A cold, wet wintry day in Sydney is perfect for going through old stuff ... namely 11 boxes (I kid you not) of old articles on communications, creativity and innovation I've kept since I got my first job in 1984. I'm always amazed how some of the principles remain true after 25 years, others perhaps not so much.
One stand-out from this morning's gleaning is entitled "The Innovator vs. the Pseudo-Innovator", from the January 1980 edition of Executive Skills, an old newsletter from the American Management Association. It's interesting to me because the traits of an innovator have a natural affinity to the characteristics of a creative person. I cringe every now and then because I read a trait I don't follow consistently (so it's a good list, sort of like an Eighteen Commandments of Creativity). I'm not 100% sure I agree. For instance, "... prefers complexity." Personally, I prefer ideas which are simple, although I also understand the joy (among us INTPs) to reduce complexity to simplicity.
Anyway, an interesting read nonetheless. Any thoughts? Any others you'd add? HTML
The Traits of an Innovator vs. Those of the Pseudo-Innovator
The Innovator: ... is intellectually curious
The Pseudo-Innovator ... is cynically curious
I ...is constructively critical
P-I ...is corrosively critical
I ...seeks to improve the operation
P-I ...seeks to impress others
I ...has firm convictions but listens to the ideas of others
P-I ...resents honest and constructive criticism
I ...tends to be a loner at times
P-I ...tends to rob ideas of others
I ...is relatively unconcerned with the more superficial aspects of organizational protocol
P-I ...is likely to emphasize organizational protocol if it magnifies his or her ego or status
I ...is persistent: carries on well in spite of opposition
P-I ...attacks opposition: is easily discouraged, and pouts readily
I ...pushes ideas through to completion
P-I ...flits from idea to idea, making many starts but few completions
I ...usually has a sense of humor
P-I ...shows little humor, and what he or she does show tends to be caustic
I ...is able to take disagreement in stride
P-I ...takes disagreement as a personal affront
I ...does not relate easily to authority but accepts it as a fact of life
P-I ...generally resents authority and wastes energy fighting or undermining it
I ...is zealous for his or her ideas and programs
P-I ...is zealous for his or her prerogatives and status
I ...prefers complexity
P-I ...prefers the attention-getting or shocking
I ...deviates from the standards only when necessary
P-I ...deviates for the sake of being different
I ...is usually not adept in human relations
P-I ...often quite adroit in human relations of the manipulative kind
I ...is a non-conformist in a natural and unconcerned manner
P-I ...is a non-conformist for purposes of display
I ...is solid and thorough, willing persevere for lasting results
P-I ...is shallow, settling for superficial results
I ...is genuinely interested in the success of the operation
P-I ...has a personal axe to grind
