I work with a lot of engineer-types and folks who lead highly structured lives. I’m worried about them.
Lately, I have thought a lot about Dan Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind. Seems like it’s coming true, a bit sooner than expected.
With the increasing rate of change for society as a whole, being flexible and adaptable to volatile situations is key. Flexibility used to be a bonus feature, but in the near future it will be mandatory.
But flexibility and adaptability are only part of the equation. Creativity and divergent thinking are even more important, but maybe not for reasons you would suspect.
As mentioned in Part 1, creativity is all about being able to see connections and make new things from them. But that is easier said than done.
Naturally creative people tend to have characteristics about their personalities and outlooks on life that inform and guide their every action. Curiosity, bravery, intelligence, naiveté, openness and an optimistic worldview, just to name a few.
But perhaps the most important quality is being able to live with ambiguity. Freelancers and other entrepreneurs are often the ultimate expression of this because they have little to no formal structure in their lives or work. Everything is always up in the air, not because they are scatter-brained, but because searching the unknown is at the heart of creating something new.
One of the hardest things you can ask someone to do is start with a blank sheet of paper. Creative people look at that as a challenge, an opportunity, while others might see it as a prison sentence. Being able to look at that blank sheet of paper and see possibilities is not only a gift, it will be the most valuable trait in the future.
I worry about editors I work with. Software already exists that could get me about 90-95% of where they can take me. Robots do a great job, and will probably get better. But someone who can generate original ideas, spur on fresh thinking, flourish in uncertain times — very creative people — will do just fine.
In the end, living with ambiguity is only the baseline; thriving in chaos is the way to succeed.