Mar 13, 2018
Yesterday someone told me the saddest thing. They said that their boss told them, and I quote, “You need to be more creative. I’m not sure what that means but I know you need more of it.” Ummm, hello — how are you supposed to improve something when you don‘t even know what it means. How will you know if you are successful? No clue. And that’s why I invited Tina Seeling, a Professor of the Practice in Stanford University and author of the book Creativity Rules, to have a convo on Inside LaunchStreet. You’ll appreciate our conversation around instead of going directly to solutions, taking time to reframe the problem and her feeling that ideas are free, not cheap … and other creative exercises to spark new thinking.
Key Takeaways:
[1:56] You might be surprised to know that Tina is using New Yorker magazine covers to create collages.
[4:40] Tamara reminds Lauchstreeters that you don’t need to be good at art, you just need to do it and have some fun with it.
[6:29] Part of unlocking creativity is about getting out of your routine and habit. It allows you to connect and combine things in really interesting ways.
[7:16] Tina is a neuroscientist by training but she believes that it all comes down to creative problem-solving. Every trade needs the tools for creative problem-solving.
[8:27] Our school system is not tuned to stimulate creativity, partly because it’s hard to measure. Tamara points out that we often try to measure things when they aren’t there. Tamara and Tina have a discussion around the equation 5 + 5 and where the creativity happens in solving this problem.
[11:40] Tina teaches that the questions you ask are the frame into which the answers will fall. If you don’t ask the right question, you won’t create the space to come up with the solutions. Tina shares examples on how to reframe the questions. Get introduced to the term, “framestorm.”
[15:06] Tamara shares Dollar Shave Club’s example of reframing the question. The owner was asking the forward-thinking question, how do I make the shaving experience hassle-free?
[16:02] Tina explains that creative ideas are new to you. Innovative ideas are new to the world. Defining creativity helps you to push past the idea and help you to innovate.
You have to have shared vocabulary and to share the foundation. Tina defines in her book, Creativity Rules, important shared vocabulary. Imagination: envisioning things that don’t exist. Creativity: applying your imagination to address some sort of challenge. Innovation: applying the creativity to come up with a solution. Entrepreneurship: applying creativity to scale and bringing it to the world. Tina calls this the invention cycle because the end leads back to the beginning.
[19:00] How do leaders get the invention cycle moving? Why do you need both an attitude and and action?
[20:25] Tina teachers the different stages of the invention cycle: imagination, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneuring. Learn how Khan Academy was born.
[25:16] Tamara shares her recent weight loss story. Her focus was on things she can do every single day, instead of an exact number to reach. By reframing her goal, she was able to see success. Often, it’s the little things that help to create success. Focus on changing the one percent. Over time, the compounding value is so great.
[29:17] Tina believes that when you get a job, you don’t get a job. You get the keys to the building. Observe all areas in which you can contribute. Tamara reminds LaunchStreeters that today’s job is not about what they hired you to do. You must push forward, this will allow you to creatively problem solve.
[30:44] Tina took the archetype assessment, IQE, and her power triggers are imaginative instinctual. The imaginative side is all about novel ideas, things from scratch. Tina’s reframing and the one percent fit this type to a T. The instinctual connect the dots in new and meaningful ways. Tina reminds us that we all can stretch and get better through creative exercises. She talks about the Six Thinking Hats and how each hat is required in the conversation and helps us problem solve.
[36:12] Find out why you need both “yes anders and yes butters.” Tina teaches that it’s important to know when in the process to engage the black hat “yes butters.”
[37:20] What is the hardest part of the cycle? Coming up with the ideas or the implementation? Ideas are not cheap, they’re free. The creativity is woven through the entire process. It isn’t a one-time thing.
[39:16] Tina and Tamara provide ways to brainstorm new ideas and open the door to new solutions.
[42:04] Connect with Tina on Twitter, and on her webpage.
[42:31] Tina challenges listeners to engage today! Do something different, really pay attention. Spend an hour observing and look for interesting opportunities to unfold.
[43:04] Tamara reminds listeners that the first step of innovation is being empowered. Take the IQE Assessment today to help you get started!
If you are ready to:
get buy-in from key decision makers on your next big idea
be a high-impact, high-value member that ignites change
foster a culture of innovation where everyone on your team is bringing innovative ideas that tackle challenges and seize opportunities...
Join us on LaunchStreet — gotolaunchstreet.com
Mentioned in This Episode:
Creativity Rules: Get Ideas Out of Your Head and into the World, by Tina Seelig