Secret Wish Cartoon #4

March 2, 2010 – 2:32 pm

Riding the train you get a peek into the lives of other people. It’s one of my favorite places to observe, draw, and reflect. Yes, most have their game faces on already, but sometimes you get an intuition of what’s under the mask. I saw this woman a couple weeks ago riding the train into London. She was a domestic of some kind and she had a lovely open face (when you draw people everybody’s face looks more interesting, beautiful really).  Massive bag in her lap, practical brown shoes, tidy looking overall. A name came to me, Agnes. Agnes was a bit tired looking, in spite of a hurried, dab-on make-up job.

Agnes relaxed for the ride and zoned out, until about a minute before we arrived at her stop. Then her face changed, frowning ever-so-slightly at the corners of her mouth.  I saw she was entering a state of dread and resistance. I felt for her, I’m sure she works hard.  So, her Secret Wish was easy to imagine.

My wish for Agnes, and everyone, is to find some joy in the work you do.  Sometimes joy is difficult to find in work. Sometimes you need to make frightening choices and make a change, if you do, it’s worth it. Creativity, and the joy of that, happens when you’re doing something you love. Bless you Agnes.

Posted in Cartoons by Gregg Fraley, Creativity and Self-Expression, Humor | No Comments »

Glen Beck is NOT Thomas Paine, Not an Innovator

February 19, 2010 – 2:54 pm

I really hate to post about politics. I am not a pundit. I am a citizen. And the focus of this blog is creativity and innovation. Still, I’ve got something to say. Glen Beck is Not Thomas Paine. Nor is he an innovator. Nor is he a conservative.

While visiting the holocaust museum in Berlin my big takeaway from the experience was simply that when lies are allowed to stand unchallenged, very bad things happen. Let me state for the record here, Glen Beck is a dangerous man. He is an insidious liar, and, he is not at all like Thomas Paine. Last evening he claimed to be the Thomas Paine of our time. The fact that he is an egomanic is not the key thing. He is, but the more important bit is why he’s not at all like Thomas Paine. This is one lie I cannot let go past without saying, No!

I really shouldn’t ever turn on Fox News. It’s so full of distortions, lies, and skewed reporting that five minutes can’t go by without my being shocked. I made the mistake of tuning in last night and caught Glen Beck at “the blackboard”.  For those of you who never watched the Beckster, this has become one of his signature bits. He gives pseduo-erudite lectures on American history, “teaching” with chalk in hand. Generally, his point is that “progressives” are an evil lower and more insidious than the devil.  He traces the history of the progressive movement and makes, in his inaccurate and skewed way, distinctions about what the founders (of the USA) truly intended — and it ain’t about Progressive!  He’s savaged great Americans like Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and of course Barack Obama (he’s openly called Obama a racist). I’ve seen this blackboard act before and I’m impressed by his persistence.  This is honest-to-God propaganda, not a one-off remark. He intends, and he says this outloud, to educate Americans, and in that process help Save The Country.

I’m going to have to start taking Beck seriously. He’s such a thorough, and to be fair, engaging liar, it’s clear to me that he is doing great harm with his message. Harm along the same order as Joseph McCarthy. It’s not too late to stop Beck from becoming as powerful, and as harmful, as McCarthy. America does not need another blacklist era. Why is he so dangerous? Because he presents a convincing case to the under-educated, and what he’s convincing them of is a lie. He, like Paine, is a propagandist — and that’s where the similarity ends. Progressives are not evil, they are not un-American, and they revere the founders, and the constitution, as much, or more, than anyone.

7 Reasons Glen Beck is Not the Modern Thomas Paine:

1. He’s not an intellectual. He is pretending to be and to some people he might be convincing. However, if you examine what he says you’ll find that he’s very shallow, and flat out wrong. His books (I’ve read one) are self-serving promotional vehicles that rehash a lot of old school libertarian ideas. His attempts at humor are forced and unfunny.

