Book Review: inGenius by Tina Seelig

It’s time to foster ingenuity. To generate creative connections. Get ready to spark a revolution. How? Take a crash course on creativity with Tina Seelig, internationally best-selling author of inGenius. Seelig’s book leads with the premise that “creativity is not magical, rather, the result of a clear set of processes and conditions.” Historically, people looked outside themselves—Seelig says not in today’s world. “It’s an inside job to ignite inborn inventiveness.” Discover how this Stanford professor proves that innovation and creative problem solving is more important than ever for success.

Why are we reading this book?

Today’s advanced technologies present constant opportunities and challenges. The digital clock is ticking faster. What worked yesterday is not working today. Successful individuals and companies won’t be in the future picture without creatively adapting to the ever-changing environment. inGenius defines the necessary cultural consciousness that sees problems as potential, obstacles as opportunities, and challenges as a chance to create breakthrough opportunities. And, like every great professor, teaches how to achieve it.

Backstory:

Straight out of her course on creativity and innovation at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, Seelig’s first day of class has students redesigning name tags and also shocked when she shreds their creations. Why? She questions whether nametags are the best solution for people meeting for the first time.  Inspired to expand their thinking, student teams produced innovative possibilities with greater potential to experience a more meaningful first connection.

Challenge:

There is only one answer to the question, What is the sum of 5 plus 5? Asking the question, What two numbers add up to 10? has an infinite number of answers. The difference is what question is being asked. According to Albert Einstein, asking the right question is the easiest way to solve the problem. Seelig agrees, stating that “mastering the ability to reframe problems is an important tool for increasing your imagination because it unlocks a vast array of solutions.”

Solution:

Those that ask the right question continue to be successful. Kodak’s firm belief that it was a camera and film company prevented it from moving forward into digital advancements. By contrast, when the delivery of entertainment media changed, Netflix transitioned from a movie DVD mail-order company to a digital provider of television and online streaming. Challenges offer two mind sets: some are driven by fear of failure or change, others by a fear of missing out on an opportunity.

Solution Steps:

  • Refrain from taking the first idea; the third or beyond is when ideas really get creative.
  • Brainstorming defers judgment and it generates, encourages and combines ideas.
  • Pay attention—cultivate acute observation to fuel imagination. Magicians count on just the opposite.
  • Restrictions fuel creativity and innovation. Think Twitter.
  • Believing there is a solution is the critical step to finding it.

Summary:

Creativity requires knowledge to fuel the imagination. Imagination transforms knowledge into ideas. Attitude is the powerful spark that sets the creative process in motion. With this proven formula for creative success, anyone can be inGenius.