Don't underestimate the power

Original post:  Aug 17, 2015

Perhaps you may have admired the creative genius of others from afar. You may have harbored secret wishes to dream up the next iPhone or write that novel or solve that nagging problem. Perhaps you thought that creativity is something that you are born with; that you either have it or you don't. This article argues that isn't true.

In "People Underestimate Their Creative Potential", Melissa Dahl lays out a case for the rest of us. She writes:

But people tend to doubt their own ability to stick to the tedious trial-and-error part of creative work, suggests a large new study from Northwestern University,published recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Across seven experiments involving more than 1,200 participants, psychologists Brian J. Lucas and Loran F. Nordgren found that people underestimated how many creative solutions they could come up with in a given amount of time, suggesting, the researchers argue, that in a real-life situation, they might give up too easily. And that’s a problem, they say, because their results also showed that the participants’ ideas became more creative as they persisted.

The experiments presented a challenge and asked participants for creative ideas. They then stopped the group and asked how many ideas they might come up with in a second brainstorming session. They found:

And not only did they come up with more ideas than they expected, those ideas got better as they kept working, as judged by an independent team of raters. This is consistent with the findings of previous studies on creativity — for example, one 1970s study of classical composers found a link between higher-quality pieces and the total number of compositions that an individual composer had produced. A huge part of creative work, after all, is failure: the terrible, weird ideas that lead the way to the truly great and original ones. The famed psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyitheorized that this helps explain why "flow" leads to those bursts of insight: When people are absorbed by a task, they "persist ... single-mindedly, disregarding hunger, fatigue, and discomfort." Concentrating deeply in one area for an extended period of time allows you to examine the thing from different angles, understanding the nuances of the problem.

By forcing participants to keep trying, the researchers may have helped them unlock more of their potential!

Here is the link to the full article:  People Underestimate Their Creative Potential -- Science of Us

Living up (or down) to expectations

Original post:  Sep 17, 2012

I heard a fascinating story this morning about expectations. An academic study focused on how teacher expectations might impact student performance.

The study told teachers in advance that there were certain students in their incoming class who had the potential for high achievement. The teachers did not know that the students had been selected at random and were no more (or less) likely to be high performers. At the end of the study period, the researchers found that the students pre-selected for high achievement actually outperformed their peers!

The researchers did a second study to try to find out why this had happened. It turns out that it was the accumulation of hundreds of smaller moments along the way. If a question was asked of a child, the response would depend on the expectations. If the child was considered low-performing, they would be given a short period of time to respond before the teacher would move on to another student. If the child was in the high-potential group, they would be given an extended period to answer (or possibly even prompted). The higher potential students were also given a bit more coaching along the way. Those little interactions ended up making measurable improvements over the course of a school year.

In the same way, this may be applied to our own interactions with our colleagues. There may be times when we are frustrated with other departments (or even with colleagues). If we can try to assume that our colleagues are working for shared interests, we may be more likely to give them the benefit of the doubt. We might actually help improve our own service in the short run. In the long run, we could help our colleagues improve as well!

Sneak peek

Original post:  Apr. 3, 2012

Standard marketing strategy for most movies is to invite a select group of people in to see an advance copy of the movie. The audience for these special events gets to provide valuable feedback about what they liked (or didn't like) about the movie. Some movies even get re-worked or new endings based on the way that these test audience grade this preview.

Yesterday, a colleague shared with me their vision for the future at our company. It was a bold new strategy that has never been attempted before. I was quite impressed.

No one can know exactly what the future might bring. We all have hopes and wishes, but they often don't pan out exactly as we thought they would. I am reminded of that as I stare at my sad losing MegaMillions ticket. But every once in a while, we get a preview of what that future might be. As I watch my son play his t-ball games, you can begin to guess at the future of his teammates based on their current performance. There are, of course, no guarantees. Still, it's likely that the players who show those flashes of brilliance or aptitude are likely to be the better players as these children continue to mature.

In college, I spent a great deal of time in the theater. What I found most exciting was to direct plays. There is something about taking a script that is really nothing more than the outlines to a performance and creating something on a stage. It takes a great deal of planning and imagination. When it works, the results can be deliciously exquisite.

Watching this vision become reality over these next few years will be most exciting indeed!

The next "fill in the blank"?

Original post:  Dec. 27, 2011

I read an article on media criticism. There are two local sportscasters who host the radio show during the Patriots games. They have both been doing the show for decades now. Unfortunately, they are also not as sharp as they once were. Recently, they have been having problems identifying the correct players or understanding what is happening on the field of play. It can be difficult at times to follow their calls of the game. On radio broadcasts, you have nothing but what you hear to recreate the contest in your mind. If that picture is distorted, then so is your view.

There is a furious debate going on in the local paper. Most of the comments to the article are critical of the author of the piece. Many of them come from people who remember the pair in happier times. Some of the comments pay respect for a long period of excellence that excuse their current sub-par performance. A few comments remark that the author is bravely stating what most people know but are unwilling to admit for fear of being perceived as impolite or disrespectful. The truth is that by any objective measure, these sportscasters are not performing well at their basic function.

The world of sports is often quite cruel. The very nature of sports strives to create winners and losers. This is especially true in the brutal competition of professional sports. There is often no mercy shown (nor none expected).  It is a constant battle to prove your mettle with a thousand others waiting for the smallest stumble to take your place.

We often lionize top performers. The best of the best are celebrated as champions. Yet even as the victory celebrations die down, there is an instant search for the next heir to the throne. We constantly compare the latest crop of stars to the legends they are attempting to replace. Last night, quarterback Drew Brees broke a record Dan Marino set 27 years ago. Is he the next Dan Marino? Can LeBron James become the next Michael Jordan? Can (star of any sport) become the next (legendary superstar of yesteryear)?

It's human nature to believe that those we knew when we were at the height of our powers are the best that ever were. As I age, I find myself actively trying to combat the impulse that the world is not as wonderful as it once was. The truth of the matter is that there is a vast difference between the way things are now and how they might have been before. It's not necessarily better or worse. It is just different.

It's humbling to think that in my child's kindergarten class, there might be someone who will one day reach heights I could never imagine. They may be achieve more in their lifetime than I ever will. Right now, they are just a normal six-year-old child more worried about the time left until recess. The point is that we just don't know. That intern I meet tomorrow may one day be the next CEO.

Some of the greatest tragedies recount the tales of individuals who are filled with incredible potential and fail to match those lofty expectations. The immense pressure to succeed can derail even strong-willed and talented individuals. Sometimes it is better to start without fanfare and use that anonimity as stealth to build strength and skill away from the harsh glare of cynical outsiders.

In any case, I'll stop worrying about trying to be the next <fill in the blank>. I'm going to resolve in 2012 to be the first me and work from there.