Creative Work

What makes something creative?

Is it distinctive? Are new ideas involved? Could it be considered disruptive?

Does it bring joy, inexplicable joy, to you without knowing why?

Some people might think of creativity as magic -- it explodes from inspiration like a spell you can never tell is on the way. It shines, it radiates, it presents itself beyond anyone's control.

Or does it?

Creativity certainly does pal around with inspiration, but it is much more than that. Creativity requires practice, skill development, work. It's not something like being left-handed that you are simply born with and enjoy. Unless you consider everyone is born creative and we either develop it or not.

Creativity has so much mystique, and so much appeal, that people love to claim it. I'm in favor of claiming your creativity, but it does take more than that.

If you see a company or initiative and it has "creative" in the title, do you automatically assume that it is creative?

I'm not so sure.

Calling something creative does not make it creative.

Are you experiencing authenticity, or is it just marketing?

-- doug smith

Comments

Human Problems

Any problem created by a human can be solved by a human. I wrote that long before AI started solving problems for us. Many days it feels like we will soon not even need to solve our own problems at all because AI will do it for us. Honestly, we know better than that, right? For as long as it's still true, humans can still solve human problems. Let's do that. -- doug smith

Clear Improvement

The best we can do is not yet the best we can do. Improvement is part of everyone's job and leaders must make that abundantly clear. -- doug smith

How's Your Reputation

How important do you think it is to sustain a positive leadership reputation? It matters to your team. It matters to any future team that you might be leading. Your reputation tells a story about how you operate, how you facilitate and how you achieve your results. Leading positive change builds credibility. Making a difference right now builds credibility. Keeping your promises and showing care for others establishes the kind of character that people want to work with and maybe even follow. What positive change are you currently working on? -- doug smith

Where to Start?

It's harder to solve a problem alone when you are at the center of the problem. Get another perspective. Stay open to your own part of the problem. Sometimes, deep into the search, we discover that we could be the cause. Start with reflection. It could provide direction. -- doug smith

Creatively Human

In a world where anything can be duplicated, create what cannot be duplicated. -- doug smith

Extremes

Do you know what it is like to work for an unreasonable boss? When no matter what you do is ever good enough it can become demotivating, even crippling. We do need to challenge our teams, but not to esteem crushing extremes. Unreasonable expectations cause disappointment. High performance? Yes. Perfect performance? Not attainable. -- doug smith

Dig deeper

Obvious solutions are great, except that they seldom work. The chances are that the solution that first occurs to you has already been tried. Sticky, mysterious, subtle problems evade the obvious. They hide. They mask. They simmer. Mysterious problems seldom surrender to obvious solutions. Dig deeper. -- doug smith

Strategic Secrets?

If you have to keep it a secret it's not as much in your control as you think it is. Every secret eventually becomes revealed. -- doug smith

No Victims

There will be offers, heading your way in obvious as well as subtle channels. Strong looking barriers. Refusals to see you. Efforts to take advantage of you. That's not meant for you, no matter how strong someone else's intentions imply that it is. Decline any opportunity to be a victim. It does not suit you. -- doug smith

Careful of Force

Anything held together by force will be forced apart. -- doug smith

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