2. He’s not an inventor. Paine designed bridges. This was a man with a lot of talent. Beck has some talent as a showman, and that is all. He’s not an innovator, nor an inventor, at best, he’s a high adaptor.

3. He’s not much of a writer.  Paine wrote the most popular book of his time, it was influential in the USA and in Europe. It was not only popular, it was dead serious literature. It set the stage for the American Revolution. The USA never had a king in large part due to Thomas Paine. Beck has his books ghost written by a huge staff. At best, he touches up a manuscript prepared by others.

4. Paine was a radical and a revolutionary. Beck is a reactionary. There is a big difference. Beck wants to go back to the future. Paine wanted to create a new, different, and better future. The founders were rebels, innovators, fighters. Beck is a pudgy huckster who wants to preserve the status quo of the Reagan era. Again Paine was out of the box, Beck is about getting back in the box.

5. Unlike what Beck would have you believe, Paine was indeed a progressive. He believed in appropriate taxation, free schools, and government programs to help the poor. Beck is essentially a libertarian, beyond the military there would be very little role for the government in anything he envisions. I respect the belief, but it’s not what Paine would have wanted. Conservatives would do well to distance themselves from Beck as I believe in time he will become infamous.

6. Paine donated the profits from his famous pamphlet Common Sense to George Washington’s Army.  Beck undoubtedly makes a ton of money — I’ve not heard about him donating anything to anything. He might be a generous guy — but somehow I doubt it. After his blackboard lecture last night he barely took a deep breath before promoting his new lecture tour, “tickets available at Ticketmaster, or on Glen Beck dotcom”. If he was such a patriot, why doesn’t he do it free?

7. Paine was a propagandist. Beck is as well, fair enough. It’s just that Paine was a giant thinker with a noble purpose, Beck is a whack job who doesn’t know the harm he does.

The way to stop Beck is to follow the money. Don’t buy his books, don’t attend his talks, don’t buy any product that sponsors him. Actively challenge his assertions, and don’t accept his history lessons as facts, he mixes facts and lies very carefully to promote his agenda.

Posted in Innovation, Politics & Government, Trends, Futurism, and Research | 7 Comments »

The Ultimate Innovator’s Playlist

February 15, 2010 – 4:20 pm

It occurred to me that Innovators need music as much as, maybe more than, everyone else. Music is an unparalleled source of inspiration for many people, so why would innovators be any different?

So, what would the inspired Innovators ultimate playlist be?

I’ve created the ultimate playlist for innovators — based on experience, and suggestions from friends on Twitter and Facebook. Now, it’s a given that there might be different playlists for different innovator mind-frames, like, what to play when doing research, or what to play when building a prototype, doing idea generation, etc.  Those might come later.  But this list is the generic all purpose one. I say Innovator in my title, but this is a post for Entrepreneurs as well.

Writing this started out as a whim. It’s evolved into a real learning experience.  I’ve discovered new musical artists, and new sources of inspiration. It’s opened new mind-doors for me — through my ears.  Perhaps it will do the same for you — so without further ado:

Innovator’s Playlist (in no significant order)

1. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – Michael Jackson.  Forgive me, it’s disco, and pop all the way. The sentiment however is pure innovator, it’s infectious, and yes, you can dance like mad to it.  An innovator is always about ‘Startin Somethin’ — his or her life is a dance of new initiatives, solving big problems, creating new products and services — or the ultimate — a start-up company. I considered making “Man in the Mirror” part of this list as well (a suggestion by Deb Giampoli) the self-reflective honest is a necessity to be sure — but am limiting it to one song per artist (it’s my blog, I make the rules.)

