In a recent, much-referenced study conducted by IBM Global Business Services, a group of over 1,500 CEOs in 60 nations and 33 industries agreed that “creativity” is now the most important leadership quality for success in business.

Not “global focus,” not “integrity,” not even much heralded “sustainability.” But “creativity.”

Steven Tomasco, of IBM Global Business Services, found the result surprising, considering that we have just come out of (hopefully) an historic economic downturn the likes of which most of these CEOs have never experienced in their professional lives.

In terms of actual percentages, 60% of those surveyed ranked “creativity” in the #1 spot. Second was “integrity.” (With all due respect to Steven Tomasco,we would suggest this is the more surprising result in this era of “the end justifies the means” corporate management.)

In fact, for those fortunate enough to have had access to the crystal ball of business success over the past several years, in our new “innovation economy,” that “creativity” holds the #1 spot is hardly surprising. In fact, it is expected.

If there is a secret of business success today, it is the willingness and ability to continually reinvent one’s value proposition, deliver ever-increasing value to customers and recognize that the consumer calls the shots—every shot.

Consider that 88% of CEOs surveyed also ranked “getting closer to the customer” as the #1 area of focus, followed closely by “people skills” (81%) and “insights and intelligence” (76%).

Creativity, people skills, insights/intelligence… it all boils down to a consumer-driven success model.

The dominant businesses in today’s marketplace understand this. They work diligently to stay one step ahead of the consumer’s need. It’s no longer about the ability to respond—it’s about the need to anticipate. Give your customers what they want—before they even know they want it—and you will rise to the top of the competitive corporate food chain. Fail to do so, even for a moment, and prepare to fall, rapidly.

So what does creativity have to do with all of this? Why is it necessary to “think outside the box” in order to meet consumer demand?

Because your customers don’t have a clue what they will want tomorrow—even though they want it now. And they are not going to tell you; that’s too much work. They want you to tell them; and when they see it, they’ll know it. Tell them what they want, and if you are correct, you win the brass ring. And if you don’t, someone else most certainly will.

There’s a bit of alchemy involved in this, the ability to ask, “What if?”

“What if my customers had <fill in the blank>? How would it make their lives better, easier, more productive?”

This business model is not for the faint of heart. It is not built upon market data (backwards focused), proven successes (backwards focused) or established business practices (backwards focused). It is built upon vision…and the ability to manifest it.

Apple understands. So does Google. Microsoft did once. So did AOL and iomega and countless others who have tripped, stumbled and gone plummeting off the front pages of the business press. Business success means redefining oneself daily. These surveyed corporate leaders know this, even if they are not presently doing it. Those who will ultimately act upon it will be around to respond to the next IBM survey. Those who don’t???

What if? That is the pressing question. Can you provide the answer?

June 16, 2010

On the evening of April 20, 2010, methane gas shot out of the drill column on one of BP’s offshore oil platforms, Deepwater Horizon. The gas quickly ignited into an explosive fireball. Thirty-six hours later the flaming platform sank a mile deep below the surface of the Gulf.

The fiery demise of Deepwater Horizon was only the opening chapter of an ongoing disaster that continues to release an estimated 20,000–40,000 barrels of crude oil into the Gulf each day, resulting in a deadly oil slick that covers over 2500 miles of surface area… and is still spreading.

To date, every attempt on BP’s part to stop or control the flow of oil has ended in failure. The only glimmer of hope for easing the crisis lies at best weeks, or more likely months away, with the completed drilling of relief wells. The challenge facing BP (and all who assist them in their effort) is just how to plug a leaking pipeline in waters so deep, the pressure could crush a submarine. It has been said that the task is much like attempting to thread a needle while wearing boxing gloves.

If the world ever needed inspired innovative problem solving, it is now!

Why is BP experiencing one failure after another at such a critical time? The obvious answer is that they have not arrived at a workable solution. Assuming the task is not an impossible one, the real fault lies in, or is at least exacerbated by, the company’s approach to problem solving. It appears that BP has approached this unprecedented challenge from a conventional industry problem solving mindset, rather than from highly creative and collaborative approach—a classic example of too much linear thinking, and not enough imagination.

Like a creature of habit, the company has attempted to adapt conventional land-  and shallow water-based approaches to solve an extreme (unconventional) problem taking place 5000 feet below the surface. Meanwhile many thousands of unorthodox suggestions have been offered by inventors and creative problem solvers, only to be ignored by BP and the federal government—while the oil continues to flow.

