Stanford’s Amy Wilkinson joins Moe Abdou to discuss what her research and work with 200 celebrated entrepreneurs revealed about how they turn ideas into breakthrough businesses.
The Six Skills of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs
One of the trademarks of successful movie studios is their ability to assemble and manage flash teams who come together quickly, go to work on a particular project or movie, and then disband. The most effective ones understand their shared work, interdependencies and respective roles, as such they complete complex tasks quickly and more reliably. Certainly this requires great discipline and leadership, still I’ve often wondered why this model isn’t leveraged outside Hollywood.
In her new book, The Creator’s Code: The Six Essential Skills of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs, Stanford’s Amy Wilkinson references the example of flash teams to demonstrate the principle of ‘network minds’ and why cognitive diversity is essential to breakthrough creativity. “Creators hone the ability to bring together unlikely allies, breaking away from industry standards to solve problems in radical ways…..” She states. “…The era of lone geniuses is ending. Issues today are far too interconnected to be tackled by a single individual, and no one person can synthesize all the information around us. Whether building a technology, organic food company, or fashion business, creators network minds to devise solutions.”
Having dedicated her entire professional career to entrepreneurial endeavors, including stints at the White House, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Amy Wilkinson has chronicled the career of more than 200 celebrated entrepreneurs in search of distinguishing traits that set them apart. And, while the six patterns she identified may not surprise you, the manner in which they were integrated is bound to stretch your imagination. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.
Here are a few of the questions that we explore:
Why the word ‘creator’ is more appropriate than ‘entrepreneur’
The six disciplines of extraordinary creators
The lens creators most often use to identify gaps in the marketplace
Why creators use the ‘to-go’ approach to measure progress
How creators use the OODA loop to make rapid decisions
The power of cognitive diversity
The era of gifting small goods
Resources:
Follow Amy Wilkinson on Twitter: @amywilkinson
Office of The United States Trade Representative