Ron Friedman says there is a wrong way to think about creativity.
Some believe that creativity requires originality and by definition, originality can’t possibly be found inside the works of others.
Studying others closely, no matter how benign their intention, will influence their approach, encourage duplication, and reduce them to hacks.
But in the real world, this notion is unrealistic and counterproductive because it doesn’t reflect how most new ideas are formed.
According to researchers, the people who have the best ideas recognize:
Creativity comes from blending ideas, not isolation. Your mind is opened more by observing and experiencing what others are doing.
Originality is not the same thing as creativity. Some of the remarkable successes in business come from an adaptation of a first mover (ex. PalmPilot / iPhone).
Reverse engineering enables an individual to acquire new skills, which empowers them to be generative in entirely new ways. This shortens the learning curve and allows you to recognize quickly if something will gain traction.
To develop creative recruiting solutions, take inventory of the most successful recruiting companies in your marketplace.
What methodologies, practices, and techniques are they using to be successful? Look for patterns. They always seem to ____________.
Which of these patterns can be replicated in your organization? What tweaks need to be made to make the idea fit in your culture?
How can the new idea be tested and measured quickly? What works for your competitor may not work for you, and you need to find this out quickly.
Getting ahead of your competitors is easier when you step on their shoulders to get started.