The Creativity Generation
The Weekly Roundup - May 21, 2010
May 22 2010
Chimps are to humans as humans are to ______ ?
Dr. Neil Tyson, the brilliant director of New York City’s Natural History Museum, speculates on what extra-terrestrials would be like if they were as much smarter than us as we are than chimps. It’s a very clever and fascinating speculation….
http://tinyurl.com/ll78v7
What’s the most innovative company in the world?
IBM has long held the title of the most innovative company in the world, because it turns out the most patents. But if you measure the quality of the patents, another company – in fact, several other companies – beat IBM. Which ones are they?
http://tinyurl.com/yfpakuh
How much is creativity worth?
The answer turns out to be 500 % if you’re two very clever kids selling a BMX bike, in one of the funniest marketing videos in a long time. http://tinyurl.com/kw5wxg
Does size matter in innovation?
We think of the IBMs of the world the chief source of innovation, but a quick tour of the latest Consumer Electronic Show demonstrates that innovation can come from unexpected places. http://tinyurl.com/yjcotvz
The Weekly Roundup - May 15, 2010
May 14 2010
Five Ways to Boost Your Creativity
Are you looking for a quick creativity boost? A shot of creative adrenaline? These simple techniques will have you bubbling over with ideas in no time: http://bit.ly/bZDUy0
How to Create a “Hunch Friendly” Environment
How do you get the most out of your employees? How do you ensure that they’re always offering new ideas and helping you stay ahead of the competition? By recognizing and rewarding their efforts – it’s that simple, and that complicated. http://bit.ly/aiB4Nb
10 Ways to Come up with a Great Idea
Great ideas don’t just spring up unbidden. At least, not very often. They need to be encouraged. Here’s how you do exactly that – 10 straightforward ways to make sure your next idea is a great one. http://bit.ly/dvUvmG
Leadership Lessons from a Creative Genius – Jazz Legend Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis has been recognized as a great musician for a long time. But a great leader? That’s something new. And yet the same principles that give him ‘swing’ help him lead people effectively. Understand how great music and leadership go together: http://tinyurl.com/d4snp8
The Weekly Roundup - May 7, 2010
May 07 2010
The Power of Lego to Inspire
If you didn’t play with Legos as a child you missed out. The good news is that it’s never too late. Lego – and any tactile construction-type child game like it – can help adults jump-start their creativity no matter how old or uninspired. This short moving will get you thinking about Lego and all the ways it can inspire your creative thinking: http://bit.ly/bVQLgr
The 6 Myths of Creativity
Do you need to inspire creative work in your organization? A recent study shows that the ways people usually think about creativity in organizations are not necessarily born out by the facts. Get the real scope on how to make creativity work for you here: http://bit.ly/d3xJVU
Sometimes It’s Just a Picture that Inspires
One sign of a truly creative mind is to take ordinary household items that don’t usually come under the category of inspirational and use them to create wonderful new ideas and mental landscapes. The artist here clearly thinks out of the box, the egg carton, and the bowl: http://bit.ly/cIEEZt
Helping Left-Brainers Become Creative
It’s not just the accountants and the lawyers – there are a lot of left-brain people in the workplace, and they need help becoming more creative. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to ease left-brainers into a more creative working mode. Find ten suggestions here: http://bit.ly/c0wTKS
The Weekly Roundup - April 30, 2010
Apr 30 2010
Your mind has hidden superpowers!
What does the power of placebo pills have to do with realizing your dreams? Both depend on your mind. Your mind can take a sugar pill and cure cancer. And it can take an idea – say, a personal computer in everyone’s home – and make it a reality. It just takes belief – and action: http://bit.ly/ak6IzT
Brilliantly creative healthcare advertising
Sometimes it seems like the only news coming out of healthcare is bad. It’s all about complexity, cost, and, well, screwups. But there are some areas of healthcare that are pacing the rest of the world economy, and advertising is one of them. These ads will frighten, laugh, and surprise you into good health. http://tinyurl.com/y9q3ezv
Brainstorming made easy
Having a hard time coming up with some new ideas? John Michel has made it easy for you with this idea-generating pinwheel. Just press the button, and a new idea comes up – and it’s absolutely free. http://tinyurl.com/ksvnmx
Even a contact lens?