2. “Start Me Up” – Rolling Stones. Although this clearly is a song about “getting down” it’s still inspirational for business people.  Innovators have that kind of sexual energy don’t they? But more than that, I think a lot of innovators feel that if they can get a toe-hold on a market, they are unbeatable. That’s the bigger message to me. The Chicago Bulls (the teams that used to win all the time) used this song at almost every home game — it worked well for them! Thanks to Steven Thompson and Ed Duemler for this one, although I did an Entrepreneur workshop in South Africa and called it “Start Me Up” for a reason…

3. “Desire” - U2. The motivation to do something should come from a very deep and strong place, call it the soul, call it your heart, you won’t have the staying power and will to get something done if you don’t have a very strong Desire. Yes, money can be a motivator, but it had better not be the only one; it’s rarely enough. This song is the quintessential one about Desire, I can’t listen to it without my heart beating faster.

4. “Don’t Stop Believin” – Journey. Quite cornball I know, and yet, it belongs in this list because the refrain is one that any innovator/entrepreneur needs to repeat to themselves constantly. You need to believe in what you’re doing, because invariably others will question it, you will hit rough spots, and the easy way out will be to quit. Play this song then, and “hold on to that dream.”

5. “Follow That Dream” – Elvis Presley. The first king of pop did this catchy number for the movie of the same name. Elvis does a good job of selling the message of the song — doing what your heart desires.  That’s where a lot of good business starts. The movie plot actually has a “start up” aspect — they start a business to help sports fisherman. The aspect of “following” is interesting too, because while goals are necessary, sometimes it’s the unexpected path — appearing out of nowhere — that leads us to the promised land.

6. “Mission Impossible Theme” - Lalo Shiffrin. When you’re doing something really difficult, and something that requires a sense of urgency, you’ve got to have a soundtrack with a bit of pace to motivate you.  When it comes to pace and urgency this is one of the best songs ever. When you hear it, the confidence and excitement it builds in you is palpable. This is a really good one for imagining how you are going to win, get over a hurdle, or finish something. To me, the sound of this iconic TV theme means — get things done! For music trivia buffs, this piece is written in the unusual 5/4 time.

7. “Gonna Fly Now” – Rocky Theme – Vocals: Deetta Little/Nelson Pigford, composed by Bill Conti. It’s tough to beat this one for pure inspiration. The association, for me, is with the underdog who’s doing that hard work, and building, building, building, towards winning against all odds.  And that’s what innovating is all about.  When I see Rocky that sequence never fails to bring me to tears.  Which has me thinking, maybe we need a top 10 movies for Innovators/Entrepreneurs. Send suggestions.

8. “Takin’ Care of Business” – Bachman-Turner Overdrive. This is another cornball song that has an irrepressible feel. It’s meant to inspire jealousy at the “easy” life of being a self-employed musician. It works! And a lot of small business people are having so much fun doing what they do, they don’t think of it as work, much like the guy in the song. We can all inspire to the joie de vivre in Takin’ Care of Business.

9. “Nabucco Overture” – Verdi. I’m not a huge classical fan, but Michel Lecoq turned me onto this piece. It’s a stunner, it builds slowly, and then packs a major punch that is incredibly satisfying.  Like a lot of classical pieces it takes time to develop, but stick with it, it’s worth it. A lesson in delayed gratification for innovators.

10. “The World’s Greatest” - R. Kelly. I’m an older fella, so to be honest, I’d never heard this song until I put out the call for this post. It’s a newer tune from the hip/hop side of the fence, suggested by Tammy Heath Pierson. I downloaded it from iTunes and imagine my surprise when I really liked it. I think of hip hop as rhythmic, but un-melodic, but this is a very musical number. It suggests the brashness of Muhammad Ali. Confidence is key to being an entrepreneur or innovator. This is scary, I’m starting to really like R. Kelly.

11. “Unwritten” – Natasha Bedingfield. I’d never heard of this one either, another suggestion by Deb Giampoli. It’s about that blank page, and the challenge of creating something. “Open up the dirty window, let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find…” Love it. Have downloaded all of Bedingfield as a result, this post is opening new musical doors for me…and amping up my iTunes bill.

