Foreword: Most people would agree powerful inspiring leaders have been on the decline. When we are in the midst of a charismatic leader there is a buzz of excitement and anticipation of good things to come. People flock to the cause and enthusiastically participate. In the case of the American Revolution people were so inspired they often fought to the death. That was the inspiration for the Star Spangled Banner. The British amassed their entire fleet in Chesapeake Bay and laid siege to Fort McHenry. The terms of the battle was that America would fall if the flag was not flying by morning. Morning came and the flag was still there because under heavy shelling Americans went out to the pole and held it up in the face of death. Inspiration is a powerful motivator. This post discusses the creative process, project management, and inspiration.
The Creative Process and Project Management
Free market capitalism is creativity in service to humanity and the natural economy. Humans are endowed with or reflect the creator’s creativity. The American Forefathers spoke to this when they wrote into the Declaration of Independence that all humans are endowed with certain unalienable rights by the creator and among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness is not hedonistic happiness but instead a nationalistic happiness that was derived from Emmerich De Vattel’s book, The Law of Nations. Vattel argued in Book 1: Of Nations Considered in Themselves that the government’s duty to its citizens was to ensure good economic conditions as Vattel describes the underpinnings of free market capitalism and individual creativity. Individuals are to be entrepreneurial in nature using their creativity in order to monetize innovation and invention earning just rewards while creating wealth. Wealth is created principally through private property ownership from which resources are harvested and land is improved in order to create value. Wealth is also generated through equity and interest rates. The American Forefathers co-opted Vattel's vision and built a nation. Thus, the United States was designed at its inception to promote creativity as representative democracy or the Republic is underpinned by free market capitalism. Humans are to be free to pursue their purpose in life. For over 200 years, the United States shaped the world with creativity from its people.
The early stages of project management are the creative process sometimes called initiation but more aptly called ideation. The goal of ideation is to capture the intellectual capital through a creative process then monetize the intellectual capital through the project management process resulting in some sort of competitive advantage. Projects that enrich humanity in some way are more desirable than projects that overtly favor elitist, meet regulations or compliance issues often to the chagrin of humanity.
Unfortunately, most project managers are expeditors in a runaway operation or a micro-managed internal process. They tend to handle piece parts or work packages in their respective departments or divisions or may push the necessary paperwork for the internal process of a much larger project. However, there is a small group of project managers who possess sharp business acumen. They are skilled at managing entrepreneurial styled projects from ideation to delivery. The trait that distinguishes them is the ability to inspire the creative process of invention, innovation, and change.
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| Image 1: The Creativity Ball |
No one was hoping for the smartphone outcome when Steve Jobs surprised the cell phone markets with the smartphone which was a disruptive technology that reshaped the entire market. Orville and Wilbur Wright surprised the world with powered controlled flight when Samuel Pierpont Langley had all the resources to achieve the goal of controlled powered flight. There is a motivation behind their creative processes that are not about process, resources, or some sort of creative framework. Instead, the motivation is emotional. Simon Sinek states regarding his Golden Circle that it is not about the what but instead the why (Sinek, 2009, pp. 37-51). Sinek argues people get it wrong focusing on the what when it is about the WHY.
People are inspired to a cause that they rally around. Therefore, entrepreneurial minded project managers are focused on the cause and are able to take the cause to task. Without the cause there is no creativity. Once the cause is established then the development of a strategy is further resolved into missions and objectives for a team of experts focus on before going through Storming, Forming, Norming, and Performing processes. Everything in the project is attached the cause.
What could the causes be? They are not focused on lining some elitist pockets with money or some sort of collectivist or socialist vision. The causes are noble and have a paradox of morality mobilizing people to a cause that is about negotiating equilibrium based on people seeking their own self-interest (Palmer, 2011, pp 45-46). Martin Luther King had a dream that mobilized thousands of people who dreamed alike. John F. Kennedy mobilized a nation to go to the moon emphasizing the freedom of choice when he said that we choose to go to the moon because we can.
Entrepreneurial project managers must put the fire into the projects they lead. Afterall, project managers should be manager-leaders. They should make use of charisma and find the cause that ignites enthusiasm which may be different across the organization.
References:
Norman, D. A. (2005). Emotional Design: Why We Love or Hate Everyday Things. Cambridge: Basic Books.
Palmer, T. G. (Ed.). (2011). The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors won't Tell You. United States of America: Jameson Books, Inc.
Schwartz, E. I. (2004). Juice: The Creative Fuel that Drives World-Class Inventors. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Sinek, S. (2009). Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action. New York: Penguin Group.
Sullivan, P. H. (1998). Profiting from Intellectual Capital: Extracting value from innovation. USA: Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Vattel, E. (1758). Law of Nations or the Principles of Natural Law.
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