Table Of Content

Praise for Disciplined Dreaming ‘‘Itisoftensaidtherearedreamersandtherearedoers.Neverbeforehas someoneconnectedthedotsandclarifiedthepathbetween‘dreaming’ and ‘doing’ like Josh Linkner has in Disciplined Dreaming. This is a must-read for the innovators and creators who want to cross over to theexecutionsideandmaketheirdreamscometolife.’’ —DanGilbert,chairmanandfounder,QuickenLoans,and majorityowner,ClevelandCavaliers ‘‘Creativity fuels the growth engine that drives results. Disciplined Dreaming gives us a practical and inspirational roadmap to move us from incremental improvements to radical breakthroughs. Josh Linknerhassuccessfullybuiltsomeofthemostcreativecompaniesin theworldandshowsustheway.’’ —JeffDeGraff,professor,RossSchoolofBusiness,Universityof Michigan,AnnArbor,andauthor,LeadingInnovationand CreativityatWork ‘‘Innovationintheworkplaceiswhatallowsorganizationstoexceland exceed customer expectations. In this must-read book, Josh Linkner provides concrete ways to increase creativity within any business so it can grow and succeed in today’s very competitive marketplace. Disciplined Dreaming provides fun and exciting ways to motivate both individuals and teams at all levels of any organization. Highly recommended!’’ —CurtAvallone,chiefmarketingofficer,Sears ‘‘NowallthosedaysIspentdreamingcanbeputtogooduse.Disciplined Dreaminghelpsyouharnessyourcreativity.Wellworthyourtime.’’ —KeithCrain,chairmanandCEO,CrainCommunications ‘‘In Disciplined Dreaming, Josh Linkner offers a guide for encouraging and protecting creativity as one of the few sustainable advantages in arelentlesslycompetitiveenvironment.Iwouldrecommendithighly fortheleadersandadvisorstoanyhigh-growthorganization.’’ —VictorE. Parker,managingdirector,SpectrumEquity Investors iii DISCIPLINED DREAMING A PROVEN SYSTEM TO DRIVE BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVITY Josh Linkner Copyright2011byJoshLinkner.Allrightsreserved. PublishedbyJossey-Bass AWileyImprint 989MarketStreet,SanFrancisco,CA94103-1741—www.josseybass.com Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinany formorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,scanning,orotherwise, exceptaspermittedunderSection107or108ofthe1976UnitedStatesCopyrightAct,without eitherthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher,orauthorizationthroughpaymentofthe appropriateper-copyfeetotheCopyrightClearanceCenter,Inc.,222RosewoodDrive,Danvers, MA01923,978-750-8400,fax978-646-8600,orontheWebatwww.copyright.com.Requeststo thepublisherforpermissionshouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment,JohnWiley& Sons,Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,201-748-6011,fax201-748-6008,oronlineat www.wiley.com/go/permissions. ReadersshouldbeawarethatInternetWebsitesofferedascitationsand/orsourcesforfurther informationmayhavechangedordisappearedbetweenthetimethiswaswrittenandwhenitisread. LimitofLiability/DisclaimerofWarranty:Whilethepublisherandauthorhaveusedtheirbest effortsinpreparingthisbook,theymakenorepresentationsorwarrantieswithrespecttothe accuracyorcompletenessofthecontentsofthisbookandspecificallydisclaimanyimpliedwarranties ofmerchantabilityorfitnessforaparticularpurpose.Nowarrantymaybecreatedorextendedby salesrepresentativesorwrittensalesmaterials.Theadviceandstrategiescontainedhereinmaynotbe suitableforyoursituation.Youshouldconsultwithaprofessionalwhereappropriate.Neitherthe publishernorauthorshallbeliableforanylossofprofitoranyothercommercialdamages,including butnotlimitedtospecial,incidental,consequential,orotherdamages. Jossey-Bassbooksandproductsareavailablethroughmostbookstores.TocontactJossey-Bass directlycallourCustomerCareDepartmentwithintheU.S.at800-956-7739,outsidetheU.S.at 317-572-3986,orfax317-572-4002. Jossey-Bassalsopublishesitsbooksinavarietyofelectronicformats.Somecontentthatappearsin printmaynotbeavailableinelectronicbooks. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Linkner,Josh,1970- Disciplineddreaming:aprovensystemtodrivebreakthroughcreativity/JoshLinkner. p.cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-0-470-92222-4(cloth);ISBN978-1-118-00169-1(ebk);ISBN978-1-118-00170-7 (ebk);ISBN978-1-118-00171-4(ebk) 1. Creativeabilityinbusiness.2. Successinbusiness. I.Title. HD53.L562011 650.1—dc22 2010046965 PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica firstedition HBPrinting10987654321 To my incredibly creative kids, Noah and Chloe Contents Preface ix Introduction 1 1 The Case for Creativity 7 2 Disciplined Dreaming: Your System for Creativity 19 STEP ONE Ask 3 Defining the Creativity Challenge 41 4 Driving Curiosity and Awareness 59 STEP TWO Prepare 5 Gaining the Keys to a Creative Mind andCulture 81 6 Preparing YourEnvironment to Promote Creative Passion 109 STEP THREE Discover 7 Discovering the Waysof Creativity 125 vii viii CONTENTS STEP FOUR Ignite 8 Generating Creative Sparks 143 9 Igniting the Sparks of Creativity: The Eight Most Powerful Techniques 163 STEP FIVE Launch 10 Bringing Your Ideas to Life: The Launch 185 Epilogue: The Power of One 205 AppendixA:TheTopSixCreativityMyths(andTruths) 207 AppendixB:AdditionalWarm-UpExercisestoJump-StartCreativity 211 Notes 213 Acknowledgments 219 AbouttheAuthor 221 Index 223 Preface I’vehadthegoodfortunetostraddletheartworldandthebusiness world for the last twenty years. I started performing traditional jazz guitar professionally at the age of thirteen. I would sneak into bars in Detroit, and often played until either the gig ended or I got thrown out. After graduating high school, I attended the Berklee School of Music, then went on to perform internationally, teach lessons, compose music, and study with some of the best musicians in the world. I still perform today, with the GEQ Quintet—a high-intensity,traditional jazz group. Perhaps surprisingly, jazz has been an outstanding training ground for me as an entrepreneur and business leader. The skills I learned playing jazz translate perfectly into the business world: improvising, dealing with adversity, working through uncertainty, blending collaboration with individual performance, and, most important,creatingvaluethroughoriginalthoughtandimagination. I have launched four high-tech businesses, the most recent being ePrize, which I founded in 1999. At that time, Internet advertising wasthedarlingofthehigh-flyingdot-comworld.There were hundreds of emerging online advertising companies. As a marketer, I found it odd that an entire category of the marketing mix—promotions—was largely ignored online. And there was my golden ticket—an opportunity to zag when everyone was zigging, to do the never-been-done-before. ePrize went on to rewrite the rulesof aone-hundred-year-oldindustry. ix

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A 5-part process that will transform your organization — or your career — into a non-stop creativity juggernautWe live in an era when business cycles are measured in months, not years. The only way to sustain long term innovation and growth is through creativity-at all levels of an organization.