Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull's "Creativity, Inc." is one part company history, one part memoir, and one part leadership lesson. Normally that might be a recipe for disaster, but when the author is a founder and president of Pixar Animation the results are an insightful look at how to organize and manage in such a way as to unlock people's creativity, energy, and passion.

Catmull is unflinchingly honest about both the successes and failures of Pixar. This lends great credibility to his management insights since show more they are born of real-world experience and the pain of experimentation and discovery. Catmull is adamant that failure is not necessarily a setback and, coupled with an expectation of honesty and candor when working with peers, this conviction serves as the backbone of how he has run Pixar.

A special note should be made of the epilogue in which Catmull reminisces about his years of collaboration with Steve Jobs. Catmull paints a moving and personal picture of the legendary CEO -- one that is at odds with the public perception of a cold, calculating leader. It's a wonderful tribute that also underscores the advice he gives in the book.

"Creativity, Inc." is a great read for managers and leaders, especially in fields that require agility and creativity, and would benefit anyone looking for ways to lead with integrity.

Disclaimer: I received a free pre-publication copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. show less

A delightful surprise. As I started reading, I thought it would be typical management-speak. But I found myself jotting down little notes, ideas, phrases on many pages. Even though the author says he hates little sound bite aphorisms, he creates them constantly: "People who take on complicated projects become lost at some point in the process." and "Essential to creativity: a culture that protects the new." He also admits how managing a business and culture is hard - and answers aren't found show more in the aphorisms. I found that refreshing, as did I find his approach - that he's always on the lookout for the next crisis. This is a book that will benefit a re-reader. show less

Ed Catmull offers insight into Pixar, how it started, and how they keep creativity alive. It examines their acquisition by Disney, and how they ensured this corporate giant did not stifle their inventive methods. One of the primary lessons is that fear is the biggest inhibitor of creativity. It also includes fascinating anecdotes about how some of their movies transformed, often significantly, between concept and release.

It includes a brief history of the quality movement, going back in time show more to Deming. Some of these ideas will be familiar, especially to management consultants or those involved in change management; however, there is enough unique material to be worth reading. As a side note, Steve Jobs played a key role in initiating Pixar, and Catmull offers a different perspective on Jobs, almost attempting to redeem him as a likeable, or at least more understandable, guy. show less

If you are reading this book strictly from the aspect of how to build a creative culture – that is, if you go into reading this book wearing blinders that only allow you to look for specific tips about creativity – then you may be in for a disappointment. (Then again, if you go into anything about creativity with blinders on then you will be disappointed. Creativity is about throwing the blinders off. But I digress.) Take the blinders off and revel in the joy and creativity that is show more Pixar.

Of course this book delivers on the promise to talk about how Pixar built and maintained a creative culture. And there is information here that can get anyone started in that direction. But to focus on that aspect of the book is to do it a disservice – there is a whole lot more here.

First, for the animation freak/Pixar fan/Disney nerd (that last one is me) there are fascinating stories about the development of the movies that have become classics. There are stories of the false starts and misdirections and twists and turns that led to development of some of the most famous Pixar movies. We are allowed access into the meetings where these battles are hashed out. We learn about the movies that might have been, and why those movies would have been so much worse than the ones we experienced.

Want to know how Toy Story 2 got the tension it needed to escape reaching a far too predictable end? Want to know what stayed and what was ejected from the first (unworkable) versions of Up? Want to know how a pivotal scene was changed in a way that kept Mr. Incredible from becoming a dislikable, dominating thug of a husband - all without changing a single line of dialogue? All these stories and many more (sorry about the cliché) are included, all providing insights into the movies and insights into the way teams work when they are at their best.

Second, for the individual who wants to learn about leadership there are invaluable lessons. They are not explicitly brought forward; after all, this is a book that focuses on creativity. But within you see how Ed and the team work as leaders. In fact, the lessons about leadership may be more valuable than those about creativity. (And it is worth noting that Ed actually sells himself and executive leaders short. He constantly gives the credit to the creative environment and the people. But the leadership underpinning these is the real reason for Pixar's success. But then, a true leader does point somewhere else rather than at him or herself.)

One great example of how leadership is shown happens near the end of the book when executives realize that the creative, sharing atmosphere they have built may be coming apart under the pressures of size and speed. The actions taken by the leadership team show better than words how they believe the principles they are preaching. And the ability to listen and act (and take on the barbs that are part of the realization) perfectly exemplified the traits any leader should show.

Third, for anyone looking for insights regarding the broad aspects of business – teamwork, motivation, any of the areas people tend to identify as necessary for things to work well – the book is rife with them. I cannot count the number of dog-eared pages I put on this book. Here are a few quotes. "[You have] to be able to engender support for those ideas among the people who'd be charged with employing them." "Making something great is the goal." "Craft is what we are expected to know; art is the unexpected use of our craft." "...failure is a manifestation of learning and exploration." Small snippets of important insights, they are only a taste of the ideas brought forward in the book.

And, finally, the book, as promised, is for the creative person. It talks about creativity, it talks about how to build a creative environment, it talks about how to celebrate creativity, it talks about how to embrace creativity. Others may quibble that there is not the focus on creativity that is promised. But I say that creativity is so riddled throughout the book you cannot walk away without having learned something about that intangible skill.

This is just a flat out entertaining book. It is written in a style that is easygoing, but never pedestrian. And I am hard pressed to believe you can't find something of value for yourself after you've read it. Because it covered so much territory, because it was so well written, and because I found myself consistently gobsmacked by the content within the book, I would say it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I am quite convinced it will remain so well into the future. show less