
Methods of the Masters
A blog on the art & science of creative action.
Do Work For Free
In this special guest post, Mo Bunnell, Author of Give to Get, makes a compelling case for a counterintuitive strategy: giving gifts of your expertise as a way to build relationship and give clients a taste for your unique value proposition.
Make Room for Thinking
Sprints are a fantastic tool to drive innovation with efficiency. But sometimes you’ve got to be inefficient in order to create effectively. A few reflections on a troubling trend I'm seeing emerge among would-be innovation practitioners.
Your AI Task Force is Missing the Point
Undisputed "Beyond the Prompt" fan favorite Jenny Nicholson drops by to share some insights from her adventures helping folks innovate with AI. Important lessons for any leader looking to unleash their teams with this transformative technology.
Brainstorming Alone? Here’s the Best Method
Last week, I found myself in the bizarre position of attending a conference for YouTube creators. Talk about a fish out of water. Even though I didn't "belong" there, it sparked a bunch of fresh connections and insights... which is exactly the point of this post.
Catalyze AI Success: The Power of Dedicated Innovation Capacity
In the past year, I've witnessed a fascinating phenomenon across organizations embracing GenAI. Two "identical twins" in the AI race, similar in their approach to AI adoption -- engaged senior leadership, extensive training, numerous opportunities for AI integration -- whose outcomes couldn't be more different.
AI’s Secret Weapon: Your Humanity
A funny thing happens when humans interact with AI—they start talking like robots. This is tragic. It's the very humanity that we often unwittingly withhold that guarantees lackluster output. To revolutionize your output with GenAI, revisit your own humanity.
How to Have an Innovative Idea: Three Simple Steps
Quick: come up with an innovative idea!
If you’re anything like the thousands of students I’ve coached in the last fifteen years, panic alarms just went off.
But the truth is, the creative process is hardly a mystery – in fact, it can be broken down into three simple steps.
Stop Chasing Predictions — Start Shaping Your Future
Dr. Frederik Pferdt is Google’s original Chief Innovation Evangelist. Here, he shares an insight from his book, “What’s Next Is Now,” inspired by his adventures equipping hundreds of “Future Readies” at Google.
Scrape Your Knees: Why Falling is Essential to AI Mastery
Most folks’ biggest mistake in collaborating with AI is expecting to get things perfect right out of the gate. But learning to use AI is just like any other motor skill: you’ve got to fall in order to create new neural pathways. Here, I share some insights on falling forward, productively.
Seek Inspiration to Spark Innovation
Rather than waiting around for lightning to strike, take a more proactive approach. You can provoke your own imagination. One of the most effective, powerful, and fun tools we have created for such self-provocation missions is what we call “Analogous Exploration.”
Unlock AI's Potential: Your Journey from Fear to Fun
It’s been 21 months since my book Ideaflow was published, and unexpectedly — catalyzed by the launch of ChatGPT just one month later — the period that many authors described as a victory-lap book tour was transformed into a front-row education in a thrilling new world, reshaping not just how I work, but how I think.
Ethan Mollick: “Latent Expertise: Everyone is in R&D”
Special guest post from Wharton professor and “accidental AI expert” Ethan Mollick. He joined the podcast a couple months back, and then he blew our minds with this exceptional post on how companies can do much more with AI than merely improve efficiency.
Beware Prompt-Hoarding
If you are to succeed in your quest to realize the gains promised by GenAI enthusiasts, you must regard every quick and easy prompt pack with skepticism. “The Ultimate Prompt Guide” promises to bestow a wizard-summoning ability with a blue-pill-like ease. No, you will not know Kung Fu after downloading that prompt pack.
Embrace the Useless: Unlock Innovation Through Unproductive Moments
Kevin Kelly is the co-founder of WIRED magazine. Long-hailed for his counter-intuitive business wisdom, he did NOT disappoint on a recent episode of Beyond the Prompt. Here, he shares an overlooked secret to courting break throughs and driving joy.
Lose Your Thumbs, Find Your Voice
For all the hype about Natural Language Processing (NLP), it’s easy to forget that typing isn't all that natural. For many, it’s a bottleneck to our thought process. In the age of AI, we can bypass our fingers and thumbs entirely in favor of actual “natural language”: the spoken word.
Commission A Personal AI Project
Many organizations are asking their people the wrong question: “What can GenAI do for our business?” This is the wrong question because most employees don’t even know what GenAI can do, period! Here’s a cheat code to help your people understand its potential.
Start Using AI for Yourself
I’ve noticed a troubling trend among organizational leaders: they’re hyping GenAI to subordinates, clients, and customers alike, but they’re woefully inexperienced themselves. Time to start practicing what we preach.
Try This Before You Give Up on GenAI
The fine folks over at Section recently interviewed me about some common mistakes I’m seeing folks make when they use AI. One of the biggest ones? The tendency to expect too little, and get just that.
Embrace AI Despite Uncertainty
Last week, I had the pleasure of delivering keynotes to two remarkable audiences of scholars and entrepreneurs. One thing was clear: folks have legitimate concerns about AI. But my strong belief is that it’s a dangerous mistake to wait to dive In, even amidst legit concerns.
Reject Your First Thought
Your first idea is rarely your best. Exploring multiple possibilities, even "dummy" options, is the key to unlocking innovation. Here’s how to maximize your creativity and elevate your problem-solving skills: reject the trap of settling for your initial thoughts.