Book – Page 23 – Disney Creativity and Innovation Keynote Speaker

Chances are you were amazing

Disney creativity and innovation author Jeff Noel at Disney Quest — Ride bike to work. Write on iPhone, for work. Never feels like work.

Chances are you were amazing

In fact, i’d bet a dollar (my top bet, and the only amount i bet when i’m sure i’ll win) you were inspiring.

Remember what you did and how it felt afterward when you could smile and know you did what you thought you couldn’t?

There are certain truths that when we hear them, we easily nod in agreement.

How about this one…

When there’s something we are highly motivated to do or not do, we get it done.

While this book contains the world-class creativity and innovation basics, none of that timeless wisdom matters if you aren’t compelled to burn the ships.

Had a High School science teacher say, “Repetition is the mother of all learning.”

Burn the ships (BTS), or some other mantra that inspires you the way BTS inspires me – that’s what we need to tell ourselves over and over (and over).

One more thing, chances are you are still amazing.

i’ll bet a dollar on that too.

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What happens to creativity and innovation when there’s no urgency?

Bicycle parked near USATF van — Official USATF van. Official MLC bicycle.

What happens to creativity and innovation when there’s no urgency?

What happens to you when there’s no creativity and innovation urgency?

Recall what you accomplished when you had something super urgent?

Write it down now: What was it, why was it urgent, what was the outcome and why?

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Trapped by our continuous improvement culture comfort?

Disney memorabilia — Lower right. Spot Jungle Jeff? circa 2005+-.

Trapped by our continuous improvement culture comfort?

The creative and innovative organization we could become will always be trapped by what we are unwilling to give up.

The trap revolves around the effort we will need to summon. This universally feels like too much energy, time, money, and discomfort.

So we don’t do anything.

Even when we choose not to decide, we still have made a choice.

What kind of creative and innovative organization do you long to become?

What’s missing from making that happening?

What are you willing to change?

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It doesn’t matter what you look at

Disney Institute in the news. Actually, it’s the leader that’s in the news.

It doesn’t matter what you look at, what matters is what you see

When we focus on the surface, we risk missing everything else.

Imagine that for a moment.

You may marvel at Disney’s world-famous grooming guidelines and completely miss the fact that grooming guidelines aren’t the insight.

The insight is Disney’s uncompromising focus on delivering what the Guest wants.

The Guest wants something Magical, something no one else in the world provides.

And prior to Disneyland, the American standard for a Family outing was an Amusement Park, a Circus, a State Fair, a Carnival.

The American Carnival was a traveling show. Descending on a town, the Carnival would quickly set up in a vacant field or empty parking lot.

The mechanical rides never won awards for passenger safety.

The Carnival workers, known as “Carnies”, had a reputation for being unkempt.

Walt Disney ruptured the negative stereotypes and reinvented the industry, including the workers, becoming a category of one.

Why?

Because the Public would pay for quality, return often, and tell their friends.

Is there any creative idea that isn’t worth pursuing to innovate any aspect worth enhancing?

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Make an uncommon creativity and innovation book

quote dwell in hope — And, dwell in gratitude.

One of the ideas was making an uncommon book

Make a creativity and innovation book that flies in the face of what normal books look like?

Are you crazy?

What if people shun it?
What if it doesn’t work?

You can feel the logic in those questions because they’re no-brainer questions, questions every smart leader would ask.

But what about these.

What if people love it?
What if it works better than your wildest dreams?

Of course, there’s no guarantee either way.

This is why most people, and most organizations, stay on the tried and true path of good and very good.

The commitment to make excellence the only goal is scary for most.

Why?

Because it requires risk.

Risk scares people and organizations.

This is fundamental, elementary even.

And true.

But what if instead of being scary, risk was embraced as essential to your health and the health of your organization?

Not until leaders, and organizations, desire to make creativity and innovation risk-taking mandatory will cultural transformation start spreading its wings.

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