In a recent poll,  1,500 leading business owners from 60 countries were asked what, in their opinion, was the most important aspect of running a successful business today.

The answer might surprise you. 80% said the most important aspect is creativity. The business world is becoming so complex, they said, that it demands new ways of thinking.

But creativity is not easy to come by. We are so engrossed in the everyday running of a small businesses that we tend to leave our creativity behind, dormant.

Here are 5 ways to awaken and fuel your creativity:

- You can’t change what you don’t notice. Question the ways you are conducting your business. Are you falling into patterns? Is there a better way to do what you are doing? New technologies, maybe?

- There are 5 stages of creative thinking, according to an article in The Huffington Post: insight, saturation, incubation, illumination and verification. These stages provide a guide to developing creative ideas. More information can be found in Betty Edward’s book “Drawing on the Artist Within” which elaborates on those stages and talks about training your brain, moving between the left side of the brain which controls analytical deductive functions, and the right side of the brain which controls the big picture and pattern seeking.

- Use your passion. Find the aspects of your job that are meaningful to you. Operating without passion might pay your bills but it won’t move you forward.

- Think creatively how you can overcome obstacles and generate new solutions. Not only in your field but in those of your coworkers as well. Helping others might help you think more creatively.

- Have an open mind to suggestions. An idea a coworker brings to the table may excite you enough to think of solutions you haven’t thought of before.

- Creativity needs time. Try to set some time every week when you are not answering phones and not solving problems. Dedicate that time for reflection. Talk a walk, meditate or listen to music. Let your subconscious through by not concentrating on the problems. Sleep on it, as they say, if that works for you. Those moments of rest are very important for clearing your mind and coming up with new ideas.

Creativity is something a lot of us crave, but it is not easy to obtain. We tend to concentrate on solving problems the same way we have been doing it for years. Taking a step back, thinking about the big picture and finding unorthodox solutions will wake up your creativity and make you a better business owner and a happier person.

Image thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/25056079@N07/4096117541/