Fredrik Härén's Blog, page 2

Creativity for survival. (Episode 259)

I recently had the privilege of speaking on the topic of creativity to a group of Ukrainian engineering students and faculty at the National University (Kyiv Aviation Institute).

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Using creativity for survival is an extreme use of creativity, and one we all hope to never experience. This war is just so sad on so many levels.

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Ukraine has a smaller economy, resources, population, and army than Russia, and yet they are fighting back. Talk about punching above their weight.

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Their creativity, for sure, is one of the weapons they use to be able to do that.

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What crisis, big or small, are you using to trigger your creativity or to push you to do things differently?

 

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ps: I had asked for their questions in advance and built my speech based on their questions to be sure to customize it to their needs as much as possible.

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Pay attention to boredom. (Episode 258)

Hunger is a signal to tell you to eat. 

 

Feeling thirsty is a signal to you to drink.

 

And to feel bored is a signal to you to grow.

 

Companies often measure engagement and happiness at work to make sure people are enjoying what they do.

 

However, being bored at work is not necessarily a bad thing – it could also be a great signal indicating that someone is truly ready to learn something new and grow.

 

If you are hungry and you do not get food, then that is bad. 

 

And it is the same with boredom: if someone is bored at work, and doesn’t get the chance to grow or learn, it is bad.

 

But picking up on when someone is bored and giving them new and challenging work will be just as rewarding as giving a hungry person food.

 

So, create a system to detect and cure boredom, and you will catch people ready to grow and get them off on a journey of self-development.

 

And the next time you are bored, ask yourself: How do I need to grow?

 

This text was inspired by a conversation with Oshana Dias, Chief People Officer at Fortude – a curious HR leader. In our conversation, she stressed the importance of making sure that people have a safe environment where they feel that they can share when they are bored at work, so that the company can pick it up and create new challenges for people to grow.

 

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The Creativity Suite. Episode 159: Creativitor

Interview with Caroline Norbury, the Chief Executive of Creative UK.

 

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Sometimes we need a new word to be able to see something more clearly. Like how Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi popularized the concept of “flow” which made millions of people more aware of this “mental state in which you experience a deep sense of immersion in what you’re doing.”

 

For the reason of better understanding a seldom talked about – but very important – role, I would like to introduce you to the concept of “Creativitor”.

 

A creativitor is someone who enables creativity in others.

 

I learned about this concept from Caroline Norbury, who is the Chief Executive of Creative UK, the independent network for the UK’s creative industries. With over 30 years of experience across community arts, film, television production, and policy advocacy, Caroline has been a leading voice championing the value of creativity to the economy and society.

 

 In short: Caroline is a creativitor.

 

 If creativitor were a word in a dictionary, it would be described as follows:

 

Creativitor (noun) /kriˈeɪvɪtɔr/

Etymology: From “creativity” + suffix “-or” (one who)

Definition: A person who empowers, enables, or facilitates others to express themselves creatively; one who creates conditions for others to explore their creative potential rather than creating directly themselves. A creativitor serves as a catalyst, shepherd, or nurturer of others’ creative expression, often providing permission, resources, and supportive frameworks that unlock creativity in individuals or communities.

 

In his famous TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson tells the story of how Gillian Lynne’s mother took her daughter to a specialist because she thought Gillian had a learning disability.

 

The doctor turned on the radio and when the child started to move, the doctor turned to Gillian’s mother and said: “You know Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn’t sick – she’s a dancer. Take her to a dance school.”

 

That doctor was a creativitor.

 

And Gillian Lynne, of course, became a dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director and an instrumental person behind two of the longest-running shows on Broadway: Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.

 

But without that doctor being the one who set Gillian free to create, none of that would have happened.

 

Human beings being creative is one of the most beautiful things in the known universe, for so many reasons. But without people helping people see their creative potential, encouraging them to pursue their creative dreams and making them trust in their creative potential, a lot of people would never become creatives.

 

Without creativitors, we would have way fewer creators.

 

Caroline told me: “Imagine if we were able to unlock the creative power in more people. If we could get more people to feel seen, heard and encouraged to express themselves. Imagine children growing up that way, imagine a society with structures and systems built around that.”

 

 I agree with Caroline: Imagine that.

 

 Imagine a world with more creativitors.

 

Who are your creativitors? Who are the people who made you the creative person you are today?

 

And who could you be a creativitor for?

The post The Creativity Suite. Episode 159: Creativitor first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.

Who are you going to learn from today? (Episode 257)

“Why are we (as humans) not better at picking up ideas and best practices from around the world?”

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That was one of the questions I got yesterday as I was a guest on two podcasts.

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My answer: “I think this is a bug in the human system!”
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It breaks my spirit that after more than 30 years of Internet connectivity and after building such a globally connected world, we are still so bad at learning from each other.

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(Not that the world has not learnt at all – we have – but the speed of picking up good ideas from other places could – and should – have been so much faster.)
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A few weeks ago, I was in Bhutan and learnt about how they look at creativity there from people like Dorji Dhradhul, a former minister and author. The trip broadened my understanding of creativity a lot.

