Marty is the Director of Transformation for the Liquid Agency as well as author of several bestselling books in which he explains how almost anyone in almost any organization can help to achieve breakthroughs in creativity and innovation. He has introduced a weekly series of mini-commentaries, “The Rules of Genius,” now featured by the Liquid Agency Exchange. You are also welcome to take the Metaskills Quiz. By answering ten questions, you will discover your personal creative style or talent “handprint.” Please click here.
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Wishing is a warm-up sketch for problem solving. When you let your mind wander across the blank page of possibilities, all constraints and preconceptions disappear, leaving only the trace of a barely glimpsed dream, the merest hint of a sketch of an idea.
To start wishing, ask yourself the kind of questions that begin:
o How might I…?
o What’s stopping us from…?
o In what ways could I…?
o What would happen if…?
o From there you can ask follow-up questions like:
o Why would we…?
o What has changed to allow us to…?
o Who would need to…?
o When should I…?
At this stage there’s no reason to place limits on your wandering. What’s the can’t-do that you wish were a can-do? The future problem you could start solving now? The half-baked notion you’d like to see a reality? Where is the place where the suddenly possible meets the desperately necessary? Wishing allows you to leave the realm of limitations, if only for a few moments, to imagine a future worth pursuing.
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Marty Neumeier is a designer, writer, and business adviser whose mission is to bring the principles and processes of creativity to industry. His latest book, METASKILLS, explores the five essential talents that will drive innovation in the 21st century. His previous series of “whiteboard” books includes THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY, about the role of design in corporate innovation; ZAG, named one of the “top hundred business books of all time” for its insights into radical differentiation; and THE BRAND GAP, considered by many the foundational text for modern brand-building.
He has worked closely with innovators at Apple, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, HP, Adobe, Google, and Microsoft to advance their brands and cultures. Today he serves as Director of Transformation for Liquid Agency, and travels extensively as a workshop leader and speaker on the topics of innovation, brand, and design. Between trips, he and his wife spend their time in California and southwest France.