The fool in business
The fool has a central place in creativity.
For centuries the king had his fool. It was the antidote to being surrounded by yes men. The fool can stand conventional thinking on its head.
Most corporate employees focus on short-term, time-critical, functional, and results-driven events. We say things like ‘results-driven’ all the time as if it is a virtue. But within a creative context, results are not guaranteed. They are a side benefit. This is like the mythical Scottish village of Brigadoon. If you go looking for it, you won’t find it. But value emerges out of the creative process.
Creativity needs a completely different mindset. More than that, it needs a different way of being-in-the-world than operational management. Business schools aren’t practicing academic birth control because they churn out graduates who think alike. This is not surprising. Typically management consultants are valued by the school they attended and the quality of their education. These people may be very intelligent, but are they successful in adapting to a world that thrives on the new?
New ideas look foolish.
