Disciplined Dreaming (Josh Linkner)

In Disciplined Dreaming, Josh Linkner discusses the increasing need for (and dearth of) innovation in today's world, and proposes a five-step process to "drive breakthrough creativity," as shown below (with relevant highlights for each step):

1. Ask- set clearly defined objectives

What is the problem you are trying to solve?  Can you restate it in a few ways?  What about Reversing it?  Write twenty questions about it.  What is the need for change?  List key observations and assumptions.  How do you define success?  Ask three questions: Why? What if? Why not?  Ask "why?" five times (toddler-style) to get to the heart of the issue.

2. Prepare- prep "your mind, body, and environment to support maximum creative performance"

Some 'warm-up' moves include two minutes of deep breathing (followed by stretching), tossing a beach ball around for 90 seconds, field trips, games, and inspirational quotes.

The seven rules of creative cultures: fuel passion, celebrate ideas, foster autonomy, encourage courage, fail forward, think small, maximize diversity.

Don't forget about the environment- break the 'beige cube farm' mold.

3. Discover- uncover creative ideas and jump-start your imagination

Look through a different lens, capitalize on inflection points (a point where a trend changes trajectory), discover new potential in a borrowed idea, turn a problem upside-down, put patterns to use.

4. Ignite- generate creative sparks

Many ways exist to generate creative 'seeds.'  Things like no-outcome meetings ("Imbizo groups"), hot potato, not starting at the beginning, focusing on the wrong answer, using provocation (a stupid statement to provoke discussion), and dagnabbits (think on what really torques you) can help change perspective and generate ideas.

The eight commandments of "ideation": thou shall not judge, thou shall not comment, thou shall not edit, thou shall not execute [ideas], thou shall not worry, thou shall not look backwards, thou shall not lose focus, thou shall not sap energy.

Some effective exercises: EdgeStorming (take your idea to the extreme), make long lists (100 ideas in one hour), RoleStorming (invite an imaginary Steve Jobs to join your team- or whoever else), "The Opposite" (invert what you're trying to do), Brain Writing (ideas in a hat), and  the SCAMPER technique for ideas: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Magnify or minimize, Put to other use, Eliminate, Rearrange or reverse.

5. Launch- put creative ideas into action

The execution phase (not much was discussed here).


Overall, the book was pretty good.  The author provides lots of tips, assessments, techniques, and skills of accomplished innovators, which I appreciated.  Perhaps the most value here was found in the ideas presented in step 4 ("ignite").  On the downside, there appears to be a lot of repetition/overlap between suggestions in different sections, which made the book longer than it needed to be.

Rating: B+