Brothers Tom Kelley and David Kelley have written a new book titled “Creative Confidence, Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All.” On Thursday, they discussed the book and the creative process at a forum hosted by the Milken Institute. David Kelley, Founder of IDEO and the Stanford D.School, is credited for creating the computer mouse amongst other things. The conversation was moderated by Patrick Adams of Secret Weapon Marketing. “Courage to act is often more of a challenge than developing the idea. Fear of being judged, failure, is a major block to creativity.” They emphasize a “bias towards action,” which really resonates with me. They discussed creative teams and partnerships. The importance of having others to bounce ideas off of and to build upon. “Radical Collaboration… from a diverse disciplinary approach. Putting unlikely people together to create solutions.” Attributes of a good partnership, “same values, complementary skills.” Another way to foster creativity is through relaxed attention. “Find a time when your brain is running free. Think about a problem you are dealing with, and try to come up with a new solution.” David has a white board in his shower so he can capture thoughts when he has them, as often the best thoughts are fleeting.
Reframing the question is often key to innovation. One example is from the organization Embrace. The original question, how to create a lower cost incubator that will function properly in the developing world with inconsistent electrical supply. The issue: “20 million low-birth-weight and premature babies are born every year around the world, and over 4 million die within their first month of life. Temperature regulation is a key problem among many of these infants.” The new question, that really got to what was needed, how to keep new borns warm and at a consistent temperature? The solution: “A baby warmer that looks like a miniature sleeping bag that incorporates a phase change material, which stays at a constant temperature for up to 6 hours. This low-cost solution maintains premature and low birth weight babies’ body temperature to help them survive and thrive.” This idea would most likely not have occurred based on the original assignment/question. Look at problems in different ways to come up with different possible solutions. And ask questions in a way without implying a prejudgment or that are negative. They ask questions in an open, positive and collaborative manner. “How might we…”
The bothers Kelley have a well organized and thought provoking book. Soon to debut on the New York Times best seller list. Many people could benefit from their approach and many of our challenges in the world could be better addressed though creative confidence. www.creativeconfidence.com