Innovation? Observe, and Copy!

So often we are told that creativity and innovation are the hallmarks of successful people. It's ironic: if we were all innovating, who would do the execution? Can you imagine producing (much less choreographing) a full-length ballet without any dancers? Would that awesome feature available on Google have been possible without a group of product/program managers, engineers, and user experience folks who then planned and built it to spec and user need?

As dancers and musicians, we watch our teachers and others we admire rehearse and perform. We are right behind them, trying to copy their footwork, the torque of their bodies, or marveling at the way another musician plays a phrase just so - oh! I'd never thought about it that way! - and we absorb. We try it on ourselves. We learn.

What does this accomplish? This builds a vocabulary, as Twyla Tharp put it in her wonderful book "The Creative Habit" (I highly recommend reading this). Without all the observing and copying, trying to get it into our brains and muscles, we wouldn't have the rich tools with which to draw upon when we ourselves branch out and try something new for ourselves. "What would Martha Graham have done here?" "How might Yundi Li phrase this passage?"

In other words, to be creative, we first need to study, to emulate, to copy. As my mother always said, "Even Picasso started out practicing 'normal' art before he got all crazy with his own style!"

In the office, what does this mean? It could mean finding someone in your organization whose communication, planning, or execution style you find works well - someone you admire - and observe them in meetings, email exchanges with groups, and in other interactions. Have them mentor you, if possible. Observe, study, and emulate. Try it on for size, see if it works for you. Keep the parts you like, discard those that don't mesh well with who you are. But be sure to try it! You'll never know if you just think about it without actually doing anything.

As you build your vocabulary, you'll acquire a greater arsenal of skills and approaches to draw upon when faced with various situations. Just like when you're listening to other musicians, or trying out a step that you've seen another dancer do, seek out what intrigues you; watch, and give it a try.