Institutions too often focus their energy preserving the problem to which they are a solution than to innovate their way to success.

Innovation is a subset of creativity. Innovation often deals with product launches and is often relegated to the C-suite or to heads of R&D departments. Innovation requires creativity, but creativity is something that is much more broad. It applies to people at all levels of an organization. Today, we all are responsible for delivering "everyday creativity". Small creative acts that add up to big things.

When we teach kids to follow the rules that there’s only one right answer & to avoid mistakes at all costs, we’re resigning them to average.

Most people believe a new idea must be fully baked and ready-for-primetime. That is like saying a newborn child should have a college degree and be self-sustaining on day one. Like children, new ideas need to be nurtured, shaped, and protected. People often hold back ideas since they are not ready to defend sharp criticism. Companies that celebrate "creative sparks" and reserve judgment while ideas mature are the ones that enjoy significantly more creativity and innovation.

One idea can be transformative. One idea can change your career, your life, your community, your family, and even the world. I truly believe that each of us have at least one special game-changing idea inside us right now. The trick is, how do we get it out?

Creativity is not a talent; It is a skill. A talent is something you are born with. A skill is something you learn.

You can't be great at everything, but you are world-class at something. Go. Figure out what that is. It's how you win.