HBR IdeaCast: "Boost Your Creativity in Any Job"

Date: December 3, 2024
Host: Alison Beard
Guests: Catherine Jacob and Sue Unerman, Authors and Marketing Executives

Episode Overview

This episode delves into how anyone—regardless of industry, job function, or title—can bolster their creativity at work. Rather than treating creativity as an occasional, elite endeavor, guests Catherine Jacob and Sue Unerman advocate for making creative practice a regular, accessible habit. Drawing from their new book, A Year of 52 Smart Ideas for Boosting Creativity, Innovation and Inspiration at Work, they offer actionable exercises and discuss how to foster a culture that enables consistent innovation. The conversation blends practical tips, memorable examples, and a strong case for reigniting our creative spark—no matter our role or workplace constraints.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Creativity as a Universal—and Essential—Skill

(01:00–03:39)

• Why creativity matters: It underpins business success, fuels innovation, and is more crucial than ever in the age of AI.
  • "While large language models might be very good at recycling and combining old thinking... they aren't actually able to think outside that box of existing data. For that critically important creative work, we still need humans." — Alison Beard (01:17)
• Myth-busting the ‘creative elite’:
  • "The idea that there's a creative elite is wrong on so many levels... it shuts down your people from their possibilities as well." — Catherine Jacob (03:39)
  • Research (from Lego) found that 80% of people feel they don't reach their creative potential.

2. Why Annual Brainstorms Fail—and What to Do Instead

(05:01–07:08)

• Organizations often do "away day" brainstorming sessions, but:
  • Ideas rarely get implemented.
  • Hierarchies and lack of support kill momentum.
  • "There's this sort of launch and leave mentality ... it's a waste of time, it's a waste of talent, and it's a waste of... step change you could make." — Sue Unerman (06:26)
• Solution: Bring creativity into the weekly workflow, not just special occasions.

3. How to Make Creativity a Habit

(07:08–09:25)

• Creativity should be practiced regularly, just like physical exercise.
• Even small investments of time can yield significant benefits.
• "Complacency is the enemy... If you're satisfied with good enough, then you're probably heading for not good enough." — Sue Unerman (08:34)

4. Getting Started: Overcoming Mindset Barriers

(09:25–11:08)

• Focus on everyday frustrations ("abrasion points") and reimagine processes.
• Preparation isn't complicated—the exercises are designed to unlock creative thinking.
  • "If I was starting this company now with a completely blank sheet of paper, what would I do?" — Catherine Jacob (09:54)

5. Practical Exercises for Teams and Individuals

(11:08–15:34)

• Reverse brainstorming: Ask "What WON'T we do—and why?" to surface unconventional ideas (11:08).
  • Example: The "Barbenheimer" film release, two very different movies launching at the same time, which generated massive buzz.
    • "You could easily go, we would never do that. And of course, doing that created the Barbenheimer phenomenon..." — Sue Unerman (12:29)
• Re-express the status quo: View a process from a customer's, outsider's, or "alien's" perspective.
• Seek inspiration externally: Monitor trends, competitors, or other industries for ideas to adapt—not just copy.

6. Adapting, Not Copying Trends

(16:08–18:43)

• External ideas should be customized to fit your organization’s unique culture and market.
  • "How do you take your product and tweak it a bit to make it different?... It's your interpretation of a trend." — Catherine Jacob (17:35)
• Case study: Yorkshire Tea revived its brand with unusual flavor variants and distinctive marketing.

7. Leveraging Multiple Techniques—And Rest

(19:59–22:15)

• Variety is essential: Don’t stick to the same few exercises or methods—rotate and try new ones.
  • "Those techniques themselves can become stale... So try lots of different techniques and different ones will suit different teams." — Sue Unerman (20:21)
• “Be lazy like a summer afternoon”: Downtime spurs creativity (e.g., Aaron Sorkin’s best ideas in the shower).

8. Making Ideas Stick: Getting Buy-In and Driving Change

(22:15–26:06)

• Free up time by boosting efficiency elsewhere for new ideas to flourish.
• Recognize and reward creative contributions.
  • "Make the efficient part 10% more efficient and that will free up time... allocate that time and that energy for improving things." — Sue Unerman (23:38)
• Pitch ideas as low-risk, bite-sized experiments rather than daunting projects.

9. Embedding Creative Culture—Even in ‘Uncreative’ Settings

(26:52–31:12)

• Leadership should balance logic and intuition, left-brain and right-brain thinking.
  • "This is about letting humanity in... really igniting that spark of humanity is absolutely what we need to do as leaders." — Sue Unerman (28:33)
• If management resists, grassroots efforts or “maverick groups” among employees can build momentum for change.
  • "You don't have to ask permission... present it as something which will be better rather than as a challenge." — Catherine Jacob (30:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why creativity needs to be everyone’s responsibility:

  • "If you talk to a bunch of children... Are you creative? They say, yeah, I am... And then by the time people are 14, unless you're executionly brilliant, no one thinks they're creative."
    — Catherine Jacob (03:49)

• On breaking out of the “good enough” trap:

  • "Complacency is the enemy of winning here... If you're satisfied with good enough, then you're probably heading for not good enough."
    — Sue Unerman (08:34)

• On the necessity of small, consistent creative practices:

  • "You need to exercise your creative muscles as well... You can't just expect to go to an away day once a year and generate random ideas in a brainstorm..."
    — Sue Unerman (02:51)

• On the value of downtime:

  • "There is nothing that is designed to kill creativity more than people going, we've got to be really creative, because literally your mind empties. Sometimes just letting your mind drift..."
    — Catherine Jacob (21:13)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:00–03:39: Why creativity is for everyone; childhood creativity vs. adulthood
• 05:01–07:08: Pitfalls of annual brainstorms and why ongoing creative practice matters
• 11:08–15:34: Examples and specific exercises (“What won’t you do?”, “alien lens”)
• 17:35–18:43: How to adapt, not copy, external trends (Yorkshire Tea example)
• 20:21–22:15: Rotating techniques and finding sparks during downtime
• 22:15–26:06: Gaining buy-in, making creativity “safe” for organizations
• 28:33–29:34: Leadership’s role: embracing intuition and messiness
• 30:02–31:12: Empowering grassroots groups when management resists

Actionable Takeaways

• Make creativity a weekly habit, not a once-a-year event
• Use diverse exercises and change up your methods regularly
• Reframe familiar problems from new perspectives
• Start with small, low-risk experiments to build confidence
• If your workplace is resistant, gather a “maverick” group and pilot new ideas informally
• Leaders: Embrace both logic and gut instinct, and make room for reflection and experimentation in your teams

Final Note

"Who's not going to love people turning around and saying, I think I've got an idea about how we might make the process better?" — Catherine Jacob (30:07)

You don’t need a special title or artistic flair to be creative at work—just the willingness to build the habit and step beyond “good enough.”