CREATIVE STARTUP PEOPLE (Number 8 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 8: Creative people are both traditional and conservative and at the same time rebellious and iconoclastic.

Application: Startup people do not fit a standard mold. They are a mixture of elements that defy stereotyping, are tricky to identify and recruit, but very much worth the effort.

“Generally creative people are thought to be rebellious and independent. Yet it is impossible to be creative without having first internalized a domain of culture. And a person must believe in the importance of such a domain in order to learn its rules; hence, he or she must be to a certain extent a traditionalist. [But] being only traditional leaves the domain unchanged; constantly taking chances without regard to what has been valued in the past rarely leads to novelty that is accepted as an improvement."

"Artist Eva Zeisel says 'This idea to create something different is not my aim, and shouldn't be anybody's aim. Secondly, wanting to be different can't be the motive of your work. No creative thought or created thing grows out of a negative impulse. A negative impulse is always frustrating. And that's why "not like" -- that's why postmondernism, with the prefix of "post" -- couldn't work. No negative impulse can work, can produce any happy creation. Only a positive one.'"

"But the willingness to take risks, to break with the safety of tradition, is also necessary. The economist George Stigler is very emphatic in this regard: 'I'd say one of the most common failures of able people is a lack of nerve. They play safe games. In innovation, you have to play a less safe game, if it's going to be interesting. It's not predictable that it'll go well.'"

A. can be "a fist full" to work with or to manage because he for days he will be found strictly sticking to the science of his technological domain and then one day, without warning, is frustrated and filled with energy that fuels a rebellious rant.

E. votes conservative yet has ideas for application of her domain that are "way outside the box." She dresses between non-controversial and very fashionable. Her Midwest values are clear yet she is comfortable with a menagerie of people at work.

A. and T. are opposites who combine to create a balance between traditional and iconoclastic. They switch roles, depending on circumstances. Together they use the combination of these traits to lead a very innovative new enterprise.

P. wears classical clothing yet thinks up startup ideas that are amazing. He works well with quiet techies and yet in the next meeting is very animated, waving arms to make points and laughing with energy.

BOTTOM LINE: Don't expect it easy to find the people with this combination of traits, or to recruit them. But they are worth their weight in gold. Creativity radiates from them. They inspire the less innovative. CEOs find them very difficult to manage, but find the results of the work of such people to be breathtaking. When you can find them, these people are a powerful element in shaping your startup's culture and adding to its 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 8: Creative people are both traditional and conservative and at the same time rebellious and iconoclastic.

Application: Startup people do not fit a standard mold. They are a mixture of elements that defy stereotyping, are tricky to identify and recruit, but very much worth the effort.

“Generally creative people are thought to be rebellious and independent. Yet it is impossible to be creative without having first internalized a domain of culture. And a person must believe in the importance of such a domain in order to learn its rules; hence, he or she must be to a certain extent a traditionalist. [But] being only traditional leaves the domain unchanged; constantly taking chances without regard to what has been valued in the past rarely leads to novelty that is accepted as an improvement."

"Artist Eva Zeisel says 'This idea to create something different is not my aim, and shouldn't be anybody's aim. Secondly, wanting to be different can't be the motive of your work. No creative thought or created thing grows out of a negative impulse. A negative impulse is always frustrating. And that's why "not like" -- that's why postmondernism, with the prefix of "post" -- couldn't work. No negative impulse can work, can produce any happy creation. Only a positive one.'"

"But the willingness to take risks, to break with the safety of tradition, is also necessary. The economist George Stigler is very emphatic in this regard: 'I'd say one of the most common failures of able people is a lack of nerve. They play safe games. In innovation, you have to play a less safe game, if it's going to be interesting. It's not predictable that it'll go well.'"

A. can be "a fist full" to work with or to manage because he for days he will be found strictly sticking to the science of his technological domain and then one day, without warning, is frustrated and filled with energy that fuels a rebellious rant.

E. votes conservative yet has ideas for application of her domain that are "way outside the box." She dresses between non-controversial and very fashionable. Her Midwest values are clear yet she is comfortable with a menagerie of people at work.

A. and T. are opposites who combine to create a balance between traditional and iconoclastic. They switch roles, depending on circumstances. Together they use the combination of these traits to lead a very innovative new enterprise.

P. wears classical clothing yet thinks up startup ideas that are amazing. He works well with quiet techies and yet in the next meeting is very animated, waving arms to make points and laughing with energy.

BOTTOM LINE: Don't expect it easy to find the people with this combination of traits, or to recruit them. But they are worth their weight in gold. Creativity radiates from them. They inspire the less innovative. CEOs find them very difficult to manage, but find the results of the work of such people to be breathtaking. When you can find them, these people are a powerful element in shaping your startup's culture and adding to its 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 8: Creative people are both traditional and conservative and at the same time rebellious and iconoclastic.

Application: Startup people do not fit a standard mold. They are a mixture of elements that defy stereotyping, are tricky to identify and recruit, but very much worth the effort.

“Generally creative people are thought to be rebellious and independent. Yet it is impossible to be creative without having first internalized a domain of culture. And a person must believe in the importance of such a domain in order to learn its rules; hence, he or she must be to a certain extent a traditionalist. [But] being only traditional leaves the domain unchanged; constantly taking chances without regard to what has been valued in the past rarely leads to novelty that is accepted as an improvement."

"Artist Eva Zeisel says 'This idea to create something different is not my aim, and shouldn't be anybody's aim. Secondly, wanting to be different can't be the motive of your work. No creative thought or created thing grows out of a negative impulse. A negative impulse is always frustrating. And that's why "not like" -- that's why postmondernism, with the prefix of "post" -- couldn't work. No negative impulse can work, can produce any happy creation. Only a positive one.'"

"But the willingness to take risks, to break with the safety of tradition, is also necessary. The economist George Stigler is very emphatic in this regard: 'I'd say one of the most common failures of able people is a lack of nerve. They play safe games. In innovation, you have to play a less safe game, if it's going to be interesting. It's not predictable that it'll go well.'"

A. can be "a fist full" to work with or to manage because he for days he will be found strictly sticking to the science of his technological domain and then one day, without warning, is frustrated and filled with energy that fuels a rebellious rant.

E. votes conservative yet has ideas for application of her domain that are "way outside the box." She dresses between non-controversial and very fashionable. Her Midwest values are clear yet she is comfortable with a menagerie of people at work.

A. and T. are opposites who combine to create a balance between traditional and iconoclastic. They switch roles, depending on circumstances. Together they use the combination of these traits to lead a very innovative new enterprise.

P. wears classical clothing yet thinks up startup ideas that are amazing. He works well with quiet techies and yet in the next meeting is very animated, waving arms to make points and laughing with energy.

BOTTOM LINE: Don't expect it easy to find the people with this combination of traits, or to recruit them. But they are worth their weight in gold. Creativity radiates from them. They inspire the less innovative. CEOs find them very difficult to manage, but find the results of the work of such people to be breathtaking. When you can find them, these people are a powerful element in shaping your startup's culture and adding to its 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.