12. “Nothing Ever Happens” - Del Amitri. I’m officially an old fart. Never even heard of Del Amitri (the last Del for me was Del Shannon…). Karl Raat (who writes a very cool blog) suggested this one. This is a dark song, and I’m including it here because it’s a song to remind you what an innovator runs away from, the bleakness of a life without fulfilling work.

13. “Magic of the Mind” – Bill Hartwell. Not surprised if you’ve never heard of this, but it’s a delightful song about creative thinking.  Penned by CPSI colleague Bill Hartwell, it’s something of a tribute to the conference, the CPS process, and its inventor Sidney Parnes. Magic of the Mind is also the title of a Parnes book about creativity. You should check out Hartwell, he’s playing gigs in the San Diego area, or buy his CD from his website. I’ll put the lyrics to Magic of the Mind below the list.

14. “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” – Rodgers & Hammerstein. From The Sound of Music. The voice from the movie was Marjorie McKay (she overdubbed film actress Peggy Wood).  Shirley Bassey and Tony Bennet also gave it a whirl. It’s a highly emotional and operatic tune, and one that has resonated over the decades. And an innovator has to climb every mountain to be sure; with this song in your head you might just make it.

15. “My Way” – Paul Anka (pick your favorite artist, Sinatra, Elvis, etc.) wrote the lyrics to the melody of a French pop tune, and the result was this classic. He actually had Sinatra in mind while writing the words. An entrepreneur has a fundamental motivation to do something “my way” — a better way, a different way. They take the risk and let the chips fall where they may. While betting the farm, play My Way, and you’ll have to few regrets to mention no matter how it works out.

16. “The Candy Man” — Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. Whimsy, magic, and fun are all part of creating things, so I had to include this. Loved Sammy Davis Jr.’s version best. The Rat Pack’s second entry into the list.

17. “Faith” – The Cure. Life in a start-up, or, an aggressive innovator effort, can at times be frightening, scary, gloomy, and just plain awful. This is the truth, and all the positive thinking in the world isn’t going to change this, it’s still going to happen. At those times one must draw on a deep faith, whether it be a faith in God, or simply a faith or belief in what you are doing. This song represents that gothic moment, and it’s a balance to all the unbridled cheerfulness in this list. Thanks to my friend Guillaume Pakel and his muse Florence Duvachelle for bringing this to my attention.

18. “Revolution” – Lennon/McCartney. Hard to say which version of the song I like best, the wacky one, or the slower, shooby dooh way, one. Either way, the song is all about change, and change is what innovators do. It might be tough to actually have this on a playlist since it’s not available on iTunes (but we can assume creativity in my readership).  Thanks to Russ Schoen for this suggestion.

19. “Shining Star” – Earth Wind and Fire. If you really need a lift, listen to this song. Listen to the whole album, “That’s The Way of The World.” Suggested by Jack Brotman (and I wish I’d remembered it before he did!).

20. “Jump” – written and performed by Van Halen (Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony).  I’ve got a soft spot for this tune as it has me getting over being tentative and taking risks. This is another Ed Duemler suggestion.

21. “Truckin” – The Grateful Dead. No playlist is complete without a Grateful Dead song, so here it is, suggested by Richard Schwartz.  It’s one of those life affirming numbers, and yes, like all other humans, innovators have to find some joy, just truckin along, and yes, what a long, strange trip it’s been.

So, that’s it. Let the arguments begin!

