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Creative Innovation The King and the Court Jester Once upon a time, a court jester was joking in front of the king. But he went too far in chiding the royal family, so the king, who was in a bad mood already, ordered him killed. The guards started to carry him off when a member of the court interceded on the jester’s behalf. “Good king, this fool, (as court jesters were called in those days,) has served you well for forty years, he has made us all laugh even in the most difficult times. He has been our source for creativity and innovation – surely you will change your mind and let him live.” “I can’t take back my word,” responded the monarch. “I am a divine right king and what I say is immutable, so, unfortunately, he must die. But because he has been a good court jester, I will allow him to choose the way he would like to die.” The calm fool bowed slightly and said, “Sire, if it’s all the same to you, I should like to die of old age.” My contention is that we don’t practice being creative like the fool did. The fool’s job was to play with problems, turn pain into pleasure and come up with new ideas to replace old hackneyed habits. He practiced his craft daily, that was his job description…no wonder he was fast on his feet. If we don’t create new ideas or parley problems into solutions it’s because that’s not the way we are expected to think. We are seldom invited to do so. How long has it been since you’ve been invited to a creativity or innovation session? In the middle ages, the role of the fool was built into the royal structure; it called for a person who could help the king see different points of view and keep the court on their toes. We don’t have that person in the corporate structure of today, and we need it…not someone who does all the creative thinking him or herself, someone who knows how to motivate everyone in the organization to begin thinking about innovation. Program Outline A brief overview of a four quadrant metaphor for how the brain works. What creativity is and a practical process for achieving innovative ideas. The 12 rules of creative innovation (example: Rule 7, From Hindquarters to Headquarters — Create a New Environment, Recreate your Brain). How to become a team of 24/7 creative innovation. "Systematic Innovation is the purposeful and organized search for changes."
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