A good hypothesis is one of the most valuable assets in the scientific world, and they’re only getting more valuable. The question is, how to form them? This is where design thinking shines.

One of the most powerful ways to accelerate the quality of our ideas is to actively seek and embrace critique. Leaders who model embracing critique create psychological safety for others to accelerate, too.

I’ve learned to ask MOC guests, “What’s something you do as a part of your normal work process that requires some explanation or justification?” I’ve been shocked by how consistently folks do things that seem to be, well, weird.

Here’s my simple, battle-tested guideline for winning at SXSW. Developed to help me combat the tendency towards comfort-seeking and awkwardness-reduction. Applied in painfully cringe-worthy moments, with delightful results.

Deep in the throes of SXSW FOMO, I found myself heartened to keep up my daily blogging practice by an unlikely hero: Mike Winkelmann, aka the digital artist Beeple, who’s been making daily sacrifices for his art for over a decade. Spoiler: it paid off.

Wildly inventive and creative individuals have a habit of gathering conceptual pieces — aka legos — before they know exactly what they’re going to do with them. The more legos you collect, the more unexpected combinations you can make.

David Ogilvy attributed many business leaders’ difficulty with original thinking to what he dubbed “the tyranny of reason.” Austrian filmmaker Markus Mooslechner shared a few superrational techniques for escape with me at SXSW.

How did I have the boldness to approach a living legend of innovation? I learned from one of my own students. Another SXSW serendipity story…

Many early career decisions are driven by implicit — or often explicit — scripts that our communities and contexts force upon us. These scripts limit not only our perspectives, but more importantly, our potential.

Take stock of your last breakthrough, and of how you talk about it, both to yourself and to others. If you don’t call it “creative,” then chances are, you won’t call on creativity the next time you need it.

I’ll never forget the first time I caught a glimpse of my own dormant creative potential. It’s like a whole new world of possibility opened up to me. Ever since that moment, it’s something I’ve wanted to unlock in others.

Leverage is one of the most fundamental mechanisms of value creation, yet few folks look far enough beyond the balance sheet to reap the rewards of the strategy. Here’s how to bring the benefits of leverage into daily life.

Lorne Michaels, the most-nominated person in Emmy history, has accomplished something that very entertainers do: sustained creative excellence. His mantra for creative success not only surprises — it also helps.

To make empathetic engagements with end users as rich as possible, it’s essential to immerse in and observe the world of your user, and to do so regularly. Some tips from an outstanding innovation leader.

“Smarter is better.” It’s hard to imagine arguing with this premise. And yet, that’s not what the data suggest, and it’s not what the history of innovation teaches us, either. What we really need is permission to do the dumb stuff geniuses do.

Talking to others is the surest way to find a problem that matters. And if you find a a problem that matters, you’re well on your way to a desirable innovation.

NYU Prof Adam Alter asked Malcolm Gladwell, “If you were given a month to come up with an idea for a new story, and you had no constraints, what would you do?” I was blown away by the simple elegance of his answer.

As valuable as napping is as a tactic for courting breakthroughs, the nap itself is actually unnecessary: it’s the honest attempt at falling asleep that opens the floodgates.

Mind wandering is often a criticism or accusation. That’s a shame, because it’s essential to creativity: it enables the synthesis of unexpected connections, and the formulation of insights and fresh ideas.

Imposter syndrome can be crippling. One of the things I’ve wrestled with over the last dozen years is the question, “Who am I to be doing (xyz)? Don’t folks know I’m just… me?” Mo Willems experience offers a key.