People often use the excuse that their field is not a very creative one. That just means that it’s time for creative people to get to work! In this case, if you thought innovation was over with in the contact lens field, think again. Here’s something you have never seen before: http://tinyurl.com/kpao66
The Weekly Roundup - April 23, 2010
Apr 23 2010
Overcoming your fears – 7 secrets from the ages
All of us must deal with our fears, and often they are what stand between us and greatness – or at least making the attempt. Clink on this link to see what the experts have been saying for 2,000 years are the best ways to overcome those pesky obstacles: http://bit.ly/cjuPGR
Creative Advertisements – Lots of them
Perhaps you thought creativity was dead in the advertising world? Not so – in fact, it’s working harder than ever in a media-saturated, 24/7, TiVo wielding age. Click on this link to see a wonderful array of great ads – 90 of them. Yes, 90. http://bit.ly/adfRvN
Creative People in Health Care
Media reports to the contrary, there are many people working very hard to try to fix the US’s health care mess, and a number of them have some very creative ideas about the problem – and its solution. Click on this link to re-charge your enthusiasm for fixing this very tough problem with some real heroes: http://bit.ly/9YMc4T
Creative Motorcycle design
OK, here’s your outrageous toy alert for the week. For a mere $70,000 USD, you can be the proud owner of the Mission One motorcycle. This baby is electric, and just about the sleekest looking thing on the planet. Be careful, if you click on this link, you may be calling the bank to raise your credit limit: http://bit.ly/9j5fVf
The Weekly Roundup - April 16, 2010
Apr 16 2010
Creative Intelligence – sometimes it is life or death
Creative approaches to tough problems show up in unexpected places. When the US Special Forces first parachuted into Afghanistan after 9/11, they found themselves adopting some unusual martial techniques to manage the terrain and gain respect in the eyes of the local people. They succeeded because they had been trained to find creative solutions to novel problems. Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/aT5efn.
There’s more to innovation than good ideas
It’s not enough to come up with a good idea, especially if you’re the CEO. Sometimes, all you get is an “Air Sandwich.” At Autodesk, the CEO came up with six good ideas, and they all failed. Here’s why: http://bit.ly/9cu5Ut.
Seth Godin Says Ideas That Spread, Win
Seth Godin likes to tell the story of the inventor of sliced bread. Apparently, it failed – for 17 years – until someone else figured out how to market it. That someone was Wonder Bread. See the full story here – and make sure you read the first comment for a different perspective: http://bit.ly/aIhUgL
The Improv Encyclopedia
This may be the coolest encyclopedia ever. It’s stuffed with ice-breakers, creativity games, and exercises designed to increase your team’s creativity. Use the on-line version as a resource, or download it and keep it all to yourself: http://bit.ly/axNTuV
The Weekly Roundup - April 9, 2010
Apr 09 2010
1. Steve Wozniak, Co-founder of Apple, on Innovation:
How did Wozniak and Jobs do it? How did they create the engineering and design juggernaut that is Apple? Check out the interview with Steve – he considered himself an artist. He saw himself as part of a team, he focused on what to leave out, and he thought like an outsider. For other fascinating insights from this genius of the computer age, watch the whole interview:
Click HERE for more.
2. What Are You Going to Do with that New iPad?
Creativity is impatient; it doesn’t wait for the wisdom of the ages to weigh in – it gets started right away. Here, some highly creative uses you might not have thought about for the new iPad that are already being suggested online:
3. Mitchell Baker, Mozilla Foundation Chairman, on Innovation:
For Mitchell, something in the way that Silicon Valley focuses on making people comfortable so that they can be as creative as possible, is key. It shows up in the clothes, she says, and the working environment, but also in the constant questioning and the willingness to stay curious even while you’re aimed at a clear end goal.
4. High-end Hotel Stresses Creativity:
If you’re running the Hard Rock Hotel, it’s a given that you’re cool around celebrities. They’re people too, after all, and just want to be comfortable in their hotel rooms like anyone else. But their hotel rooms might include 2 bedrooms, a Jacuzzi with a flat screen TV, and a patio with a hot tub overlooking the entire city. At 2,000 square feet, one celebrity room in particular is bigger than many houses. It’s all in a day’s work for Matt Greene, who runs the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego:
The Weekly Roundup
Mar 31 2010
Beginning today, I’m going to post a weekly summary of some of the coolest creativity ideas, tests, blogs, products, thoughts, and guidelines that I see each week. Enjoy!
How creative are you?
Are you as creative as you need to be? And what about your workplace? Is that one that fosters original thinking or does it take the safe path to same old, same old? Take this test and find out your creativity ranking.
The amazing culture of Zappos
Zappos has revolutionized the retail shoe business and terrified the competition in a few short years. How has the company managed to move so fast to dominate an industry? A place to start to understand why this company is so dynamic is with their values, their blog, and testimonials from workers. It all adds up to a very impressive picture of a company that thinks more creatively, moves faster, and out-smarts the competition.
10 guidelines for effective brainstorming:
Brainstorming has become a part of the business culture, so much so in fact that it is often done badly, because the original rules are not followed. Here, in a easy-to-read pdf, you can remind yourself of what those basic rules are and avoid the single most common mistake of brainstormers: they don’t withhold judgment.
Six keys to driving innovation
Innovation begins with paying serious attention to the status quo. Only when you see the reality around you clearly can you think about how to change it. This first step to innovation is complemented by 5 more thoughtful ideas worth pondering if innovation is important to you or your company.
Look for more roundup items next week and every week. Enjoy…
