Creativity is one of the most sought-after qualities in today’s leaders. It is also difficult to identify and measure—and seemingly in short supply. All too often, “thinking outside the box” lacks spark and imagination. This book offers a fresh approach, revealing how poetry and the ways poets think can inform and inspire creative activity in other walks of life.

Frances McCue—a practicing poet with experience leading start-ups—shares the surprising lessons poets can teach current and aspiring executives about creativity, leadership, and collaboration. She shows how poetry’s particular forms of language and thought inspire readers to approach problems in unexpected and effective new ways. Thinking like a poet can help workplaces open up to innovation and question conventional wisdom; it can help team members communicate with energetic and surprising expressions that build their individual and collective voices.

The Poet in the C-Suite features stories of leaders across professions who apply poetic thinking in their work, ranging from an investment banker, a media mogul, and an international sales executive to a polar bear scientist, a craft beverage entrepreneur, and a roboticist. Both eye-opening and practical, this book is for all readers, including poets, who seek to cultivate artistry and self-expression within their workplaces.

Frances McCue is a poet, writer, and entrepreneur. She is also a teaching professor in the Department of English at the University of Washington. McCue is the author of four books of poetry and two nonfiction books, and her articles have appeared in a wide range of publications including Indian Country Today, Geekwire, the New York Times Book Review, and the Georgia Review.