Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

by Ed Catmull

Autonomy

• “I believe that the best managers acknowledge and make room for what they do not know-not just because humility is a virtue but because until one adopts that mindset, the most striking breakthroughs cannot occur. I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk, they must trust the people they work with and try to clear the path for them; and always, must pay attention to and engage with anything that creates fear.”

• “What is the point of hiring smart people, we asked, if you don’t empower them to fix what’s broken?”

• “We want people to feel like they can take steps to solve problems without asking permission.”

Radical Candid feedback - “I truly believed that self-assessment and constructive criticism had to occur at all levels of a company, and I had tried my best to walk that talk”

Accountability

• “The responsibility for finding and fixing problems should be assigned to every employee, from the most senior manager to the lowliest person on the production line.”

• “What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard to uncover these problems, even if doing so means making ourselves uncomfortable; and that, when we come across a problem, we marshal all of our energies to solve it. This, more than any elaborate party or turreted workstation, is why I love coming to work in the morning. It is what motivates me and gives me a definite sense of mission.”

Transparency - “Don’t wait for things to be perfect before you share them with others. Show early and show often. It’ll be pretty when we get there, but it won’t be pretty along the way.”

Company culture - “Getting the right people and the right chemistry is more important than getting the right idea.”