Creativity and the Republican Primary Debates

I usually try to keep my subjects evergreen, but every now and then current events provides such a teachable moment I can’t resist. One of these moments occurred during the recent Republican candidates’ debate in my home state of Florida.

During the debate Speaker Newt Gingrinch said that he wanted to establish a settlement on the moon by the end of his second term as President, or by 2020. The Speaker came in for some immediate ridicule by Governor Mitt Romney, who said that if any of his executives came to him with an idea like that costing millions or billions of dollars that he would be fired immediately.

It certainly sounds like Governor Romney likes to fire people. Mr. Gingrich received a great deal of ridicule about this pledge over the last few days. Perhaps it was the offhand way he made the comment during the debate, or the obvious pandering to the many people living on the Space Coast who are now looking for work after the end of the shuttle program. Politics aside, I believe Governor Romney was too quick to dismiss this big idea.

After all, the United States had a working road system in the 1950s. Why spend all that money to build the interstate highway system? In the early days of the 20th century, when automobiles regularly broke down, people laughed at Henry Ford’s plan to pay his workers enough money to buy one of his mass-produced cars. Who besides Steve Jobs thought people wanted ipods, until Apple started producing them? Last quarter, Apple made more money than almost any company in American history.

Governor Romney apparently doesn’t know there are already several firms in the U.S. and around the world working to make space flight practical and profitable. Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Airlines, for example, is considered a successful entrepreneur. Why is he investing money in Virgin Galactic, if he doesn’t think it will pay off someday? I would rather have a CEO willing to explore big ideas, like Mr. Branson, than one that rejects them out of hand like Governor Romney.

One of the first things you learn when leading a corporate brainstorming session (I’ve led and participated in many over the years) is never to crush a big idea at the start. You consider it, and analyze the pros and cons. Bad managers crush ideas at the beginning, and as a result, miss out on a lot of great potential. So many creative and profitable products come from unexpected sources. For example, post-it notes were created because a glue researchers at 3M discovered failed – objects could easily be peeled off the paper.

To use an entertainment example, Comedy Central discovered South Park in a video Christmas card someone commissioned from Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They didn’t ask agents to bring them an idea about a poorly drawn cartoon featuring foul-mouthed fourth graders. The best ideas, the most original ideas, usually occur because someone says, “I know this is crazy, but let’s try it anyway.”

When you’re creating your content, whether it’s a novel, video, movie, or painting (or anything else) say “Yes” to the big idea. After all, you are in control of your own process. See where the big idea leads you. Who knows? Maybe your work of art will someday be exhibited on the walls or a copy will live in the library on Luna City.