*********************************************************

Other suggestions I didn’t have time to integrate into the post above:

• Jind Mahi – Malkit Singh http://bit.ly/12Vn0g (suggested by Mark Brady) — this is irrepressible and I don’t even know what’s being said, it’s in some Indian language. I am standing up gyrating while I type listening it’s so good.
• Elvis Costello – Red Shoes (Live TOTP 1977) http://bit.ly/deoZn (Mark Brady). I’d considered “What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding” as well.
• Nessun Dorma – Paul Potts http://bit.ly/d4BPg3 (Mark Brady)
• The Babys – Isn’t It Time http://bit.ly/9ZXr64 (Mark Brady)
• Selfless, Cold and Composed by Ben Folds Five http://bit.ly/fnxNw (Mark Brady)
• Björk – Venus as a Boy LIVE 1994 Vessel http://bit.ly/iKCXq
• University of Cincinnati fight song: http://www.ucband.uc.edu/band/media/sounds/01-02/Cheer_Cincinnati.mp3 (Mark Fraley) — and yes, it is motivational, particularly if you’re a Bearcat
• 4:33 by John Cage – which was essentially four and a half minutes of ambient sound, silence, it gets a mention here for its sheer innovation.
• “Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy’s chowder?” – an Irish ditty my father used to sing, and is probably only motivating to me and my sister Marijo O’Connell who suggested it.
• William Obit, anything he does, according to Maren Elwood.
• “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus, suggested by Gayle Barrow Burton. I’ll check it out, again, new doors, I know of Miley Cyrus…
• “I Dreamed of Another World” by the French rock band Telephone (Jean Christophe Pakel)
• “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Love” by the Art of Noise (Delphine Batton)
• “There Are No Boundaries”. Written by Kara DioGuardi (suggested by Deb Giampoli)

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Lyrics to: The Magic of the Mind

by Bill Hartwell

Everyone can wonder, and everyone can dream
Everyone can wish for all they’ve heard but never seen
Those who realize their dreams of all they hope to find
Are those who know the secrets in the Magic of the Mind
All the wise ones of the world, are just like you and me
Hemingway or Gershwin, Picasso or Curie
Einstein solved the mysteries of earth and space and time
They lived their lives believing in the Magic of the Mind
Oh let your imagination, take you anywhere you want to go
No there are no limitations to all that the mind has to show
Let the magic of the mind help you grow
What makes a woman successful, what makes a brave man bold
What is it that controls the heart, and makes the young ones old
Every question, that’s been raised, throughout the course of time
Has an answer that is hidden in the Magic of the Mind
And you can find it by believing in the Magic of the Mind

Posted in Creativity and Self-Expression, Entrepreneurial, Humor, Innovation | 16 Comments »

Attention Microsoft – Pace of Innovation Matters

February 9, 2010 – 5:53 pm

There’s been an interesting dust-up in the press recently, having to do with innovation at Microsoft.

An ex-Microsoft employee, Dick Brass, wrote an op-ed piece in the New  York Times, basically saying that Microsoft is failing to innovate.  He says that in spite of good intentions, great employees, and beaucoup resources they don’t have a formal system for innovation. Brass tries to be kind, you sense in his words that he actually cares a great deal. He concedes that Microsoft it still dominant and a big money maker, but he’s pointing out that unless they find a way to innovate faster they are ultimately doomed. The evidence he presents is virtually indisputable (in my view). Brass was leader of the team that developed Clear Type. He’s a true insider. While he was kind in tone, the truth he expresses, the story he tells, has got to be painful for executives at Microsoft to hear.  Actually, you hope it would be painful to hear.

I agree with the assessment Brass makes. I wondered if Microsoft would be bothered to respond in public, and sure enough, they have. It would have been really interesting to hear an admission of error. Or, that the Brass piece gave them pause for serious thought. It would have been a good signal that they aren’t in denial about their innovation process.

