Creativity at Work: Linda Naiman on turning ideas into reality

Our approach to innovation has been somewhat focused on the industrial side. We're always looking for ways to help innovators avoid pitfalls and apply processes to improve their returns from innovation activities. It hasn't been as inclusive of the creative aspects that we recognize are crucial to innovation.

To help bridge the gap, I approached Creativity at Work^TM founder Linda Naiman whose approaches toward innovation come from a different point of view. We've been in regular contact for the last 2 to 3 years, updating each other on our work. Linda was happy to share some insights as she is preparing for a creative leadership forum she is co-hosting in Vancouver from September 16-18 along with Ralph Kerle, CEO of the Creative Leadership Forum, Asia Pacific.

Linda has her own definition of creativity that ties in nicely with our approach that focuses on achieving predictable and measurable results from innovation activities. She defines creativity as "the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the production or implementation of an idea. If you have ideas, but don't act on them, you are imaginative but not creative."

Here are Linda's responses to a few questions I asked her recently.

Who were your early role models and what were the main things you learned from them?

My earliest role models were my parents and art teacher in grade school. My parents both encouraged me to be an artist, my father took me to museums and cultural events, and from early childhood we engaged in lengthy discussions about art, life and politics with an emphasis on analysis and strategy. My mother was always an athlete and a naturalist and she gave me a taste for travel and adventure. My grade 5 art teacher, Fritz Brantner taught us to be Cubists, and through him I learned to think in the abstract, and find the essence of the subject matter at hand - a useful problem-solving skill.

What key trends do we need to be aware of?

Innovation, innovation, innovation. It's not just about R&D and new product development. A recent global study of CEOs conducted by IBM reveals that the scope of innovation spans the entire enterprise, but with a focus on the business model and the customer. 40 percent of CEOs report they are changing their enterprise models to be more collaborative, and the study reports extensive collaborators outperform their competitive peers. "Partnering has shifted from tactical 'Enter a new market' to strategic 'Access to capabilities'," explained one CEO from Hong Kong. Collaboration with external inventors and customers plays a key role in nearly 50 percent of P&G's products.

Social Networking is another trend. Flickr, Second Life, and YouTube, are pioneering a new form of collaborative production that will revolutionize markets and firms.

Innovation requires a change in management styles that must shift from a command-and-control model to one of designer and coach. Organizations world-wide are discovering the merits of artistic and creative training. The arts-based skills transfer directly transfer to management: how to take risks, what motivates people, and how to engage your audience. Companies like P&G and Unilever have brought art and design principles into the practice of management and leadership to increase market share.

What is an example of an innovative company that people have never heard of?

Three companies who provide an innovative service online: Seattle-based TeachStreet, helps Seattle-based teachers and students connect. Students can search for teachers across more than 25,000 courses and filter the results according to location, ratings from other students, teacher availability, promotional pricing and more.

San Francisco-based Carrotmob aims to organize consumers to provide an economic incentive to companies for making positive environmental changes. The group hopes to begin by creating a broad network of consumers and forming partnerships with other larger advocacy groups. Next, it plans to implement campaigns focusing on different industries. Carrotmob will then approach the companies in each industry with suggestions, and invite them to make the changes they have identified.

Toronto-based Parkingspots.com connects those who have parking spots to rent out with those who need them on a monthly basis.

How do you measure innovation or creative success?

Two possibilities are Michael Porter's Innovation Capacity Index, and Richard Florida's Global Creativity Index.

Michael Porter says, "Innovation intensity depends on an interaction between private sector strategies and public sector policies and institutions. Competitiveness advances when the public and private sectors together promote a favourable environment for innovation." United States is number one followed by Finland and Germany. Canada is 10^th on the list.

In the Flight of the Creative Class, Richard Florida outlines what he coins the Global Creativity Index, which captures the ability of a country to harness and mobilize creative talent for innovation, entrepreneurship, industry formation and long-run prosperity. It measures technology, talent and cultural tolerance. Top of the list is Sweden, followed by Japan, Finland, US and Switzerland.

We'd like to thank Linda for helping bridge the gap between creativity and measurable innovation results. This helps us turn great ideas into reality.

Survey Ranks U.S. Tops In Fostering Innovation - But Rest of The World Gaining

A recent survey recognized the leadership role that the US has played in innovation over the last century , but notes how other countries are gaining.

"The U.S. maintains the top spot as the global technology leader in innovation," said Mark Jensen, national managing partner of Deloitte's Venture Capital Services. "While the U.S. isn't losing ground, the globalization of innovation is underway. The rest of the world is finding out what they're good at, and venture capitalists recognize where those strengths lie."

