It Takes a Village……

There is no lack of articles and pundits to remind business leaders that innovation, and thereby, creativity, remain the critical capacities that divide winners from losers in this ongoing, fast paced global economy. Usually, these is a list of ‘to dos’ – what you, as the leader, should do to create an environment that attracts and nurtures creative talent. These attributes include things like: find and hire great talent; tap on employee ideas from every function and level; and enable collaboration. These and others, strongly suggest that creativity and innovation emerge when diverse disciplines are thrust together in open arenas where exploration and experimentation are the norm. What is being described is the culture of the world of the arts, an aesthetically intelligent culture, that proves a welcome haven for the ‘intersection’ of disciplines, as lauded in the recent text,  The Medici Effect. It appears, it really does take ‘a village’ to be creative, innovative. How are you bringing a village together? What thoughts and advice can you share?