Creative Populism: Creative and entrepreneurial perspectives for governance.
We live in extraordinary times.
+We have the knowledge, the technology, the resources to become the first nation that achieves a sustainable abundance for all our citizens even as we are buffeted by waves of crisis-level challenges.
+What makes these times most remarkable is a great majority of Americans are eager for radical change, in the missions of political parties, in the modes of political discourse and governance. It is rare for a majority of folks to be eager for new approaches to systemic problems.
To create our epic futures while managing crisis-level challenges it is vital we are united in purpose.
+While there may be a shared eagerness for radical changes our political divides are fierce, potentially dangerous, and will only get worse if we rely on today’s political language and constructs which have been warped beyond usefulness by their recent purpose of destroying political opponents and framing their ideas as evil.
It is vital we find common ground that helps us each achieve higher ground as we build our own best futures and create a future of great accomplishments for our nation.
+This common ground must be as attractive to left as right, as useful to those who have as it is to those who have not yet. It must serve those who are living long lives and those early in the journey.
+It must be unoccupied so we arrive there together and create its meaning, its significance, together.
+And it must provide new creative perspectives and language useful to all American’s eager to imagine and create our very best futures.
We find this common ground in the little-known fact at the heart of the most rationally optimistic and universally attractive populist story I know: 98% of us are born with a creative genius.
+In the 1960’s as part of NASA’s heroic effort to become more innovative to achieve JFK’s challenge of sending humankind to the moon, the assessment tool they developed to identify the creative and entrepreneurial scientists and engineers they needed to hire was used a couple of years later to measure the creative capacity of 1,600 4 and 5-year-olds; 98% of the children scored at the Creative Genius level that NASA had established through their internal measurement.
+I have shared this Creative Genius story with thousands of business and military leaders, scientists, engineers, students, retirees, entrepreneurs and artists. It delights them when I point out the next time they walk into a room they should imagine it’s filled with Creative Geniuses; they are eager to embrace that image.
On this common ground—that we all are creative geniuses at our core—and inspired by the creative and entrepreneurial principles and behaviors natural to our creative genius, new political perspectives begin to emerge.
It starts with Stories.
Story informs and inspires. We understand ourselves and our worlds through stories. Throughout history Aspirational stories have shaped our view of a better human condition and they make it more likely we achieve that better state. Our country’s narrative wants to highlight the tales of creative and adventurous and entrepreneurial people working together to create something extraordinary and there is a powerful refresh to that tradition in the stories of creative geniuses building wonderful futures for themselves and their families and as well as futures of sustainable abundance for all.
Stories authentically told from this common ground become the most powerful additions to America’s proud sense of self in a long time, loaded with political energy for the story tellers. That we are striving to become the most creative and entrepreneurial nation the world has ever known, and that we take this on optimistically since we are all born with a creative genius which makes our optimism rational, this is a call for the best of us with broad and deep appeal.
The Story at the core.
+Story 1. We are born with remarkable creative capacities. It surprises me that so few know of the research that revealed 98% of us are born with such extraordinary creative capacity that NASA called it creative genius when they found that capacity in their scientists and engineers; when folks hear this story everyone is delighted with it, nodding their heads in agreement, especially anyone who recently spent time around typical four year olds and their tireless curiosity and unlimited imaginations, their productive bias for creative action.
Once an audience is taken by this story most are eager to know what they can do about it. At this point it becomes easy for them to embrace the idea that when we appreciate our creative genius, it begins to appreciate in value.
Political entities that tell the 98% Creative Genius story and claim to be informed by it, guided by it, will be powerfully attractive to a very large portion of our nation. And improve the likelihood of accomplishing something important.
+Story 2. Half the jobs that will make up the economy in the 2030’s don’t exist today. The most responsible thing leaders—political leaders and business and community leaders—can do in service to each of us is help us move into the 2030’s as the most creatively entrepreneurial citizenry we can be, ready to create advantage for ourselves, our family and communities, and our nation, regardless of what we find when we get there.
I have found this story is another great call to action, that folks embrace the truth that nothing is more important than intentionally preparing ourselves for our best futures, and that the best way to prepare is becoming our most creative and entrepreneurial selves.
We want to be seen as creative and entrepreneurial so when leaders speak about us that way we behave that way; that is leadership. Leading by telling these stories serves the public so well that political leadership is positioned precisely where it wants to be, working to create fundamental advantages for constituents.
How rare is this political capital: telling these Stories and their offspring, regularly and enthusiastically, will help folks be better off without yet spending a penny of public money; delivering them from any political perch will serve us.
Two more examples of stories informed by our core stories.
+Story 3. Achieving sustainable abundance is an aspirational story that could be a nation saving moon shot; best of all it is an all hands on deck moon shot, a mission that pulls us together. We each have a role, and effective leadership will help us understand and embrace our role. We all benefit, and smart leadership will help us understand that as well. It is also an example of how creative and entrepreneurial perspectives can transcend old political baggage. Current political expectations would conclude abundance and sustainability are at odds with each other, it’s one or the other. A creatively entrepreneurial citizenry can accomplish both, not because it is the easy thing to do, but because it is the hard thing to do.
+Story 4. The importance of Investing in Common Wealth. When we develop an understanding of what Common Wealth is we see its importance in productive places — from start-up incubators of independent entrepreneurs sharing networks and pooling resources to public schools providing our children with a solid foundation for their lives to public works projects like the Lincoln Tunnel — the personal wealth enabled by this investment in Common Wealth in incalculable. We are more successful individually and collectively when we invest in Common Wealth.
While writing this I first came to understand the term ‘governance’ as the actions and manner of governing. This is an attempt at offering leaders a new creatively entrepreneurial mode of governance.
“Exploring Your Creative Genius” takes an expansive view on what it means to be creative and entrepreneurial in an ongoing conversation led by Carl Nordgren — entrepreneur, novelist, and lifelong student with decades of experience growing his own creative capacity and assisting others to do the same in exciting new ways!
You can also find more ways to explore your creative genius in this column’s companion radio program, broadcasting on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and posted here on Chapelboro!
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