WNC Business had a chat with Dr. Amy Climer, a thought leader, consultant, and author in innovation and team development. Dr. Climer’s latest book, Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results, has applications for business owners across industries.

Dr. Climer has worked with organizations such as Mayo Clinic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FOX Sports, and the University of Wisconsin. She holds a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. She has also published a TEDx talk explaining her research and philosophies on innovation. 

As a keynote speaker and emcee, Dr. Climer was recognized as a Certified Speaking Professional by the National Speakers Association. She is also trained in Creative Problem Solving, Design Thinking, the FourSight Thinking System, and Immunity to Change. 

She is the designer of Climer Cards, a creativity and teambuilding tool used by thousands of leaders to deepen conversations and generate ideas. Dr. Climer’s relentless pursuit of creativity and leadership excellence was recognized in 2016 when she received the Karl Rohnke Creativity Award from the Association for Experiential Education. In 2024 and 2025, CEO Monthly recognized Dr. Climer as the Most Influential CEO of Team Development in the Southeast. 

WNCB: What is the most important thing you'd like readers to know about your new book, Deliberate Creative Teams?

AC: Teams are critical for innovation. Yet, creativity will not happen by accident. Teams don’t become innovative by chance; they need intentional strategies, behaviors, and structures to foster creativity. The book provides a roadmap for harnessing the collective intelligence of a team, ensuring that diverse perspectives contribute to groundbreaking solutions. When teams are able to be deliberate about creativity, they can innovate anytime to solve real problems as they arise. 

Due to my research and the work I’ve done with teams as an innovation consultant, my mantra has become, “Be deliberate to be creative.” It’s the only way you can innovate.  

WNCB: Why is this book important for business leaders?

Research shows that creativity is one of the most critical leadership skills, yet many leaders don’t know how to develop it in their teams. The book includes exercises, case studies, and a roadmap that leaders can immediately follow to foster a culture of creativity so their teams can innovate anytime. 

WNCB: How does the entire economic ecosystem benefit from the development creative teams set forth in your book? 

When businesses thrive, our community thrives. Businesses that are unable or unwilling to be creative will wither away and become irrelevant. Sometimes this happens quickly, over a few months; other times, the decline is more gradual and may take place over a few years. A business’s ability to innovate when needed is directly related to its ability to thrive amid change. 

Here in WNC, Hurricane Helene has changed our economic landscape due to physical challenges and a decrease in tourism. The change in federal regulations or federal spending is also impacting some businesses. The businesses that understand how to be creative will thrive. If their teams can follow a deliberate creative system, they will be able to handle these changes with grace and develop new solutions that make them even stronger. 

Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results, by Dr. Amy Climer, published January 2025 by Page Two Press, is available at major bookstores.