In Europe, the focus is on life sciences and clean technologies, two high growth areas that are attracting capital and a growing legion of workers. In Asia, technological innovation has moved to the forefront, though selected life science research centers are becoming common as private and government funding in Asian economies increases.

In Singapore, for example:

A key focus of the economic strategy has been the subsidized attraction of investment by multinational companies, and later in the period the lower employment cost of foreign workers. As the economy grew, labor became limiting, and immigration policy became a key economic growth tool.

Taken as a whole, it is policy, culture and strategic planning that results in effective innovation, for not only countries, but for individual companies. Often ignored by entrepreneurs and more often by large corporations, is understanding how innovation fits into the framework of the existing company.

While out-of-the-box thinking often results in new products and services that change the world, that thinking is usually most effective when it exists with the underpinnings that make an effective launch possible. We see this in failed and successful innovative ventures around the world.

"The Japanese government was one of the first to recognize the value of developing and maintaining a pervasive, high-speed broadband infrastructure throughout the country, fueling significant innovation around the next generation of broadband applications,"

Hence Japan as has attracted venture capital and interest from growing internet firms like Yahoo!. As more firms capitalize on this framework, more innovation results.

In Germany, a country that has a long history of interest in all things green, new eco technology innovation is thriving.

"Germany is the beneficiary of a well conceived, stable public policy that has ensured attractive markets for alternative energy technologies. This combined with a strong general technology base, has fostered substantial innovation in the space," said David Prend, partner, Rockport Capital. "As a result, for example, Germany, a country with marginal sun, is a leader in solar photovoltaic technology that they export to the rest of the world. Venture capital follows quality technology and innovation."

But don't worry about the U.S., venture capitalists still view the US as the leader in innovation. Whether or not that will continue to remain the case, remains to be seen.

The Billion Dollar Question: An Interview with Jim Estill

We found a secret weapon in marketing - an engineer that can sell! Jim Estill was a University of Waterloo engineering techie who got into selling computers and became really good at it. The business he started from the trunk of his car became a substantial acquisition for one of Canada's leading computer distributors, Synnex Corporation. Jim is currently CEO of Synnex Canada which sells about a billion dollars of computer products a year.

Jim also became a highly involved shareholder at an early stage with Research in Motion (RIM), makers of the popular Blackberry device, where he remains on the Board of Directors.

On top of this, he is as curious and interested in new ideas as ever and has become an expert blogger. His CEO-Time Leadership blog at www.jimestill.com is a great place to learn about leadership and making the best possible use of your time.

We interviewed him to bring some of his insights into marketing and leadership to you.

Q: How has your engineering background helped you in your business?

Jim: When I started my business, it gave me credibility (I was young and looked younger). And simply spending the time in school helped my maturity level and gave me confidence.

Q: What made you go into selling from the trunk of your car, rather than staying in the engineering world?

Jim: I was designing a circuit board and needed a computer. I got a better deal if I bought 2 so I did and sold one then someone else wanted one etc.

Q: Who were your early role models and what were the main things you learned from them?

Jim: My father taught me self discipline. I have always loved business biographies so was inspired by many of them like Edison, Ford, Weston etc.

Q: What was the most important thing you had to learn to become able to take your EMJ business from zero to $330 million in 25 years - with 99 consecutive quarters of profitability?

Jim: I had to learn to give things up - to trust that other people were capable of doing parts of the job. This can be a very limiting challenge for an entrepreneur.

Q: What were the keys to R.I.M. Blackberry success?

Jim: Success is usually never just one thing. I think their focus has been good. RIM has always hired good people. RIM thinks big. RIM has good technology backed with great marketing and market understanding.

Q: What have you mainly been bringing to the R.I.M. organization (in the early stages and now)?

Jim: In the early stages, I was the big company, the public company, the company who had grown etc. So I could help with growth issues/rolodex etc. I have always been a techie so I always float my ideas on product (most of which were not done and I do not want you to think I was the brains behind product because I was not).

Right now, continuity helps. I am also a working CEO running a $1B+ tech company so certainly have relevant experience.

Q: If you could redo something in your past, what would it be?

Jim: We are the product of all of our past - including our mistakes. One of the things I often say is "Fail Often, Fail Fast and Fail Cheap" and "Having a failure does not make you a failure" so there is nothing I would want to redo.


Thank you Jim for sharing these insights with us. This should serve as an inspiration to any engineers or techies among us to explore developing our leadership abilities and learn how to become really great at selling. Visit Jim’s blog and connect with him at www.jimestill.com