Quick… Pop Quiz

Answer the two following questions with the first answer that jumps in your mind.

  1. Who is the most creative person you know?
  2. Who is the most objective person you know?

Now think of those two people joined into one brain. Kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde but they are both nice.

On the one side you have the creative person, full of original thoughts and insights, willing to try and experiment with new and innovative ideas.

On the other side, you have objective Judge Judy. Straight and by the book. Judgments are objective, based on facts and not influenced by personal feelings in the courtroom.

Creative ideas can turn into billions of dollars

Creative originality is valued in advertising and marketing. We create fresh views that draw and keep people’s interest.  Just think of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerman or Bill Gates. They all took a creative approach to their businesses; conducted creative campaigns and turned their ideas into billion dollar empires.

Objective thoughts balance creative ideas

At the same time business must be objective.  You can bet that Steve, Mark and Bill were as objective as they were creative.  They mixed their creative idea with business objectivity. They asked questions such as who is the market, how big is the market, where the market is headed, how much money can be made. This is objective thinking and the answers are the objective facts that are required to run a successful business.

Inventors need to be both creative and objective

We only have to look at a few examples of Dragon’s Den to understand where creative and objective didn’t always mix. On the television show inventors and entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a successful business panel. They hope to get money to grow and expand their business.

Many of these inventors, although creative come up with ideas that nobody wants. For example edible greeting cards for dogs or a pair of roller blades you strap to your knees to get from one kneeling job to another fast.

And for that reason they’re out.