Gregg Fraley

Is there anything worse than a job which makes you unhappy? Beyond terminal illness probably not. We spend a great deal of our time and energy at work and it’s where we would hope to have some opportunity for applied creativity and innovation. Today’s secret wish is from Emily who has, frankly, been mentally whipped into submission. She feels her work is hopeless, and  uncreative. She wishes for better. But she’s married to the paycheck and can’t see a way out. Everyday she comes home with her spirits lower than the day before. If you feel your job is sucking the life out of you, there are things you can do: 1.) Look into your heart and ask yourself if

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Words of wisdom can echo through time. Words of positive creativity creates virtuous circles that can spiral for many years. I’m writing today of the words others have given me, and also, my own words. I occasionally hear from somebody who has read my business novel, Jack’s Notebook. The notes are generally positive. Some have been — inspirational. It’s a profoundly fulfilling thing to hear about the positive impact your words have on others. I’m grateful for the audience, and grateful for the words of empowerment others have given me. Yesterday a reader of Jack’s Notebook, Aaron Eden, posted an interesting blog piece about his journey into the world of creativity and innovation. In Butterflies to Hurricanes – How Innovation and Creative

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Apologize in advance for the mis-leading title of this post, but I have a motive, and a point (and an ego). On a lark I decided to Google “the most creative man in the world”. Here is the somewhat surprising result. Juan Carlos Solon may not be the most creative man in the world (he’s a damn good illustrator) but he deserves credit for a good blog post title. I’d give the real title to Sir Jony Ive. — but that’s just me. Then, to be fair, went over to the fair sex and Googled “the most creative woman in the world.” Here is the rather silly top entry. The second listing was a bit better, if dated to 2010, a

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Yes, I’ve updated my website and blog. It’s been a surprisingly fun project due to having a great technology and brand innovation partner in the firm Reuben-Hunter. Not only does it look better, it will be easier to change — and I can do it myself! I’m confident it’s more engaging, and will achieve higher rankings, sell more books and speeches and lead to more business. As an innovation expert (God love me) doing my own house cleaning and updating my brand brings me back to some basics. In other words I should listen to my own advice. Anyway, allow me to share two simple thoughts: 1.) If it ain’t broke, break it — my old website worked in the sense

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I don’t plug a lot of videos on this blog — how many video’s are all that relevant to creativity and innovation? This is the exception, I have one I’d really like you to watch, after you read this Jay Leno style “set up”. Growing up in anti-communist America the world was black and white. You were either pro-democracy capitalist, or a commmie pinko. There was no middle ground (gee, not so different than now). The “Domino Theory” had the USA fighting a communist insurgency in a tiny country in south east Asia that had no strategic value. The Vietnam war tore the country apart. I’d also rather forget the McCarthy era and blacklists. Which is what makes this new

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I posted not to long ago about organizations that don’t stay fit with regards to innovation. This, I said, would lead to an innovation infarction when an emergency crops up. Consider this post a “Yes+AND” as I’ve spotted a great piece by Scott Anthony that looks at that problem through a slightly different lens. Do read his excellent piece Negotiation Innovation and Control. Anthony’s point, in essence — leaders are geared towards minimizing mistakes. Nothing wrong with that, but it does run counter to the need for experimentation if you’re trying to build an innovation culture. Leaders have to allow mistakes, encourage experimentation if they want an innovative environment. In some areas of operation “no mistakes” is just where you

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Hollywood creates stars and iconic faces, like George Clooney. These amazing faces on the big screen are a lot of fun, but sometimes I think they have us forgetting we are all good looking. Maybe not like a movie star, but nonetheless beautiful. From the inside out. And we are all as potentially creative as the biggest Hollywood actor. My Secret Wish cartoon caught this guy, Jim, wishing for a bit of glamor in his personage. Watching this man for a bit I got the sense he was average confident, and clever, but I also detected something, deep inside that was holding his self-expression back. That thing deep down was a wish for better looks. One of the glorious things

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I was invited by Tanner Christensen, author of the blog Creative Something to contribute a short piece to a free e-book on creativity. The assignment was to write a short response to the question “Why Creativity?” This is the first piece in ages that I wrote long hand first; maybe I should try that technique more often. See my answer below. I’m joined in Why Creativity by the likes of Julien Smith, David Meerman Scott, Patrick Algrim, Matthew E May, Mike Brown, and Frank Chimero. The e-book has just been made available for free download on Tanner’s Aspindle page. I’ve read the other bits and I think you’ll enjoy them, very inspirational — so download a shot of creativity espresso!

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Thank God for Susan Robertson. Susan is a friend and colleague, and a principal at the innovation firm Ideas To Go. I’m happy Susan took the time to respond to yet another article in a respected publication that downplays the value of collaboration in idea generation. I’ve written several pieces in this blogspace defending the value of well executed brainstorming, for once, somebody else wrote a rebuttal — and I’m so glad, thank you Susan! I can’t resist adding an additional two cents. The article, “The Rise of the New Groupthink” appeared in the New York Times Sunday Review — impressive eh? Author Susan Cain is a good writer — her piece flows like a hawk gliding on an updraft.

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I get letters. A colleague of mine, Lisa Baxter, alerted me to an article recently published in Fast Company’s online Design section. The article, titled “Do Innovation Consultants Kill Innovation?” suggests that in fact, innovation consultants do indeed kill innovation. Authors Jens Martin Skibsted and Rasmus Bech Hansen argue that innovation is too messy to be captured in any process. So how can big firms innovate? I could write 5000 words in response to the article, but let me keep it simple: BS. In their defense I would agree that an over emphasis on process is often a failing of an average innovation consultant — and even those very high priced firms who do innovation consulting. I also resonate with

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