Innovation, desperately needed in such an unprecedented event, is fueled by new ideas, not by rethinking or refashioning the status quo.

So if you had to choose one organization or government agency to rise up and take on this mission impossible, who would you call?

Our vote would have to go with NASA!

Why NASA? Who else has a proven track record of experience, expertise and ingenuity for solving tough challenges in the most remote and inhospitable environments in the universe?

Consider the Apollo 13 crisis, when an oxygen tank ruptured and severely damaged the command spacecraft on its way to the moon. The agency acted swiftly to transform the Lunar Landing Module into a “lifeboat” for the emergency return trip to Earth. Despite a near complete loss of cabin power and heat, shortage of drinkable water, and improvised fix of the carbon dioxide removal system, NASA used creativity and innovation to beat the odds and bring the astronauts safely home to Earth. Sounds a little like threading a needle while wearing boxing gloves. Clearly NASA has the Right Stuff!

There doesn’t seem to be an extreme challenge the agency can’t solve, whether it’s inventing fixes for bulky solar panels aboard the space station hundreds of miles above the earth, or jump-starting land rovers, 125,000,000 miles away on Mars, in -80 degree F temperatures.

If the Deepwater Horizon spill were approached from a completely new perspective (say by the men and women who designed and built the International space station?), is there really much doubt that a solution could be found? What’s a measly mile below the Gulf surface when you’ve successfully done rover repair 125,000,000 miles away?

The sooner BP begins to question their self-limiting assumptions, open their minds to new and different viewpoints, and starts to creatively collaborate with visionary idea partners, the sooner they will discover the innovative solution they and the world so desperately need.

Originally appeared on South Florida’s SunSentinel.com – June 05, 2010

In many ways I was thrilled and encouraged by Bob LaMendola’s story in the May 28 Sun Sentinel, “Inventors brainstorm ways to plug oil spill.”

As a native New Orleanian, and now a part-time resident of South Florida, it is gratifying to read about so many smart, engaged and concerned South Floridians employing their creativity in an effort to help reduce the impact of this terrible disaster that threatens to alter our lives for decades to come.

That said, it is troubling to learn, not only here, but in virtually every report on BP’s and the government’s response to the spill, how slow, pondering and uncreative their efforts have been, especially in today’s innovation-driven society.

Innovation, which is clearly needed in this unprecedented event, is fueled by ideas, not by rethinking the status quo.

The situation in the Gulf worsens not every day, but every second. A few fewer engineers and a few more creative thinkers at the table may have had this problem solved weeks ago.

It is interesting to note that a recent survey of 1,500 chief executives, conducted by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, shows that CEOs identify “creativity” as the most important leadership competency for the successful enterprise of the future. And yet, corporate behemoths like BP, and even our change-oriented administration, continue to function in the ways of the past.

We can only hope that sooner rather than later, the real innovators in our world will assume greater positions of influence. Perhaps then, disasters such as these will not only be addressed faster, but may not happen at all.

Keith Harmeyer, Hollywood, FL

We plan to write our own post about this topic in the next few days. But in the meantime, for any of our readers who may have missed it, check out this excellent article in Fast Companyabout a provocative study conducted by IBM Global Business Services. The results are exciting and thought provoking.

The Most Important Leadership Quality for CEOs? Creativity

The Art of Innovation is filled with so much smart, fresh thinking, it is truly a must-read for anyone interested in innovation and creative problem solving.

From Amazon: ”IDEO, the world’s leading design firm, is the brain trust that’s behind some of the more brilliant innovations of the past 20 years–from the Apple mouse, the Polaroid i-Zone instant camera, and the Palm V to the “fat” toothbrush for kids and a self-sealing water bottle for dirt bikers. Not surprisingly, companies all over the world have long wondered what they could learn from IDEO, to come up with better ideas for their own products, services, and operations. In this terrific book from IDEO general manager Tom Kelley (brother of founder David Kelley), IDEO finally delivers.”

Click here to order The Art of Innovation from Amazon.

We wrote this post for the Creativist Society blog, where it first appeared.

Perception. Reality

This pairing of two simple words, contrasting what we see with what what really is, were originally used together publicly in a successful advertising campaign in the 1980s, for Rolling Stonemagazine. The message of the ad campaign was that, while the perception was that Rolling Stone readers were hippies and drug users, in fact, they were upscale, affluent yuppies.

