Most of us recognize why curiosity is important. Few of us know how to practice and unleash its full potential. But when leaders embrace curiosity, it becomes a catalyst for transformation, helping leaders challenge their assumptions, connect with people, and build cultures where everyone feels like they matter. In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, we speak with Scott Shigeoka, curiosity expert and author of the new book, SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World. Scott shares his stories and research about why curiosity is one of the most important skill ..read more

  At its worst, friction can be a destructive force in an organization. Friction can undermine productivity and innovation, create inefficiency, and even chip away at our energy and enthusiasm for work. But what if friction could be reframed as something positive—something that makes the right things, like joy, productivity, and creative thinking, easier? In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, organizational psychologist and New York Times best selling author Bob Sutton discusses how great leaders use friction to make the right things easier and the wrong things harder. He c ..read more

  When facing complex business problems, the traditional method of shear force and determination often falls short. To be successful, you need an approach that helps you imagine future scenarios, explore creative solutions, and consider things from new and different perspectives. How do you do this? The key is play. Play gives us permission to dream and diverge, think outside the box, and discover solutions to unprecedented problems. In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, IDEO Partner & Managing Director and instructor of our new course Creative Thinking for Complex Prob ..read more

 Fresh off the heels of the most recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, climate is top of mind for many organizations and business leaders. How will businesses adjust to meet ambitious climate goals? How might we design products, services, and experiences that are both sustainable and desirable? What opportunities for innovation does new climate technology present? In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, IDEO Senior Design Lead Natalia Vasquez and IDEO Managing Director Bryan Walker discuss the crucial role of design in scaling and increasing the rate of adoption of ..read more

How are you planning to grow this year? We’ve updated our career guide with our latest articles, tips, and resources to help you grow in your career and as a leader. Whether your goal is to become a better leader, storyteller, strategist, collaborator, creative, or more, we’re here to support you.   Career paths… Teambuilding specialist Business designer Design researcher Business development lead Learning experience designer Experiential designer   If you want to grow into a better leader… Tap into creativity to navigate today’s challenges Take a human centered appr ..read more

Customer research and insights, when done well, can fuel creativity, innovation, and problem solving. But what makes a good insight? And how do you use your research and insights to help drive prioritization and decision making? In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, Arianna McClain, Head of Research and Insights at Cruise, discusses what makes a good insight, the difference between a finding and an insight, how to make customer research impactful, and how to build narratives from insights to align and compel stakeholders. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts   Definition of ..read more

  JUMP TO SECTION Introduction What is Systems Thinking? What is Design Thinking? The Differences Between Systems Thinking vs. Design Thinking Advantages and Drawbacks of Systems Thinking Advantages and Drawbacks of Design Thinking Human-Centered Systems Thinking: Integrating Systems Thinking and Design Thinking  Frameworks, Tools, and Methodologies for Human-Centered Systems Thinking   1. Introduction Systems thinking and design thinking are both approaches to problem solving and innovation. Systems thinking starts with understanding entire systems rather than individualized ..read more

Is your strategy just a business plan in disguise? Strategy expert Roger Martin is willing to bet that it is. If it is, you’re not alone. Of the hundreds of companies Roger has advised, most end up with a strategic plan that is just a plan made up of projects, timelines, and deliverables. So, what makes a strategy? And what makes a good strategy? How do you win at strategic planning? In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, Roger Martin discusses how to tell the difference between a plan and a strategy, common strategic planning pitfalls, and what makes a good strategic plan. Roger ..read more

Value propositions are the north stars that guide your business. When you get them right, they can be key business drivers and help you reach and monetize your target customers. But developing value propositions that are insightful, unique, and targeted is no small feat.  In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, IDEO Senior Business Director Angel Annunciacao shares design tools for testing value propositions, how to understand willingness to pay, and how to uncover insights to help finetune your value proposition.     What is a Value Proposition? Think of a value pr ..read more

  Data is everywhere. Yet, despite so much data at our fingertips, it can often be hard to find the information we need, make sense of it, and take action. So the question is: How do we find or create the right kind of data to answer our core questions and generate valuable insights? We're sharing our tips on how to use data from our course, Innovating with Data. Keep reading below to learn about why data is important today, how to choose the right data, tools and techniques for data analysis, and how to share insights from your data.   Introduction: Importance of data analysis in ..read more