The Five Faces
of Genius: Creative Thinking Styles to Succeed at Work
Annette Moser-Wellman
The Seer - The Power to Image
Seers see pictures in their mind's eye. These
pictures lead them to ideas. Visualization is the primary way Seers navigate
their imagination. The image guides them to breakthrough ideas.
The Skill
of the Seer in Creative Genius
The Nobel-prize winning physicist, Richard Feynman, used the power to
image to create some of the greatest breakthroughs in physics. He saw
mathematical calculations in his mind's eye. From flying function signs to
colored variables floating around, he manipulated formulas in his imagination.
Like rearranging furniture in his mind, ideas would flow and he would
experiment with new configurations. Manipulating images led to his greatest
creative insights.
The Skill of the Seer in Business Genius
King Gillette used his power to image and invented the razor blade
system that revolutionized shaving in the 20th century. He visualized a solution
to the classic shaving problem – using a single dangerous razor. Gillette
described how his imagination worked. "As I stood there my razor in hand,
the Gillette razor was born. I saw it all in a moment....I could see the way
the blade could be held in a holder, then came the idea of sharpening the two
opposite edges on the thin piece of steel." His breakthrough came while
paying attention to the images in his mind's eye.
The Observer - The Power to Notice Detail
The key to the skill of the Observer is
curiosity. Observers collect details in a mental "basket" and from
the collection of the small thing create breakthrough ideas. Paying attention
to things others might miss leads to the ideas of the Observer.
The Skill of the Observer in Creative Genius
Robert Frost's first published poem was called "My
Butterfly". While walking in the forest one day, he surveyed the ground.
Among the dried leaves, he noticed a dead butterfly. He picked it up, was
entranced and found the inspiration for a poem. By following his curiosity
about a dead butterfly, his imagination was fueled and he created a great
contribution to poetry.
The Skill of the Observer in Business Genius
A grocer store manager in Florida noticed a pregnant woman hobbling
from the back of the parking lot to the front door. His curiosity kicked in. He
wondered if more new moms were shopping at his market. He created a sign – with
the picture of a stork – that reserved a parking place for pregnant women
closer to the entrance. An idea was born by paying attention to the details.
The Alchemist - The Power to Connect Domains
Alchemists generate ideas by connecting
different areas that interest them. In the connection, a breakthrough idea is
born. Always searching to see what they can bring together, Alchemists use
similarities – analogies – as the fire of their imagination.
The Skill of the Alchemist in Creative Genius
The movie "Rushmore" was directed by West Anderson. Anderson
admits the inspiration for a scene in his film came from watching "The
Graduate". Anderson says he borrowed the scene in which Dustin Hoffman
dives into the swimming pool and stays at the bottom pondering his fate. In
Rushmore, Bill Murray does the same thing – dives into the pool and meditates
at the bottom about his dislike for his twin sons. It's creativity through
analogy.
The Skill of the Alchemist in Business Genius
Mickey Drexler, the former CEO of the GAP, drew upon a idea from a
Coca-Cola annual report. He learned that Coke planned to grow through a strategy
of ubiquity – being everywhere a thirsty person might be. Drexler made a
creative connection. He chose a strategy of ubiquity and created a large
expansion to grow the GAP's business.
The Fool - The Power to Connect Domains
The Fool uses three related skills to find new ideas – inversion,
absurdity and perseverance. By turning things upside down, pushing notions to
the extreme and continuing to try in the face of adversity, Fools navigate
their imagination to conjure up great ideas.
The Skill of the Fool in Creative Genius
When the Impressionists began painting, the trend in art was to
observe nature and copy it. Elaborate details, smooth surfaces and highly
finished canvases were in vogue. Monet, Manet and Renior turned the art of
painting upside down. They painted their impressions of what they saw using
small strokes and patches of color to create illusions. What others thought was
a weakness in painting – lack of realism – became the center of the
impressionist movement. The artistic revolution came through the skills of the
Fool – finding the weakness and celebrating it.
The Skill of the Fool in Business Genius
Sam Walton was the business genius who created Wal-Mart. Walton took
the rules of conventional retailing and turned them upside-down. Instead of
choosing a location for his retail store first, he chose the location of the
warehouse. In so doing, he ensure the low cost distribution of products and led
the discount retailing revolution.
The Sage - The Power to Simplify
Sages navigate their imagination using the skill
of simplification. When they encounter ideas, they ask themselves "What is
the heart of the issue?" By coalescing the complex, they find their
breakthrough.
The Skill of the Sage in Creative Genius
Ernest Hemingway wrote some of the greatest novels of all time
including A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls. He created a new form
of writing called the journalistic style. He used short, terse sentences with
little embellishments. His style utilized a bare-bones English that
communicated a world with few words on the page. His genius was the ability to
tell the story simply and yet profoundly.
The Skill of the Sage in Business Genius
Listen to a business artist describe how he tackled
his new job at a leading company. "My team was trying to do the right
thing, but no one was doing the same thing. I modified the internal structure
of the team and identified a manageable number of tasks, put them in priority
and defined success for each. By uncomplicated the task list and giving each a
priority, we've been able to be more and more successful." By simplifying,
this manager was able to demonstrate his genius at work.
From:
The Five Faces of Genius:
CREATIVE THINIING STYLES TO SUCCEED AT WORK
www.annettemoserwellman.com
** These are included in the Handout from this Wednesday**
