CREATIVE STARTUP PEOPLE (Number 5 of a series) : Do you have what they have?

Today I'll move on to the next trait on the list for creative people, applying it to startups (see the introductory note at the end of this blog). The quotes are from the book cited in the endnote.
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TRAIT NUMBER 5: “Creative people seem to harbor opposite tendencies on the continuum between extroversion and introversion."

APPLICATION:  Balanced people make great startup people . Extremes in behavior are costly to new enterprises.

"Usually each of us tends to be one or the other [extrovert or introvert]. Creative individuals, on the other hand, seem to express both traits at the same time."

"The stereotype of 'solitary genius' is strong and gets ample support from our [research] interviews. As we know from studies of young talented people, teenagers who cannot stand being alone tend not to develop their skills because practicing music or studying math requires a solitude they dread. Only those teens who can tolerate being alone are able to master the symbolic content of a domain."

"Yet over and over again, the importance of seeing people, hearing people, exchanging ideas, and getting to know another person's work and mind are stressed by creative individuals."

"Physicist Freeman Dyson: 'Up to a point you welcome being interrupted because it is only by interacting with other people that you get anything interesting done. It is essentially a communal enterprise. . . .  But when I am writing I have the door shut and even then too much sound comes through, so very often when I am writing I go and hide in the library. It is a solitary game.' "

A. works in the wee hours in the office when few others are there to interrupt. Later the next day or so he arrives later in the morning overflowing with excitement and calls for the engineers to gather to witness his latest creation in the open working area of his startup.

E. can be found during some days at home or in the office on Saturdays inventing and thinking strategically. Weekly she has an all hands company meeting to discuss how everyone's work is progressing and to celebrate achievements by one and all.

A. and T. come and go, in isolation and in communal activities. They are a mix of both behaviors, personalities who inspire a very creative staff without suffocating them. The company culture breeds people who love to be creative.

P. is constantly on the go, reading bplans alone and then meeting with groups of entrepreneurs and his fellow venture capitalists. He is here and then gone, but always in touch, responding on his Blackberry in taxis in New Dehli and in his car in Silicon Valley.

BOTTOM LINE: There is a mix of solo and communal in the creative person in startups. They are eager for times of isolation when focus on one thing is so important. Then they seek groups of others to communicate with. That is why working conditions are so key to great new enterprises. Creative people need places to work without noise or interruption. And they need a working culture that welcomes them as one of the team. There are lots of lessons here for CEOs of startups. When you get this clear in your mind, you'll add a lot to building your unfair advantage.

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NOTE OF INTRODUCTION TO THIS SERIES ON CREATIVE STARTUP PEOPLE

Creativity.

That's a desired skill that stands out in great startup people: Founders, management, leaders, and employees. I also find it outstanding in the venture community: Angels, venture capitalists, bloggers, media reporters, lawyers and finance staff.

On the less positive side, creative people are also a challenge to manage (often "a pain in the neck" and worse).

I am often questioned about creative startup people, so I've decided to discuss them in a series of blogs, who they are, how to spot them and what to do about them.  The series should be about ten blogs in length, spread out over the next three weeks.

I decided begin with this question: "How creative are you?"

To help you answer that question, I'll list the traits of a creative person and let you compare yourself. I expect you to be surprised (I was).

My source for the list is a mind stretching book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi entitled Creativity. He is professor and former chairman of the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago, and author of several books including the bestseller, Flow. The quoted item that I use are from Creativity.

Today I'll move on to the next trait on the list for creative people, applying it to startups (see the introductory note at the end of this blog). The quotes are from the book cited in the endnote.
========================================================================================

TRAIT NUMBER 5: “Creative people seem to harbor opposite tendencies on the continuum between extroversion and introversion."

APPLICATION:  Balanced people make great startup people . Extremes in behavior are costly to new enterprises.

"Usually each of us tends to be one or the other [extrovert or introvert]. Creative individuals, on the other hand, seem to express both traits at the same time."

"The stereotype of 'solitary genius' is strong and gets ample support from our [research] interviews. As we know from studies of young talented people, teenagers who cannot stand being alone tend not to develop their skills because practicing music or studying math requires a solitude they dread. Only those teens who can tolerate being alone are able to master the symbolic content of a domain."

"Yet over and over again, the importance of seeing people, hearing people, exchanging ideas, and getting to know another person's work and mind are stressed by creative individuals."

"Physicist Freeman Dyson: 'Up to a point you welcome being interrupted because it is only by interacting with other people that you get anything interesting done. It is essentially a communal enterprise. . . .  But when I am writing I have the door shut and even then too much sound comes through, so very often when I am writing I go and hide in the library. It is a solitary game.' "

A. works in the wee hours in the office when few others are there to interrupt. Later the next day or so he arrives later in the morning overflowing with excitement and calls for the engineers to gather to witness his latest creation in the open working area of his startup.

E. can be found during some days at home or in the office on Saturdays inventing and thinking strategically. Weekly she has an all hands company meeting to discuss how everyone's work is progressing and to celebrate achievements by one and all.

