John Maeda – creative leader par excellence (courtesy of Wired.com)
In the age of rapidly changing consumer tastes, ubiquitous digital connectivity and ever changing socio-cultural dynamics, the old ways of leadership will no longer work.
To survive and thrive in this tumultuous age, organisations need to be innovative, open, collaborative and flexible.
Stumped by an insurmountable problem at work? Keen to generate ideas that are “out of the screen”? Wish to find a way to make “gaming” come to life?
With Gamestorming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown and James Macanufo, you now can.
From its first animated feature Toy Story to Finding Nemo, Up, and Cars, Pixar Animation Studios is probably the world’s leading producer of animated features. Renowned for producing cartoon movies that stir the imagination and touch the heart, Pixar’s ability to allow “artists and geeks” to flourish makes it one of the world’s most innovative organisations.
The secrets behind Pixar’s success is ably captured in “Innovate the Pixar Way – Business Lessons From The World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground“. Written by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson of The Disney Way, the book relates how Ed Catmull, Alvy Ray Smith and lengendary animator John Lasseter created a company which captures the imagination of childhood while making dreams come alive. The terrific trio did this by embracing four key principles:
Courtesy of Choo Yut Shing
Wonder how LEGO manage to rule the roost as one of the world’s most successful brand?
On a recent visit to Toys “R” Us at VivoCity with my kid, I observed that there are more and more interlocking brick toys filling the shelves these days.
Inspired no doubt by LEGO, brands like Mega Bloks, Coko and Tyco Toys are now emulating the same success strategy employed by the 80 year old Danish company, albeit charging a lower price for their bricks.
Can creativity ever be managed? Shouldn’t it be a spontaneous process that happens when you suddenly encounter a flash of brilliance?
How can you be creative if you are working in a role that undervalues creativity, like a lawyer, accountant or a vehicle mechanic?
Steve Jobs (bless him) associated calligraphy with beautiful fonts in the Macintosh (source)
Ever wondered how disruptive innovators like Steve Jobs (Apple), Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com) and A.G. Lafley (P&G) behave? What are the traits of these great entrepreneurs and business leaders?
According to INSEAD Professor Hal Gregersen (who co-authored the book “The Innovator’s DNA” with Jeffrey Dyer and Clayton M. Christensen), they have what are called the five discovery skills as follows:
Widely popularised by Disney, the concept of “imagineering” comes from its two words of origin:
Imagination, which is the act of dreaming and visualising a desired end-state;
Don’t suffer from analysis paralysis like Buridan’s ass (source of image)
Wish to embark on an exciting new business venture? Or to launch a brand new project?
How should you begin your entrepreneurial journey – study and ponder over what you need to do, or just roll it out bit by bit and see what comes your way?
Courtesy of Learning By Doing
To heed the country’s latest call to increase productivity, help entrepreneurs and managers everywhere, and satisfy my own need for intellectual stimulation, I wonder if its useful to start an online forum to discuss ideas to increase productivity.
This could be a way for all of us to contribute our share of ideas, innovations, and suggestions towards the national cause. Such a forum could also be used to clarify misconceptions on productivity (for example that we should all work 18 hours a day), or to build upon each other’s plans in a (hopefully) constructive manner.
Lately, I have been reading a little more than usual. Have only just picked up Purple Cow by Seth Godin.
It isn’t exactly brand new but some of its insights are still worth considering.