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Today Dorji shared with me a speech he delivered where he was inspired by some of my ideas.
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​Watch it here.
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Learning from other people around the world might just be the easiest way to improve our lives.

In the process, it makes us more human.

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Getting more people curious about the world was one of the main reasons for me writing my next book (The World of Creativity) that will come out just before Christmas.
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The inspirational lesson I gained from learning from Dorji in Bhutan is in the book. You can now pre-order your copy at your local Amazon or other bookstores.
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Who are you going to learn from today?

The post Who are you going to learn from today? (Episode 257) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.

Creativity is not about being unconventional. (Episode 256)

“Creative people are unconventional”, said the podcast host who interviewed me recently. 

 

I told her I disagreed.

 

Creativity is not about being unconventional.

 

Creativity is about doing what is authentically you – and since you are unique, that might come across as (!) unconventional.

 

But we should not aim for being unconventional or different.

 

We should aim to be authentically and uniquely ourselves.

 

(Picture from my geometric dome office on my island, which might be an unconventional office, but that is not why I built it; I built it because it is authentically and uniquely, 100% me.)

 

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The Creativity Suite. Episode 158: The Case for Worst-Case Strategy.

Interview with Danny Donkers, Country Lead – Greece and Cyprus at Amgen.

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In a “normal” world, it makes sense to make worst-case scenarios, best-case scenarios, and base scenarios, and to go with the base scenario.

However, in an environment that is constantly changing unexpectedly and where planning seems (and often is) impossible, it can actually make the most sense to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Because in a chaotic world, people might be disheartened and lose confidence when nothing goes as planned and things always change.

By planning for the worst case scenario your people will then get positively surprised and energized when that bad scenario doesn’t always happen. Let’s call that “worst-case-strategy”.

It is similar to how a football team meeting a much better team might plan a very defensive strategy, but will be ready to counterattack if the opportunity presents itself. 

Having a worst-case strategy is not about being “defensive” or “negative” – it’s about using the positive energy that comes when people who have been living in a chaotic world where you seem to not be able to trust anyone or anything suddenly feel that they get a “win”.

Worst-case strategy is not about having a “the glass is empty” mindset. It’s a “the glass will probably be empty, but if it is not, I will be ready to drink it-mindset.”

It’s a strategy to stay sane in a crazy world and to have enough creative juice left when, suddenly and unexpectedly, an opportunity actually reveals itself.

This text was inspired by a conversation with Danny Donkers, Country Lead – Greece and Cyprus at Amgen. Danny has managed business in situations and markets where Worst-case-strategy helped him navigate the business landscape successfully. 

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The goal is not freedom – the goal is authenticity. (Episode 255)

I was interviewed by a large German newspaper for three hours, yesterday. We talked about everything from creativity, living on an island and about my approach to life.

I was asked: ”You seem to have built a life of freedom – not many people have been able to do that.”

I replied: ”The end goal is not freedom. The end goal is authenticity. What you want is to use your freedom to live an authentic life. Many people have freedom, but they are still not happy or fulfilled. Freedom without authenticity is meaningless. It might even make you miserable.

Aim to live a life of authenticity. A life where you are true to who you are and who you are trying to become.”

Felt like that message needed to be shared with more people.

 

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The Creativity Suite. Episode 157: Avoiding the darkness that is the creative eclipse

Interview with Angela Chiara Lento, Sales Director Italy for FrieslandCampina.

 

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Have you ever been in a situation where one person’s personality, character, position or ego takes over to such an extent that the creativity of others, or even yourself, is killed or seriously damaged?

 

Then you have been exposed to a “creative eclipser”.

 

My question here was rhetorical, because of course we have all been “eclipsed” at some point as creatives.

 

But here is a more difficult question to answer: Have you ever BEEN a Creative Eclipser – Someone who is overshadowing the creativity of others by taking up too much space, energy, or attention?

 

The uncomfortable answer to that question is: “Yes, you most probably have.”

 

I learned about Creative Eclipse from Angela Chiara Lento, Sales Director Italy for FrieslandCampina, one of the world’s largest dairy companies. Angela bravely shared with me her journey of recognizing how, earlier in her career, her strong creative profile and natural drive often eclipsed the ideas and contributions of others.

 

Angela’s tendency to eclipse was rooted in her speed of thinking and her inherent creative DNA. She described how her quickness to grasp and develop ideas often left others struggling to keep up, stifling their creativity. “I was frustrated when others couldn’t immediately grasp my ideas,” Angela recalls. “I didn’t have the patience to wait or to listen to their ideas.”

 

The turning point came when senior management provided Angela with feedback. This feedback was a revelation for her. It was painful, but it sparked a crucial realization: her approach was limiting the creative potential of her team. Determined to change, Angela hired a coach who got Angela to rethink the value of pushing ideas down other people’s throats.

 

One thing the coach asked Angela to do was to make a big “X” in her notebook every time she felt the urge to close the discussion with her solution already in mind, instead of holding back to give others space.