A. and T. come and go, in isolation and in communal activities. They are a mix of both behaviors, personalities who inspire a very creative staff without suffocating them. The company culture breeds people who love to be creative.

P. is constantly on the go, reading bplans alone and then meeting with groups of entrepreneurs and his fellow venture capitalists. He is here and then gone, but always in touch, responding on his Blackberry in taxis in New Dehli and in his car in Silicon Valley.

BOTTOM LINE: There is a mix of solo and communal in the creative person in startups. They are eager for times of isolation when focus on one thing is so important. Then they seek groups of others to communicate with. That is why working conditions are so key to great new enterprises. Creative people need places to work without noise or interruption. And they need a working culture that welcomes them as one of the team. There are lots of lessons here for CEOs of startups. When you get this clear in your mind, you'll add a lot to building your unfair advantage.

=========================================================================================
NOTE OF INTRODUCTION TO THIS SERIES ON CREATIVE STARTUP PEOPLE

Creativity.

That's a desired skill that stands out in great startup people: Founders, management, leaders, and employees. I also find it outstanding in the venture community: Angels, venture capitalists, bloggers, media reporters, lawyers and finance staff.

On the less positive side, creative people are also a challenge to manage (often "a pain in the neck" and worse).

I am often questioned about creative startup people, so I've decided to discuss them in a series of blogs, who they are, how to spot them and what to do about them.  The series should be about ten blogs in length, spread out over the next three weeks.

I decided begin with this question: "How creative are you?"

To help you answer that question, I'll list the traits of a creative person and let you compare yourself. I expect you to be surprised (I was).

My source for the list is a mind stretching book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi entitled Creativity. He is professor and former chairman of the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago, and author of several books including the bestseller, Flow. The quoted item that I use are from Creativity.

Today I'll move on to the next trait on the list for creative people, applying it to startups (see the introductory note at the end of this blog). The quotes are from the book cited in the endnote.
========================================================================================

TRAIT NUMBER 5: “Creative people seem to harbor opposite tendencies on the continuum between extroversion and introversion."

APPLICATION:  Balanced people make great startup people . Extremes in behavior are costly to new enterprises.

"Usually each of us tends to be one or the other [extrovert or introvert]. Creative individuals, on the other hand, seem to express both traits at the same time."

"The stereotype of 'solitary genius' is strong and gets ample support from our [research] interviews. As we know from studies of young talented people, teenagers who cannot stand being alone tend not to develop their skills because practicing music or studying math requires a solitude they dread. Only those teens who can tolerate being alone are able to master the symbolic content of a domain."

"Yet over and over again, the importance of seeing people, hearing people, exchanging ideas, and getting to know another person's work and mind are stressed by creative individuals."

"Physicist Freeman Dyson: 'Up to a point you welcome being interrupted because it is only by interacting with other people that you get anything interesting done. It is essentially a communal enterprise. . . .  But when I am writing I have the door shut and even then too much sound comes through, so very often when I am writing I go and hide in the library. It is a solitary game.' "

A. works in the wee hours in the office when few others are there to interrupt. Later the next day or so he arrives later in the morning overflowing with excitement and calls for the engineers to gather to witness his latest creation in the open working area of his startup.

E. can be found during some days at home or in the office on Saturdays inventing and thinking strategically. Weekly she has an all hands company meeting to discuss how everyone's work is progressing and to celebrate achievements by one and all.

A. and T. come and go, in isolation and in communal activities. They are a mix of both behaviors, personalities who inspire a very creative staff without suffocating them. The company culture breeds people who love to be creative.

P. is constantly on the go, reading bplans alone and then meeting with groups of entrepreneurs and his fellow venture capitalists. He is here and then gone, but always in touch, responding on his Blackberry in taxis in New Dehli and in his car in Silicon Valley.

BOTTOM LINE: There is a mix of solo and communal in the creative person in startups. They are eager for times of isolation when focus on one thing is so important. Then they seek groups of others to communicate with. That is why working conditions are so key to great new enterprises. Creative people need places to work without noise or interruption. And they need a working culture that welcomes them as one of the team. There are lots of lessons here for CEOs of startups. When you get this clear in your mind, you'll add a lot to building your unfair advantage.

=========================================================================================
NOTE OF INTRODUCTION TO THIS SERIES ON CREATIVE STARTUP PEOPLE

Creativity.

That's a desired skill that stands out in great startup people: Founders, management, leaders, and employees. I also find it outstanding in the venture community: Angels, venture capitalists, bloggers, media reporters, lawyers and finance staff.

On the less positive side, creative people are also a challenge to manage (often "a pain in the neck" and worse).

I am often questioned about creative startup people, so I've decided to discuss them in a series of blogs, who they are, how to spot them and what to do about them.  The series should be about ten blogs in length, spread out over the next three weeks.

I decided begin with this question: "How creative are you?"

To help you answer that question, I'll list the traits of a creative person and let you compare yourself. I expect you to be surprised (I was).

My source for the list is a mind stretching book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi entitled Creativity. He is professor and former chairman of the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago, and author of several books including the bestseller, Flow. The quoted item that I use are from Creativity.