Frank X. Shaw, a corporate VP in communications at Microsoft responded with an easy-going rebuttal. I’ll give him style points, it’s a well written piece. He takes issue not so much with Brass’s facts, but with how they are interpreted, and he puts a positive spin on things. His big point is that Microsoft is good at the “scale” of innovation. And he says that this is the better yardstick by which to measure innovation success or failure. To be expected I guess, but I’d say he’s missing the bigger point.  Yes, scale is important, it is indeed an important measure.  And yes, Microsoft, when they connect, does scale extremely well. And, let’s be fair, Microsoft has done some pretty amazing things over the years.  It’s not that they aren’t innovative at all…

The bigger point is that the pace of innovation matters.  Shaw says blithely at the end of his piece “There is always the opportunity to do more, to move faster, to bring products and services to the world in new and interesting ways, and we embrace this.” The key phrase to notice is “move faster.”  Brass is saying, and I agree, they don’t really embrace the speed element. Why? Because they don’t think they have to. At the end of the day, Shaw is paying lip service to faster paced innovation. And that’s a shame for Microsoft.

Microsoft has had the luxury of market dominance in a key technology so long that they’ve gotten lazy. Maybe not even lazy, maybe it’s just that the bureaucrats have taken over. It matters a great deal to deliver new technology to the market First.  The value of first-in-market positioning is Marketing 101. Microsoft started by doing just that, and that’s why they own the operating system market for personal computers. However, Microsoft is rarely first, or even a fast-following second to the market with a significant new technology or product any longer. Shaw talks about how Clear Type is actually a good example of how well Microsoft innovation works, saying “For the record, ClearType now ships with every copy of Windows we make, and is installed on around a billion PCs around the world. This is a great example of innovation with impact: innovation at scale.”

Yes, Mr. Shaw, scale does matter. And it is lovely that billions of PC’s around the world now have Clear Type. But what about technologies that aren’t able to piggyback on Microsoft’s existing platforms and products?  The delay and corporate political goofiness that the Clear Type team had to contend with is exactly why Microsoft doesn’t have a competitive music player, and why it’s only a contender, and not the leader, in the games market.

Microsoft will continue to do well for a few years, perhaps longer.  But eventually they will pay the price for not having created a a more receptive and formal culture of innovation. It’s not too late…

Posted in Innovation | 5 Comments »

JD Salinger, Lessons in Creativity & Innovation

January 30, 2010 – 1:50 pm

I feel compelled to write something about J.D. Salinger.

I loved his work and read all of it, which sadly for fans such as I, wasn’t really that much.  Beyond Catcher in the Rye, there was Franny and Zooey, Nine Stories, and Raise High the Roombeam Carpenters, and Seymour an Introduction. This is his body of work. And, what incredible work. These stories are gifts, they are some of the richest, most colorful, romantic, accessible, entertaining, and multi-layered fiction written in the last 100 years.

For me personally it was an introduction to writing as an art form, but also to the world beyond my provincial Cincinnati. It was a glimpse into Oz-like New York, into genius, insanity, fantasy, humor, and authenticity.  Salinger was an innovator, a legendary and true Creative — with a capital C — advancing his art form in new, different, and valuable ways. His influence on writers and artists of all kind has been resonating for generations, and it will continue.

Catcher in the Rye was quite compelling to me personally (I read it at age 10). I’d never read anything like it. It was laugh out loud funny, there was fluent use of profanity, and it was insightful about people.  It was beyond entertaining, it was a life changing experience. How? Well, for one I fantasized playing the role of Holden in a movie.  No matter that Salinger was clearly not a movie fan (although Holden Caulfield sounds vaguely like an amalgam of Hollywood actor names) and would never sell the rights for that purpose. For a couple years I was physically and emotionally perfect for the part, or so I thought. I adopted Holden’s language and mannerisms in preparation for my role. I too became a “terrific liar”, I despised phonies, and yes, I had a red hunting hat. This was all my little secret of course. As I grew out of the age group I had a real and deep sense of regret that I was missing my big chance. When I got into the media in college the fantasy switched to Directing the Movie. It took me about 10 years more to grow out of that one. If I’m perfectly honest with myself, well, maybe not completely.

