February Read

Title: Unthink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius

Author: Wahl, Erik

Call Number: 153.35 W136U 2013

Subjects: Creative Thinking; Creative Ability in Business; Organizational Change

Number of Pages: 223

ISBN: 9780770434007

Book Description (inside the book jacket):

            In Unthink, artist and entrepreneur Erik Wahl pushes the boundaries of traditional thought patterns to unleash the creative genius that resides in all of us.

            You can be both intelligent and intuitive, tactical and pioneering, calculated and creative. You just have to reconnect with who you were before traditional education and corporate culture dulled your artistic senses. Unthink offers an original frame of thinking and tools that will make new creative actions possible. You’ll step outside convention to discover unexpected solutions to business challenges. You’ll inject your daily grind with passionate new meaning. You’ll rethink your assumptions about your role in the workplace. And you’ll begin the process of recasting your life as a blank canvas of limitless opportunities on which you can create your masterpiece.

            Rediscovering your creativity will change everything, from how well you do your job and why you go to work every day to how you find fulfillment at home. No ordinary book, Unthink is a clarion call to radically change the way you think and live.

My Read:

            There are two points the author points out in his book stay vividly with me as I close the book and wonder what I could have gained from reading this nonfiction book. The first one is: To know why we do what we do and the second is: to be able to connect the dots in certain ways that no one has ever seen or tried before.

            “To know why we do what we do” is the message pinpointing the role passion playing in a person. If you ask people at workplace why morale is low the answers vary. And, not surprisingly, “low paid” or “money” would be the most excuse people would provide for the reasons they hate or dislike their job. But I wonder what kind of answer people would mouth if the question is “How much do you think you are worth of?” At work people are able to hide behind the “group failure” wall if things don’t go well; because we are not supposed to “name names.” A person with passion, on the other hand, doesn’t care about recognition or label; rewards are just not as exciting as challenges and the sense of achievement when one is able to overcome obstacles and beat the odds. The joy comes from inside and the successes and champions are fraught with strong will and newly acquired skills and experiences. No pain, no gain.

             “Connect the dots with the right way, the right place, and the right people.” Innovation and creativity are not generated from the thin air; they are usually things and places people overlooked or overthought. Chinese have a saying: When the combination of “heavenly time(天時),” “earthly advantage(地利)” and “people harmony(人和)” takes place a river is created as the waters arrive(水到渠成).

            In this book, artist and known speaker, Erik Wahl states there are choices a person can make to become creative. A person can choose to be a P.I.C.A.S.S.O.

P-Provocative

I-Intuitive

C-Convicted

A-Accelerated

S-Spontaneous

S-Surrendered

O-Original

            Quotes from the book:

-Curiosity ruled our senses. Enthusiasm ignited our actions. We did not fear what we did not know-instead we thrived on the process of discovery (page 19)

-“There is more in us than we know, if we can be made to see it, we will be unwilling to settle for less.”(page 31)

-When mystery leads, curiosity follows. Whys, Why nots, and What ifs.(page 32)

-Innovation was highest when knowledge was lowest. (page 34)

-Take ownership of your job and elevate it without being asked and without asking. Do what’s best for your work and your company’s success. Earn a reputation for innovation and excellence in every aspect of what you do. That will only increase the freedom you are given, not jeopardize it. (page 79)

-If you are tired of the combative tone in your work meeting, instigate a new tone. Ask: what your team could have done differently to help the other departments. (page 75) Instead of blaming or pointing fingers the aforementioned question will provoke people to consider dropping their agendas and entering into a productive collaboration. (page 76)

            Read the book and be ready to be provoked.

References:

Steve Jobs-Think Different Campaign 1997

Time magazines-Top 10 Greatest Speeches

David Shaner-The Seven Arts of Change: Leading Business Transformation That Lasts

Glenn Llopis-Earning Serendipity: 4 Skills for Creating and Sustaining Good Fortune in Your Work

Daniel Pink-A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the World

Scott Thorpe-How to Think Like Einstein: Simple Ways to Break the Rules and Discover Your Hidden Genius