THE CREATIVITY IMPERATIVE
Denise R. Jacobs 
Work Life Congress ★ New York, NY ★ 14 October 2015
@denisejacobs
@_workingmother_ 
#WMWorkLife
#creativityimperative
Photo by Derek Kearney
Web Design à Creativity Evangelist
à Founder + CEO, The Creative Dose
http://TheCreativeDose.com/
Create
It’s the new Black
http://www.flickr.com/photos/designandtechnologydepartment/4771136128/
IBM CEO Study, 2010
https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/31670.wss
Considered important
http://business.time.com/2013/04/26/the-time-creativity-poll/
Here be dragons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pberry/153783546
Create!
Lip service
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/themaxsons/5306572767
Thou shalt not
“There can be no doubt:
creativity gets killed much
more often than it gets
supported.” 
Teresa Amabile, Harvard Business School professor and
Innovation expert
Sacrifice creativity for control
https://www.flickr.com/photos/onkel_wart/4493215941
Unengaged talent
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nifmus/2385966735
Survey of 684 Developers
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ter-burg/8812567121
Adobe’s State of the Create Study
https://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pdfs/Adobe_State_of_Create_Infographic.pdf
A business imperative
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahmount/324922376
New paradigm
https://www.flickr.com/photos/buttersponge/4955768144
Four directives that you must
Unblock, Communicate,
Collaborate, Allocate
Unblock
Creativity is a way of thinking
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cblue98/7254347346/
Barriers to creativity
http://computertrainingcenters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/AdobeInfographic.jpg
F.E.A.R. =
http://cdnpix.com/show/imgs/7a361666e107cd36656d5a66ea2e4e80.jpg
Fear of unique ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tboard/2259391512/
Fear of making mistakez
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4498817330/
No proper outlets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfllaw/222795669/
TIME
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/33909700@N02/3159761620/
Experimentation mindset
http://blackhistoryheroes.blogspot.com/2010/07/george-washington-carver-scientist-and.html
Encourage stupid ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/142398084
Those may be the ONES
StartSometihingStupid.com
Where do good ideas come from?
http://www.fastcompany.com/3025314/most-creative-people/can-creativity-be-taught-73-of-creative-people-say-yes
Allow time/space for inspiration
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8124124586/
Have places for people’s ideas
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jameskm03/4830068911/
Engaged = Creative
http://infographicsmania.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Work-Engaged-Work-Inspired-Infographic-infographicsmania.gif
Communicate
Become an adept listener
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theory/3193684632/
Be present
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zen/3446600695/
Pay attention
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/copperfeesh/147493122/
Relax your own agenda
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guiniveretoo/1573049301/
Don’t keep ideas to yourself
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8127201319/
Self-preserve or share knowledge?
http://www.123wallpapers.in/file/1650/2880x1800/scarlett-johansson-in-lucy-movie.jpg
Be generous
Sell your ideas
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/silicongulf/2114492904/
Collaborate
Mo’ people, mo’ creativity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/international-festival/3019543830/
Collective creative ideas=infinite
http://static.ipaustralia.com.au/store3/10/78/1078354.1.high.jpg
Need everyone to create well
http://www.infographicmaker.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/RightBrainvsLeftBrain-Infographic.jpg
Amplify the ideas of others
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thivierr/1177775772/
NOT by doing this…
Instead, replacing it with this!
Teach and learn=Mentoring
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortunelivemedia/10443899314/
Builds trust
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/2941559903
Allocate
"Deciding how much time and
money to give to a team or
project is a judgment call that
can either support or kill
creativity." 
Teresa Amabile
Time
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/paolocampioni/2168286027/
20% Time works when used
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bright/113694992/
Tools
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ebarney/3348965637/
Resources
Produce
Empowered Makers
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lauroroger/8808985531
Tap into existing talent
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8156999698/
My thought-leader crush: Umair Haque
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nextconference/3504568830/
Betterness: Economics for Humans
“The sum total of human
effort can add up to not
merely more, but to Better.”
Umair Haque, Betterness: Economics for Humans
More. Meaning.
http://computertrainingcenters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/AdobeInfographic.jpg
Why are we doing what we do?
“Only a reason has the magic to
ignite, in the void, the spark that
comes to make a life feel that it
has been more than accidents of
fate colliding with chance.”
Umair Haque, “How to Create Your Reason”
The directives guide our reasons
They help us get
Photo: Denise Jacobs
“Clarity brings about purpose,
purpose brings about action,
action brings about change.”
Joel Yeo
Follow the Imperative
Get the slides here:
Creativedo.se/WorkLife-ci
Read the article:
Creativedo.se/creativity-innovation-
success
THE CREATIVE DOSE
A Creativity + Innovation Collective
Work Better. Create More. Create Betterness.
Creative Problem-solving/Innovation Mindset
Team Communication & Cohesion
Creative Collaboration
Executive & Speaking Coaching
TheCreativeDose.com
@thecreativedose
My upcoming book
Banish Your Inner
Critic
DeniseJacobs.com/InnerCritic
26 Effective Techniques for
Unleashing Productive
Creativity
DeniseJacobs.com
 Sign up on my mailing list here
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slideshare.net/denisejacobs
Connect and Collaborate with me!
Photo used with permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarronwalter/4629078087/
And finally…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27620885@N02/2609974180/

The Creativity Imperative - Work Life Congress 2015