Perception. Reality.

That wasn’t just Rolling Stone. It was the 80s.

“You look mahvelous,” Billy Crystal would say, impersonating the suave and perennially-well-groomed Latin movie star, Fernando Lamas. “And it’s better to look mahvelous than to feelmahvelous.”

Oh how the world has changed. Back then succeeding in business or in life was at least as much about perception—whether you looked marvelous—as it was about the reality of your life and actions. Individuals and corporations alike were continually crafting and refining the ideal image they wished to present to the world.

Today, thanks to the Internet and social networking, the first sign of disingenuousness on the part of anyone or anything is instantaneously broadcast to millions. You’re outted before the evening news even begins.

The separation between perception and reality is rapidly disappearing. Corporations are seeing their images decimated in a heartbeat when illegal or unethical business practices are revealed. Celebrities once held in the highest esteem are now depicted as the abusive, childish narcissists they are. Individuals must be concerned about what is revealed about them on Facebook, or risk their careers.

We live in a world of total transparency, a world in which our actions are our image. How we feel (and what we do) is how we look.

And that’s a good thing. Because today, it is simply no longer enough to have a strong, manufactured image. Honesty, integrity and walking your talk are necessary. These are the qualities that allow each of us to present a strong image to the world, one that communicates the real value we deliver and our willingness to do so.

Live a life of transparency, personally and professionally. Make the effort to be the best you can be every day. Make your perception, reality.

Remember, the world is watching.

I used to work at this ad agency where the manager of the creative team, who considered himself the most talented guy in the place, was overly involved in the company’s day-to-day idea generation process. He  insisted on participating in every important brainstorm session the agency held; and being the top guy in the department, he got his way.

Don’t misunderstand—he did come up with his share of ideas, both good and bad.

But perhaps his most meaningful and influential contribution to the brainstorms was the inspiring way in which he would often open a session.

“You know how they say there are no bad ideas?” the boss would begin. “That’s not true; there are bad ideas,” the guy who held in his hands the fate of everyone’s career would continue. “Really bad ideas. Ideas so bad, they should never be spoken out loud.”

You can pretty much imagine where the sessions went from there.

The more junior people in the room, or those whose bellies were just the least bit yellow, would keep their mouths dutifully shut—except to offer an enthusiastic, “Great idea!” when the boss would serve up his creative contributions.

Those of us with a bit more experience (or foolhardiness) would carefully toss our ideas into the ring, more often than not only to have them instantly shot down by our leader. “No, no. That’s no good. Anybody else got anything?”

At the end of these sessions, we would almost always walk away with an idea. His idea.

Funny or sad, but definitely true, this true story exemplifies perfectly the single most devastating thing you can bring with you into a brainstorm—ego.

We often say, half-jokingly, “Kick out the boss” if you want to have a successful brainstorming session. While not always practical in real life, the idea behind the statement is nonetheless sound. Anyone who dominates a brainstorm, either due to seniority or just plain old arrogance and obnoxiousness, will most surely be its ruin.

The real magic and power of a well-executed brainstorm is the superior strength of the group mind—individuals, somehow working together in concert, towards a common goal. Bringing together diverse points-of-views, talents, experiences, etc. expands thinking, increases contribution and allows a well functioning team to build upon each other’s thoughts. The result: a greater breadth and depth of ideas that are far more inspired and developed than those any single individual could produce in the same time frame.

For all the brainstorming-naysayers among you, yes, there have been numerous studies that suggest individual ideation is more effective and producing ideas than group brainstorming. And no wonder. The vast majority of brainstorms are poorly planned, and facilitated by individuals who have had no formal training in the process. They are, in one way or another, like the dysfunctional examples I described at the top of this article: doomed from the start.

But when well prepared and expertly guided, a brainstorm is like a well-rehearsed symphony orchestra—each individual player sharing his or her talent and skill, working together to weave an intricate tapestry that only gets bigger and more beautiful as each new idea is introduced and expanded upon.

So if you are the one in control and just want to push your ideas forward (as ill-conceived and unenlightened as that management style may be), forget brainstorming. Save everyone the time, energy and humiliation, and just dictate the direction you demand.

But if you want to transform your organization into a super-human, innovative-thinking machine, do the right thing. Kick out the boss.

Or at least the boss’s ego.