to evolve your contribution to the world in future.
When I work with my clients in my 5-months Find Your Career Space programme, my clients often come up with 5-7 themes. That’s quite a lot! We then choose 2-3 themes that we continue building concrete career options around. And then, we test and verify them.
Why Creativity Works When Your Mind Is Blank
Creativity expands the menu.
It opens up possibility to:
- evolve
- redesign
- pivot
- integrate
- build something new
And that is where agency begins.
So if you feel stuck right now, let me ask you:
Where could you follow your curiosity and have a play?
Until next time: Make space, rediscover YOU, and then take action.