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

by Ed Catmull

The concept of “confirmation bias”—the tendency of people to favor information, true or not, that confirms their preexisting beliefs—was introduced in the 1960s by Peter Wason, a British psychologist. Wason

Once a model of how we should work gets in our head, it is difficult to change.

dont jump to solutions

It’s extremely difficult to create something out of nothing, especially when you consider that much of what you’re trying to realize is hidden, at least at first.

While the allure of safety and predictability is strong, achieving true balance means engaging in activities whose outcomes and payoffs are not yet apparent. The most creative people are willing to work in the shadow of uncertainty.

I believe that we all have the potential to solve problems and express ourselves creatively. What stands in our way are these hidden barriers—the misconceptions and assumptions that impede us without our knowing it.

The oversight group had been put in place without anyone asking a fundamental question: How do we enable our people to solve problems? Instead, they asked: How do we prevent our people from screwing up? That approach never encourages a creative response. My rule of thumb is that any time we impose limits or procedures, we should ask how they will aid in enabling people to respond creatively. If the answer is that they won’t, then the proposals are ill suited to the task at hand.

A process might be flawed, but you don’t have time to fix it under the current schedule. Sitting down afterward is a way of consolidating all that you’ve learned—before you forget it.

The postmortem provides a forum for others to learn or challenge the logic behind certain decisions.

The time we spend getting ready for a postmortem meeting is as valuable as the meeting itself. In other words, the scheduling of a postmortem forces self-reflection.

Even if you come up with a format that works well in one instance, people will know what to expect the next time, and they will game the process.

sobre variar o método de dinâmicas recorrentes

Next, remain aware that, no matter how much you urge them otherwise, your people will be afraid to be critical in such an overt manner. One technique I’ve used to soften the process is to ask everyone in the room to make two lists: the top five things that they would do again and the top five things that they wouldn’t do again. People find it easier to be candid if they balance the negative with the positive, and a good facilitator can make it easier for that balance to be struck.

I like data because it is neutral—there are no value judgments, only facts. That allows people to discuss the issues raised by data less emotionally than they might an anecdotal experience.

If we think data alone provides answers, then we have misapplied the tool. It is important to get this right. Some people swing to the extremes of either having no interest in the data or believing that the facts of measurement alone should drive our management. Either extreme can lead to false conclusions.

“You can’t manage what you can’t measure” is a maxim that is taught and believed by many in both the business and education sectors. But in fact, the phrase is ridiculous—something said by people who are unaware of how much is hidden. A large portion of what we manage can’t be measured, and not realizing this has unintended consequences. The problem comes when people think that data paints a full picture, leading them to ignore what they can’t see. Here’s my approach: Measure what you can, evaluate what you measure, and appreciate that you cannot measure the vast majority of what you do. And at least every once in a while, make time to take a step back and think about what you are doing.

in Japanese Zen, that idea of not being constrained by what we already know is called “beginner’s mind.” And people practice for years to recapture and keep ahold of it.

In my experience, creative people discover and realize their visions over time and through dedicated, protracted struggle.

creativity is more like a marathon than a sprint.

As long as you commit to a destination and drive toward it with all your might, people will accept when you correct course.

Include people in your problems, not just your solutions.”

They know better than anyone when they are working hard but not going anywhere. People want their leaders to be confident. Andrew

He believes that leadership is about making your best guess and hurrying up about it so if it’s wrong, there’s still time to change course.

“If you’re sailing across the ocean and your goal is to avoid weather and waves, then why the hell are you sailing?”

Even Andrew warns that during your excavation, not every bone you unearth will necessarily belong to the skeleton you are trying to assemble. (There may be the bones of several different dinosaurs—or stories—mixed up in your dig site.) The temptation to use everything you find, even if it doesn’t fit, is strong. After all, you probably worked hard to dig each element up.

Good producers—and good managers—don’t dictate from on high. They reach out, they listen, they wrangle, coax, and cajole.

Driving the train doesn’t set its course. The real job is laying the track.

I strongly believe that smaller groups within the larger whole should be allowed to differentiate themselves and operate according to their own rules, so long as those rules work. This fosters a sense of personal ownership and pride in the company that, to my mind, benefits the larger enterprise.

When someone has a strong personality, others can wilt in the face of their intensity.

Give a mediocre idea to a great team, and they will either fix it or come up with something better. If you get the team right, chances are that they’ll get the ideas right.

When looking to hire people, give their potential to grow more weight than their current skill level.

Likewise, if someone disagrees with you, there is a reason. Our first job is to understand the reasoning behind their conclusions.

there is more truth in the hallways than in meetings, you have a problem.

Sharing problems is an act of inclusion that makes employees feel invested in the larger enterprise.

The first conclusions we draw from our successes and failures are typically wrong. Measuring the outcome without evaluating the process is deceiving.

The truth is, the cost of preventing errors is often far greater than the cost of fixing them.

it is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It is the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.

The healthiest organizations are made up of departments whose agendas differ but whose goals are interdependent.