We live in the wasteland of the disrupted world.

I call it disrupted because the combined effect of globalization and the technological revolution of the last decade has changed the way we do business… Forever. It will likely take two generations for the education system to catch up with this disruption. Not good.

I call it a wasteland because the negative impact of this disruption is being felt first, before the rest of it’s consequences are realized. We’re going to have to go through the wasteland where engineers with PhD’s and Studio-Arts majors suffer the same level of chronic, lifelong unemployment and underemployment.

In the long run, this disruption is going to be extremely beneficial. Just like agriculture, the printing press, or the steam engine, the initial shock that lasts a generation or two will be followed by massive, unprecedented advances when the current seeds of innovation yield fruit.

But until we get to that world of a fully automated post-productivity economy, and perhaps even the singularity, we have to deal with the wasteland at hand.

Our “Wasteland” Economy

Our disrupted wasteland is a harsh world where competition reaches post apocalyptic levels. Many job skills that used to be valuable, stable or high status – skills that top universities teach degree programs in – have become completely worthless.

Trained engineers apply to 600+ jobs before giving up and become entry level sandwich makers. College educated professionals are lining up for jobs to wash dishes, competing with 6000+ other applicants. And in some unfortunate corners, millions of applicants are applying to government jobs, only to discover the “job entrance exams” they were given was a thin veneer for nepotism – leading to riots.

Make no mistake. We don’t live in the world we were educated and prepared for anymore. This IS the disrupted wasteland.

And of course… That’s not the end of the story…

Just like in zombie apocalypse films, the wasteland has demands for certain types of activity. Some skills, some jobs, and some professions have retained their value. And other new ones have emerged. And a number of skills and areas of work have become safe havens. 

In fact, they have become more than safe havens. They are more like what living in a self-sustaining military base would look like in a zombie apocalypse – secure, prosperous and even pleasant.

What skills am I talking about? 

Of course, I’m talking about the five core skills and seven high value disciplines that, according to institutions like the World Economic Forum or the McKinsey consulting company, turn professionals into high-paid, highly sought after assets not only for today, but also in the emerging new business world order.

I’ve written, talked and taught about these skills and disciplines many times, and if this is the first time you are hearing about them you should read this article.

Today, rather than giving you another introduction to the topic, I will instead play favoritism, and give you the most lucrative skill among these high value ones.

Make no mistake, there is one skill that ranks above them all. It happens to be my favorite, as well as the most sought after, the rarest, and the highest paid. And that core skill is creativity.

Creativity as a High-Value Skill

What makes creativity as a skill so unique?

First of all, it has a strong genetic component, making it difficult to mass produce. It also is rare, and by that, I mean exceedingly rare. It even has an estimated minimum IQ requirement of 120, meaning, you have to be at least a little smart to be creative.

Of course, this type of raw creative talent doesn’t always translate to the skill of creativity. You also need to be taught how to harness it. You need to develop a creative process. You need to build additional mental skills such as critical thinking or communication, before you can harness its power.

But once you can do it, the sky’s the limit!

Once you have developed the skill of creativity, and learned how to get the relevant people to recognize it, you can break all the rules of the corporate game.

I’ve personally worked with a number of such creative professionals, who lived exceptional work-lives (like coming and going to work as they pleased, having special food catered to their offices, or being given unique titles and massive salaries beyond their peers). Moreover, they also produced exceptional results. I’ve even seen one case where a single idea literally transformed a tiny business into a 600 million dollar business with colossal success and international acclaim (a good chunk of that money went directly into the pocket of this creative)!

Of course, anyone who tells you that they could boost your IQ or turn you into such a creative genius, especially before they knew anything about you, would be lying. There is no one size fits all solution for developing creativity.

Let’s also keep in mind: The harsh truth of the matter is not everyone is creative (that’s the whole point, it’s rarity makes it valuable). Therefore, not everyone can achieve peak creative output.

That being said… Yes, everybody can benefit from the creative process, and develop creativity as a skill that separates them from the rest of their competition. You don’t have to be a creative genius in order to apply some of it’s principles to your career, in order to grow your title, increase your paycheck and get promoted faster. This is why, learning the skills to harness creativity is a must for every professional.

If on top of that, however, you are also naturally creative… If you have creative potential that can be harnessed… You need to not only develop the skills that facilitate your creativity, but you also need to learn how to create a career narrative that demonstrates your creativity and gets you recognized as a creative professional. (Hint: usually the creative professional in any business is the one that the rules don’t apply, the one that breaks all the rules and gets away with it.)

Make no mistake: It doesn’t matter how talented you are and how creative you are. If other people, especially other people with capital and hiring power, don’t recognize it… It will go to waste.

But if they do recognize your creative potential, and acknowledge your creative role in any process – you get special treatment. That’s the trick.

This is why, we’ve not only outlined a set of world class instructions for developing the skill of creativity in the Launch Your Career program, but we’ve also identified the specific techniques for becoming recognized as a high-value creative.

My only advice is this: If you are not that creative, it’s OK. There are plenty of other high-value skills that can make you very successful. (Like, retire your grandkids successful)

If you do have creative potential, however, don’t squander it!!! Focus on it. Develop it. Be recognized for it. And make it your chief skill. 

Find work and build a career that leverages your creative talents to it’s maximum, so that you can be instrumental to getting our civilization out of the current wasteland of disruption. 

You deserve to be employed at the highest and best use of your time, wasteland or not. And the world deserves the fruits of your creative work.