Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

If we accept that what we see and know is inevitably flawed, we must strive to find ways to heighten that awareness—to fill in the gaps,

“Here are the qualifications required: The people you choose must (a) make you think smarter and (b) put lots of solutions on the table in a short amount of time. I don’t care who it is, the janitor or the intern or one of your most trusted lieutenants: If they can help you do that, they should be at the table.”

This is key: When experimentation is seen as necessary and productive, not as a frustrating waste of time, people will enjoy their work—even when it is confounding them.

Find, develop, and support good people, and they in turn will find, develop, and own good ideas.

you don’t want to be at a company where there is more candor in the hallways than in the rooms where fundamental ideas or matters of policy are being hashed out. The best inoculation against this fate? Seek out people who are willing to level with you, and when you find them, hold them close.

idea—without the critical ingredient that is candor, there can be no trust. And without trust, creative collaboration is not possible.

To reiterate, it is the focus on people—their work habits, their talents, their values—that is absolutely central to any creative venture.

If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.

Always take a chance on better, even if it seems threatening.