Reviewing, A Year of Creativity: 52 smart ideas for boosting creativity, innovation and inspiration at work

Most businesses have leadership teams skilled in analytics and logic. It makes sense. The language of the boardroom in big businesses requires this, and even in small organizations the majority of people at the top lean towards traditional left-brain or analytical skills – the skills that are measured by success in examinations and traditional teaching methods. This is fine, but it lacks balance.

Too much left-brain analytical thinking means that right-brain thinking, gut instinct and the kind of creativity that can lead to step changes are less valued. If every decision is based on evidence and proven techniques, there isn’t any room for judgements based on instinct guided by experience which can lead to real improvements and new ways of moving forward.

The book, A Year of Creativity: 52 smart ideas for bosting creativity, innovation and inspiration at work, will allow you to stop looking in the rear-view mirror only, and instead create exponential growth and innovation. We are living through a rapidly changing era where artificial intelligence (AI) and large learning models (LLM) like ChatGPT and Bard, among others, are revolutionizing working practices.

However, when everyone is using these tools, where is the edge that can lift your business above the norm? The answer lies in developing your creativity, and that of your team. It’s you who can make the difference.

People sometimes misunderstand creativity. This book explains that all creativity comes from somewhere, and often from mashing up different existing ideas from different places, to create something new. Every creative person stands on the shoulders of others. This is how creativity and innovation work; it is to be encouraged. As Josh Goldstine, President of Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, wrote in the foreword to the book:

“From advanced machine learning to the latest breakthroughs in generative AI, there is no question that technology is forever changing our world, from how we solve problems to how we drive human behaviour. The insights and possibilities are truly profound and, though perhaps scary at times, nonetheless exciting.

Yet for all the promise, technology cannot kill the inherent value of human creativity which empowers us to explore uncharted territory and dream beyond the confines of what has come before. We must always make space for surprise and discovery. Discovery is such an essential and powerful human experience – a bit like falling in love.”

Perhaps the overriding reason to adopt the strategies of this book is that it will make you happier. You unlock a part of yourself that isn’t bound by rules or customs, that is open to possibility. It’s more fun to work with creativity, and your team will benefit from this as well. Therefore, of course, so will your clients, customers, suppliers and partners. Artificial intelligence certainly allows much decision-making to be automated, at speed and at scale.

Take a trip abroad, for example. In the 1950s you would have to visit your bank and change money into travellers’ cheques. In the 1990s you could use your credit card abroad, but if you had not informed your bank that you were travelling in the first place your credit card would be frozen. Today, thanks to fintech innovation and artificial intelligence, your bank cards will work seamlessly in most cases everywhere in the world.

But as better AI fuels more of the workplace, a paradox arises. The Paradox of Automation recognizes that automation can be positive, with fewer people needed for mundane jobs that robots can carry out faster and tirelessly. But when something goes wrong, we’re more reliant than ever on human judgement and creativity to spot mistakes, correct them and improve systems for the future.

Efficient automation makes humans more important, not less. It also levels the playing field in mature markets, meaning that competitive advantage lies in those organizations which fuel differentiation with creativity. How then do you harness creativity, not for the sake of it, but to drive value and growth for your organization and your career? A Year of Creativity will get your creative muscles active, and keep them fit and useful all year round.