Book Review - Creativity, Inc.

Creativity, Inc. - By Ed Catmull

I recently finished this book and already want to re-read it.  I will admit its not for everyone, there were quite a few negative reviews on Goodreads that almost turned me away.  But it was the right book for me at the right time. It is a book on business people management. Or at least that is what the intent was….

Whether Catmull knew it or not, this was a book on agile project management.  Project managers manage people as much as they manage projects. Leadership skills are key to driving project success.  So while this book’s intent was relevant to my current career path, it had even more meaning through an agile PM lens. Catmull even touched on, not literally of course but though the PM lens, on agile project management in a predictive environment.  

It makes sense.  Most technical companies and innovations are the products of agile methodolgy.  Apple - agile. They met in the garage, collaborated, then went home and tinkered.  Then regrouped, collaborated, then went home and tinkered. It repeated like this, with each cycle a sprint in the process.  They didn’t know exactly what the outcome would be. They had a vision but it was flexible with the process.

That is agile.  Adapting to the times and the needs and making discoveries during.  Improving as you go to maximize the outcome. Starting with somthing but then gradually adding more.

Catmull reminds us that we “must start things that might fail” - that the risk may be worth the reward.  That “we need to think about failure differently” that mistakes are “valuable”. These are learning opportunities, and aren’t we all continuously learning?

He brought up another point about the mistake process that I enjoyed and that had to do with originality.  I haven’t always reasoned that way, but the way he described it made total sense. When we take the risks, and make a mistake or not, we are inspiring an original idea or action.  I’ve never been one to just fit in with the crowd and have often preferred to stand out with originality - setting me apart when possible.

So I do recommend this book to those that enjoy reading business books about management, or to those that may need to be inspired in project management, or even just to those that love Pixar movies.  I guarantee you will want to watch them all again (or for the first time) after gaining some insider knowledge on the making.

I rated this book 4.5 stars but rounded up and gave it 5 on Goodreads.

Disclaimer: These are just my opinions and this is not a sponsored post.  And shout out to the Denver Public Library for which allowed my reading pleasure through their audiobooks on OverDrive.