 

In the beginning there were A LOT of X:es in my notebook…”, Angela said laughing as she reflected on how she used to behave.

 

But over time, this exercise helped her develop the discipline to hold back and allow others to contribute. “I’ve come to understand that creativity is a collaborative effort. In the past, I didn’t give others the opportunity to share their ideas as much as I should have.”

 

Angela explained how her previous approach left her team feeling paralyzed or silent, more focused on executing her ideas than on challenging them or suggesting improvements. At the time, that’s what she thought she wanted, but looking back, she now sees how it stifled the potential for even better ideas.

 

Today, a more wiser Angela understands that creativity is a collaborative act, and we should do our best to not eclipse each other. Or, as she beautifully puts it, “I went from thinking I had to be ‘the creative star’ to realizing that true creativity is a night sky full of tiny stars shining together.”

 

After all, when we’re in the throes of creative euphoria, it’s natural to want to share that energy. But mature creatives know the value of pausing in those moments – of listening to others and giving them the time they need to evaluate and contribute to our ideas. This takes practice.

 

The word ”Eclipse” means “an obscuring of light”, and a “Creative Eclipse” is the “obscuring of creativity.”

 

The etymology of the word Eclipsed can be split into the word “ek” meaning “out” and “leipein” meaning “to leave” – to “eclipse” is to “to leave out”,,” and a “Creative Eclipse” is to “leave out the ideas of others”.

 

If you want to nurture creativity, don’t worry about experiencing a “creative block”, -worry about becoming a “creative blocker”,” someone who stifles the creativity of others by overshadowing them.

 

SUGGESTION:

 

The next time you sense a creative eclipse happening, don’t be afraid to call it out. Simply say, “I feel there’s a creative eclipse here right now. Let’s see if we can bring everyone back into the creative light.” It might feel a little uncomfortable, but doing so will greatly benefit the creative process at that moment.

 

Angela’s testimony serves as a powerful reflection for both the eclipser and the eclipsed, reminding us that it’s possible to share the creative space – and it’s always better when we do.

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How do you inspire entrepreneurship in others? (Episode 254)

Last weekend, we organized a cafe on the island we live on. Most of the job was made by our three kids (9, 12 and 14)
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One of the over 100 guests that came to our island asked me: ”Why do you open up your home like this?” I replied: ”It’s a great way to introduce the idea of entrepreneurship to our kids.”
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They got to learn about planning, selling, customer service, and calculating profit, pricing etc.
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And they loved it! I am convinced the chances of them becoming entrepreneurs in the future increased by a fair amount because they got to experience “running a café.”
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Taking deliberate steps to try to inspire creativity and entrepreneurial thinking in others is a gift more people should be gifting.

 

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The Creativity Suite. Episode 156: Innovation Hunger Assessment

Interview with Kien Foh Lo, President and CEO of Continental Automotive in Singapore.

 

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Here’s an insight many companies overlook: You can only innovate at the speed your clients are ready to accept innovation, but different customers have different levels of “Innovation Hunger”. The trick with Innovation Hunger Assessment, is to assess how much innovation you can push on your customers.

 

Maximising the innovation push will maximise your speed of innovation.

 

One business leader who espouses this idea is Continental Automotive Singapore’s President and CEO, Kien Foh Lo. For an hour or so I sat down with Kien Foh Lo to discuss this interesting and important topic.

 

Continental, if you did not know, does way more than just the tires that they are famous for. Its Automotive group sector, which employs about 92,000 people around the world, develops and produces all kinds of parts for the mobility industry, from parking radars to window projection solutions to software defined vehicles and much, much more.

 

According to Kien Foh Lo their different automotive customers have different innovation needs. Some need help with improving their processes, some want to be pushed to the limit to be able to be the first to introduce the latest technical solutions on the market. The job of the people at Continental Automotive Singapore is to understand how much each customer wants to be pushed.

 

Kien Foh adopts this concept that he calls “the 3R of listening” – it stands for Receive, Review and Respond. It’s all about Receiving ideas, demands and suggestions from the customer, Reviewing what to do with this information and then Responding quickly and correctly to the right things.

 

It’s more than just “listening to the customer” – it’s about understanding how much innovation their customers are able to receive and – more importantly – what kind of innovation they are ready to receive.

 

Kien Foh Lo: “We need our people to be curious, to challenge the status quo and to be hungry to nudge our customers forward but just the right amount that they can ‘handle’.”

 

Kien Foh Lo calls this “the positive push”. 

 

If you know which client to push, in what direction and with what level of force, you will maximise the effect you can get from your innovation.

 

After all, cutting edge innovations that no clients want is not going to bring you success.

 

And just producing the same old solutions that customers always wanted is not going to bring you progress.

 

But, pushing the right innovation, to the right customer in a way that makes the customers appreciate being pushed will bring you both progress and success.

 

To be able to do that effectively you need “Innovation Hunger Assessment” (IHA).

 

Final Thought: Do you assess how much innovation you can push on your different customers based on their “innovation hunger”? 

 

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