(Book Cover from Amazon.Com)
I met with a number of librarians the other day to talk about Ed Catmull’s book Creativity Inc, Simply put Catmull described how to best manage an organization that needs to innovate and change constantly in order to succeed. Instead of a formal book review I thought I would post a few of my favorite quotes and some of the notes I took from the book to give you a flavor of what to expect.
P.22 Have total confidence in the people that you hire.
P. 23 When faced with a challenge get smarter. Hire people who are smarter than you.
P.24 “Giving a ton of freedom to highly self motivated people enabled us to make some significant technological leaps in a short time.”
P.51, “You don’t have to ask permission to take responsibility.”
P. 64 “People talking directly to one another, was more efficient than trying to make sure that everything happened in the “right order” and through the “proper channels”.”
P. 76 Find, develop, and support good people and they will find, develop, and own good ideas
P. 104 “Telling the truth is difficult, but inside a creative company, it is the only way to ensure excellence.”
P. 108 Embrace failure as an important part of learning
P. 110, “It is important to keep moving forward. If you stand still and just float morale plummets and the captain is treated with doubt and trepidation.”
P. 111, “Leaders should talk about their mistakes and their part in them, then you make it safe for others (to do so).”
P. 118, “Being too risk averse causes many companies to stop innovating and to reject new ideas, which is the first step on the path to irrelevance.”
P. 132, “When I advocate for protecting the new, then, I am using the word somewhat differently. I am saying that when someone hatches an original idea, it may be ungainly and poorly defined, but it is also the opposite of established and entrenched- and that is precisely what is most exciting about it. If while in this vulnerable state, it is exposed to naysayers who fail to see its potential or lack the patience to let it evolve, it could be destroyed. Part of our job is to protect the new from people who do not understand that in order for greatness to emerge, there must be phases of not-so greatness.”
P. 146, “There is no growth or success without change.”
P. 154, Being overwhelmed by well-intentioned rules drains the creative impulse.
P. 171 Managers need to be aware that people only present their best selves to the manager. The manager’s access to accurate information changes the farther they as a manager move up in the organization.
P. 224 “Real confidence is knowing that together we will figure this out. Creativity demands that we travel paths that lead who knows where.”
P. 228 The director or leader can never lose the confidence of his or her crew.