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Back when I was a young and spirited public relations whipper-snapper, the New York PR agency, Porter Novelli, impressed me in a big way when it conducted a survey of 100
executives from America's top companies.
They asked, "Which is more important, intelligence or creativity?" How pleased I was to see that 59% cast their lot with creativity. Only 28% went with intelligence. As I recall, I had just learned of Einstein's famous quote, "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
That's the good news. They also asked, "Do American
schools do enough to foster creativity?" A majority of 76% said no. Only 14% said yes.
It's still good news for executives, though. According to the survey, tight budgets do little to limit creativity. And
deadlines actually help. But consider whom they asked.
The most creative companies they could think of were Apple, 3M, McDonalds, and
Disney. The most creative people they named were Ross Perot, Steven Jobs, and Thomas
Edison. In that order.
The most encouraging news is the belief among 88% of America's most stellar executives that their "most creative days are ahead..." Nearly half said they were more creative than their bosses. And 43% said that they themselves have been accused of being "too creative." Way to go!
Finally, if you're looking for the best time to present your big idea to the boss, you gotta get 'em as early in the morning as possible. That's when 46% say they are most creative. It drops dramatically throughout the rest of the day with a little
positive blip in the evening.
Note to Porter Novelli: I'd love to see an update of your survey.
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