Philippe Barreaud, Head of Michelin’s Customer Labs, has a hard-won portfolio of insights from leading global innovation for 20+ years. Here, he revels in the paradoxes of prototyping as a toolkit.

One of the most trajectory-shifting inputs for Phoebe Yao’s start-up came when she least expected it: not during a mind-blowing mentor meeting arranged by a VC, but in a chance encounter with a friend in the park. 

I had the privilege of thinking alongside the brilliant Kim Scott, and shared some insights on her “Radical Candor” blog. Re-posting here with her permission. Feedback welcome!

The definition of “genius” changes as teams shift between convergent and divergent modes — and what gets rewarded should, too.

Rick Rubin is one of the most successful music producers of all time, in any genre. His has more in common with technology innovators like Steve Jobs than some fans might suspect.

Early stage founder gets devastating feedback on a rough concept pitch. What should she do? Don’t give up quickly! Make small tweaks before making big pivots.

What if eliminating failure reduces the likelihood of a breakthrough? There’s lots of research that suggests that’s the case.

Charles Darwin wrote an astounding 15,000 letters to over 230 collaborators across more than 10 different scientific fields. He understood the value of sharing partially-formulated ideas.

Some of the most creative people I know — from Lin Manuel-Miranda to Whitney Burks — share a common, creative secret: “obscene, ostentatious deadlines.”

One of the most famous studies of creativity was conducted by a former spy-master. The insights he pioneered about productive, effective creativity never cease to surprise…

B.F. Skinner’s strict working habits reveal not only how he became such a prodigious writer, but also how he became such an inventive researcher: he made the most of his nights!

How do you increase the velocity of experimentation? According to Thomas Edison, “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”

Innovators from Edison to Netflix teach us that while every innovator should know how to craft clever experiments, yet one clever experiment is hardly sufficient… you’ve got to get scrappy.

We tell students at Stanford to create portfolios of early stage directions for a simple reason: it increases the likelihood of success. Research shows that we’re unlikely to select our highest-potential idea.

A theme has emerged in my study of breakthrough thinkers: the role that parents play in shaping aspirations. Breakthrough parents plant bold dreams in their kids’ hearts!

Linus Pauling succinctly describes the essence of productive creativity: “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” Sounds simple enough. But just how many is “lots”?

Entrepreneurial endeavors are fraught with risk. Rigorous, scientific experimentation is the best way to resolve the uncertainty.

In her legendary memoir on writing and life, Anne Lamott shares a simple but crucial tip for avoiding one of the worst feelings that can ever befall an individual in the midst of creative pursuit.

Plato, Newton, and Einstein all demonstrate that, when you’re on the brink of ushering in a new era, you’ve got to be willing to resist well-intentioned opposition.

Bon Jovi took an unconventional approach to deciding which tracks to include on their third album. We should all be glad they did.