Innovation & Creativity 

Being open to and actively pursuing novel ideas and new approaches 

 

People with this competence: 

• Seek out fresh ideas from a wide variety of sources;

• Are open to and consider new and original solutions to problems;

• Ask lots of questions to generate new ideas; encourage others to brainstorm & think out loud;

• Take fresh perspectives and risks in their thinking;

• Question accepted practices, patterns and assumptions;

• Strive to find new ways of doing things; strive to see things newly; are curious; and

• Are flexible and adaptable; view “failure” as “feedback” (“well, that’s one idea that doesn’t work; let’s try something else”) and don’t beat themselves up about it.

 

People lacking this competency: 

• Worry and become anxious when they have to shift priorities or deal with change;

• Respond negatively to new situations and complain;

• Are inflexible in how they see things;

• Are hesitant to take on new challenges; and

• Can’t change track when confronted with changing circumstances 

 

Development tips 

• Call on all your thinking capacity for generating ideas – feelings, hunches, intuition – the opposite of creativity is strict cognitive thinking;

• Use all your senses and brainstorm, generate lots of ideas, options and possibilities when approaching a challenge; don’t edit your ideas or censor yourself;

• Ask yourself “what if” questions;

• Take time off – we can’t be creative when we are exhausted by too many demands;

• Clear your space and declutter – this enhances creativity;

• Cultivate an attitude of curiosity in all things; if something strikes a spark of interest, follow it;

• Explore your polarity – that is, explore the opposite (i.e., if you’re an extrovert, learn to experience the world as an introvert; if you’re analytical, tap into and trust your intuition); and

• Allow yourself to be surprised by something every day.

 

Great resources: 

Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 

A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative, by Roger VanOech Six Thinking Hats, by Edward De Bono

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Quotes on Creativity and Innovation 

(a good homework assignment is to pick one and journal on it)

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"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” – Carl Jung 

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"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." – Albert Einstein 

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“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt 

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“I think all great innovations are built on rejections.” – Louise Nevelson 

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“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.” – Frank Capra 

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“Spare the innovation and ruin the company.” – Robert Heller

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"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will have truly defeated age." – Sophia Loren

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“Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous.” – Bill Moyers 

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"[Smart] is an elusive concept. There's a certain sharpness, an ability to absorb new facts. To ask an insightful question. To relate to domains that may not seem connected at first. A certain creativity that allows people to be effective." – Bill Gates

 

"Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business has two - and only two - basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are "costs"." – Peter Drucker 

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“Conditions for creativity are to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension; to be born everyday; to feel a sense of self. Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” – Erich Fromm 

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“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

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