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Creativity Comments by Winston J. Brill, Ph.D.

04/02 Creativity Comment

Creativity and Enthusiasm

The relationship between enthusiasm and success has been made many times.  Here are just a few examples:

“I rate enthusiasm even above professional skill.  Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet and philosopher

“What I do best is share my enthusiasm.”  Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft

“Finding out how passionate your subordinates are about their jobs, and infusing your energy into them until they burn with passion, are the most important duties of a leader.”  Kazuo Inamori, founder of both Kyocera and DDI

“If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.”  Vince Lombardi, late coach of the Green Bay Packers championship football team

If we agree that enthusiasm leads to success, can’t we also make a direct association that enthusiasm leads to creativity, great ideas?  It’s difficult to see how someone can be successful without great ideas.  Yes, even in football.

In Comment 03/02, I showed why, when someone is enthusiastic about a goal, that person’s mind will constantly be open to thoughts and sensory inputs, any of which have the potential of connecting with that goal to yield a great idea.  Without enthusiasm, those connections just won’t be made.

Therefore, shouldn’t it be a major objective for every manager to stimulate enthusiasm for work goals?  Increased creativity is sure to result.