Book Reports — Third Thought

Introverts More Creative than Extraverts?

17th of January ~

We are all creative. We have different preferences for how we’d like to create.

So, it’s no surprise how much heat is being generated over an opinion piece by Susan Cain in the NY Times called The Rise of the New Groupthink.

“Groupthink“. Would we call that a positive label? The term was coined in 1972 by Irving Janis in his analysis of US military fiascoes–clearly, NOT a good thing. For years it’s been employed to describe the worst of group dynamics. Ms. Cain has recently written a book called Quiet: the Power of Introverts.

She makes some valuable points. Most brainstorming is heinous. Nobody likes pointless meetings with people posturing for the benefit of superiors. I recognize and crave the power of solitude in my creative process. But does she mean that I, a moderate Extravert, can’t ‘do quiet’? Or worse, that I’ll never be as creative?

Unfortunately, she plays it fast and loose with her research. For an elegant response to her inaccuracies I refer you to the excellent Keith Sawyer. He corrects her mistakes and provides a reasonable point-of-view.

I wish Ms. Cain had subtitled her book the Power of Introversion instead of dividing us into right and wrong sub-groups.

The creative process is just too complex to assign superior powers to a specific group. All of us, regardless of style, can make a contribution and we need to take responsibility for ensuring we occasionally have an environment that fosters our preferred process.

The Progress Principle and Creativity

22nd of November ~

I’ve been a BIG fan of Teresa Amabile for years. Dr. Amabile is currently the Director of Research at Harvard University and has written extensively about creativity–what helps it and what hinders it.

She’s just published a jewel of a book called The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement and Creativity at Work.

By analyzing almost 12,000 diary entries provided by employees at multiple companies she examined the ‘inner work lives’ to determine what really matters to people at work.

The most powerful is ‘progress in meaningful work’. But each of these factors, even when they appear in small events, can impact the engagement and creativity of an employee. Negative events generally had a stronger impact than positive events.

In poignant quotes from these daily diaries Amabile gives examples of the nourishing and toxic behaviors that affect employee engagement and productivity.

She highlights Major Catalysts:

Setting clear goals
Allowing autonomy
Providing resources
Giving enough time–but not too much
Help with the work (from anywhere in the organization)
Learning from problems and successes
Allowing ideas to flow

And behaviors that Nourish:

Respect
Encouragement
Emotional support
Affiliation

None of this information is earth-shatteringly surprising. What makes this book sing is the small individual vignettes. Yes, we know that disrespect and antagonism aren’t great but the stories demonstrate the lingering damage of those toxic behaviors.

The final chapter offers concrete advice for tending to your own inner life, including the habit of reviewing the day’s major events and the use of a checklist to manage to a positive balance.

A very good read. Or get the highlights in her TED talk.

The Art of the Slow Hunch

13th of October ~

One of the myths of the creative process is the Eureka Moment. The lone genius, working away in the lab, is gifted with a sudden insight.

Eureka! I have found it!

Steven Johnson, in Where Good Ideas Come From, The Natural History of Innovation, examined innovations throughout history to discern patterns. Previously, Mr. Johnson has written in depth about the discovery process in The Invention of Air and The Ghost Map. I had the chance to hear him speak last week and found him thoroughly engaging. He is well steeped in the body of knowledge and its relevance to the innovation today. Among Johnson’s insights:

The Art of the Slow Hunch

Innovations rarely come from the Eureka Moment. Instead, significant breakthroughs are preceded by years of thought. Johnson describes the slow hunch that is pondered and researched over time.

The Value of Collaboration

Significant breakthroughs are often attached to a single name. Yet, as Johnson poked about for the deeper story he found most Lone Inventors had a collaborator. Joesph Priestly, the scientist who discovered oxygen, had Ben Franklin (yes, the Founding Father Franklin) as a collaborator.

Here’s an excellent summary from his publisher.

Did School Kill Your Creativity?

28th of April ~

Did school kill your creativity? Ken Robinson certainly thinks it may have. If you haven’t seen his TED talk here it is:

The good Sir Robinson has also written an excellent book called The Element. We are in our Element when our natural talent/aptitude meets our personal passion. This sounds a little like Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s notion of ‘Flow‘ but here’s how I see the difference: if you have a chance to pursue your talent and passion (your Element) then you will more often find themselves in a state of Flow.

Here is Sir Ken is concern: schools today are over-focused on a narrow definition of intelligence. Standardized tests determine everything from school funding to who gets into elite programs and colleges. Perhaps you’ve read A Whole New Mind or Five Minds for the Future. Perhaps you believe that employers are seeking creativity, the ability to solve complex problems and do more than simply provide the ‘right’ answer.

The world needs flexible, generative minds alongside the analytical, logical minds. And our curricula and assessments do not reflect that, sadly.

For many years my Element has been dance. For many years I studied ballet (and tap, and jazz and even baton twirling!). When I studied dance technique I was definitely not in Flow. It was painstaking learning. But eventually, I got better and became a trained dancer. I haven’t performed in years but I still seek opportunities to dance. I do lose track of time and enter ‘single-minded immersion’. What a gift to have found something for which I had some aptitude and loved so much. I also believe that my training in the arts prepared me to make a broader contribution professionally. I studied math and science. I took ballet lessons. Both improved my brain.

What is your Element? What have you pursued with passion and aptitude? If it’s been a long time since you’ve found yourself in Flow may I suggest that you find a way to get back to what you love? You and the world will be better for it.

The Happiness Project

10th of March ~

“It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light.” G. K. Chesterton

I am a huge fan of Gretchen Rubin. First, I followed her blog and now I’m buying multiple copies of The Happiness Project and sharing it with friends and family. Why do I like her book so much?

Structure

Gretchen was trained as an attorney and later realized that she really wanted to be a writer. With several books to her credit and an orderly mind she approached her quest for greater happiness with admirable organization. From her Twelve Personal Commandments and Four Splendid Truths to the monthly areas of focus she addresses multiple aspects of positive psychology.

Practicality

She alludes to the research but she doesn’t dwell on it. This is not a book for academics. This is a book for people who want actionable ideas. Each month, for her Happiness Project, she selected an area of focus. Each of the areas was broken down into several sub-topics. Her objectives are tangible. She writes:

Resolutions work better when they’re concrete, not abstract: it’s harder to keep a resolution to “Be a more loving parent” than to “Get up fifteen minutes early so I’m dressed before the kids wake up.”

Honesty

Like my other memoir heroine, Elizabeth Gilbert, Gretchen writes with personal voice. She takes a frank look in the mirror and doesn’t whitewash her faults. She shares a lame drawing from her first day in an art class and describes her cranky moments in detail. I liked her better for her foibles.

Inspiration

She’s clearly struck a chord with readers because Happiness Project groups are popping up all over. She is generous with her tools and has created a Happiness Toolbox site.

Finally, I felt she understood a dynamic that I’ve often experienced in my life: the tendency to underrate enthusiastic people. In November she has a resolution to “Give Positive Reviews”.

Giving positive reviews requires humility. I have to admit, I missed the feelings of superiority that I got from using puncturing humor, sarcasm, ironic asides, cynical comments, and cutting remarks. A willingness to be pleased requires modesty and even innocence–easy to deride as mawkish and sentimental.

Yup. Love this book.

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