Episode 7: David Burkus

Best-Selling Author on Creativity Myths

“A creative idea doesn’t have to be applied to be creative; it just has to be novel and useful. When that creative idea gets applied, society will hail that as an innovation.”

David Burkus, one of the world’s most highly-regarded business thinkers, is a best selling author and contributing writer for many notable publications, such as The Financial Times, Forbes and Harvard Business Review. He shares captivating stories and practical takeaways to diverse audiences, giving them a compelling insight into how organizations and individuals can do their best work. David is also the author of ‘The Myths of Creativity’, which aims to demystify the processes that drive innovation, highlighting the mistaken ideas that hold us back.

Together, David and Richard discuss the difference between creativity and innovation, explaining that an idea can be creative without being applied and becomes an innovation when the thought is used. David busts some notable creativity misconceptions like the “eureka myth”, which is the concept that ideas come to you; the “breed myth”, which preaches that creative people are a particular type of person and finally, the “mousetrap myth”, which refers to the ideology that people’s first reaction to creative and novel ideas will be rejection. Finally, he argues why the idea that “no idea is a bad idea” is inaccurate and that pushing back on people’s suggestions can help strengthen them.


Created & produced by: Podcast Partners
Published: May 20, 2022


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