Such is the power of fiction to enter one’s mind and thinking in ways that make the word profound seem like an understatement. One book had me reading more, researching, learning the basics of acting, writing my own fiction, thinking of how to direct a film.  One book. Creativity & Innovation lesson to be learned? Do not underestimate the power of a well told story. Second lesson, to innovate in your field, know the rules, and then break them with purpose and elegance. His use of the first person voice is a great example of elegant rule breaking.

My deep interest in Salinger had me, in the pre-Intenet 1970’s, going to the Univ. of Cincinnati campus library and searching through micro films of back issues of The New Yorker for those few small bits of fiction (specifically, Hapworth 26, 1924) he published exclusively in that magazine. Finding those little gems was a first step for me into real research and scholarship. In the early 90’s when CompuServe had a fiction bulletin board, I followed a Salinger thread and to my surprise somebody alluded to having copies of his personal letters. I wrote a few emails and a couple weeks later I was sent an electronic file of letters and notes he’d written while serving in Germany post WWII, letters to girl friends, to his family, etc.  Somebody had accessed the archive of personal files he’d sold to the University of Texas and hand copied them. The letters were so intimate that I felt like I’d invaded his privacy.  It must have been karma when that laptop was stolen just a few weeks later.

Much has been said and written about his private life.  Some of the accusations are pretty sad. He was a recluse and I believe part of why that happened is his reaction to criticism (another lesson there; ignore criticism!). While I don’t condone some of his life decisions, I won’t condemn J.D. Salinger, I will only celebrate his achievements. He gave millions of people a great deal of intellectual pleasure and stimulation, and he advanced the art of writing in a significant and meaningful way.

I’m hoping like hell he left us a stack of things to read! It would be just like the bastard to hide a couple more novels under his goddam bed.

Rest in peace old friend, I hope eternity is a never ending, serene and waving, field of blissful rye.

Posted in Books & Reviews, Creativity and Self-Expression, Pop Culture | 4 Comments »

A Tribute to Bob’s Big Boy, a Cartoon

January 28, 2010 – 6:58 pm

Branding is something we are imprinted with at a subconscious level. I saw this guy at Hobgoblins, a quite ordinary guy, but with this poofy quiff.  I asked myself why? The result is this drawing. Non-Americans might not get the Bob’s Big Boy reference, click here and you’ll see what that is.

Posted in Cartoons by Gregg Fraley, Marketing, Pop Culture | No Comments »

Creativity is Where Prosperity Starts

January 26, 2010 – 10:59 am

I have no idea who Steven Weber is, but I’m going to find out. He posted a piece on The Huffington Post today that I think is brilliant. In my view, it’s one of those things that needs to be said more often.  The simple fact Steven brings up is this: creativity leads to prosperity.

Value is created with creative thinking.

Now, Steven actually said “Creativity and Prosperity: Not as Incompatible as You Think”. His focus is on the entertainment industry in the piece, but the broader truth is, it’s a cross-industry thing. Many managers believe that creativity is not something you want because it means a loss of control. And when creativity is suppressed they have the illusion of control, but what doesn’t occur is Innovation.

An example: I recently heard from a friend that she was not allowed to use a picture card deck as stimulus for a short creative session. Why?  It hadn’t been approved by corporate! So, the deck has been bundled off to some unseen manager in the sky to be approved, but sadly, this will discourage my friend from ever bringing a new creative tool to the table. It will simply be viewed as being too much hassle. In the quest for control simple daily creativity is being squashed. This happens every day, in every industry, and, it’s counter productive. Managers need to realize they need to foster creativity in order to get the product and services into the market that sustains their business.

If you want to be more creative everyday, if you want a way to remind yourself to be creative — so you can innovate — please watch my TEDx video.

Steven Weber — my hat is off to you for making a great point. I now realize I remember your role in Single White Female. Hope to see you in a new film or TV show soon, but in the meantime keep writing those great pieces for The Huffington Post.

Posted in Creativity and Self-Expression, Innovation | 4 Comments »