Brad Bird from Pixar discusses Innovation in The McKinsey Quarterly

If you are a subscriber to The McKinsey Quarterly, you may have seen an amazing interview lately. If you didn't see it...I recommend it. Below is one of my FAVORITE quotes from the interview:

The Quarterly: Do angry people—malcontents, in your words—make for better innovation? Can you be innovative and also happy? Brad Bird: I would say that involved people make for better innovation. Passionate involvement can make you happy, sometimes, and miserable other times. You want people to be involved and engaged. Involved people can be quiet, loud, or anything in-between—what they have in common is a restless, probing nature: “I want to get to the problem. There’s something I want to do.” If you had thermal glasses, you could see heat coming off them.

One of the topics that we concentrate on in our seminars and executive coaching is what I call "Sustainable Productivity." Together, I and my client seek answers to the question: How can you stay engaged, at the level of engagement you're at when you're at your best?" In effect, we're working together to identify strategies and methodologies to change the way people behave at work AND think about work... I haven't had the chance to meet anyone like Mr. Bird...but if I ever get the chance, I know know a few questions I'd like to ask:

• How do you find the involved creative types?
• How do keep them on your team?
• What advice would you have for someone who is "semi" engaged with their work?

...and...

• What is a "job-skill" we're not teaching in high school that kids could really use in the next 10 years?

Tags: innovation, Pixar