Leslie Grandy, a seasoned global product executive and founder of the Product Guild, challenges the notion that creativity is an inherent talent. She shares her transformative journey from feeling creatively inadequate to recognizing creativity as a problem-solving skill, which anyone can develop. Discussing her book, Creative Velocity, Leslie offers practical techniques for nurturing creative confidence. She also explores the role of generative AI in enhancing creativity, while sharing lessons learned from her own book production journey. Engaging and insightful!
35:14
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Leslie's Creative Struggle
Leslie Grandy shared how she struggled with traditional arts as a child and thought creativity was out of her reach.
She later realized creativity is the ability to solve problems in novel ways, not just artistic talent.
insights INSIGHT
Creativity Is a Skill
Creativity is a skill anyone can develop, not just a talent you are born with.
This skill involves imagining new solutions and overcoming barriers to creative thinking.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Train Your Brain Daily
Engage your brain daily by solving puzzles or doing new activities to strengthen creative thinking.
Embrace unconventional connections and break habits to train your brain away from typical patterns.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Propelling Breakthrough Ideas in the Age of Generative AI
Leslie Grandy
Acar on Branding: The Playbook to Building Strong Brands
Acar on Branding: The Playbook to Building Strong Brands
David Acar
The eye of the storm
Patrick White
Right Thing, Right Now
Justice in an Unjust World
Ryan Holiday
In 'Right Thing, Right Now', Ryan Holiday argues for the necessity of doing what’s right, even when it isn’t easy. He draws on stories of historical figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Florence Nightingale, Jimmy Carter, Gandhi, and Frederick Douglass to illustrate the importance of justice, kindness, honesty, integrity, and loyalty. The book emphasizes that justice is not an abstract concept but a daily practice that shapes one’s character and impacts those around us. Holiday challenges readers to develop their own moral code and uphold it consistently, providing concrete steps and exercises to help incorporate these values into their lives[1][3][4].
The Heart of Business
Caroline Lambert
Hubert Joly
Hubert Joly's "The Heart of Business" offers a compelling narrative of his leadership journey at Best Buy. The book details his transformation of the company from near bankruptcy to renewed success. Joly emphasizes the importance of human connection and employee engagement in driving business results. He shares practical strategies for building a strong organizational culture and fostering a sense of purpose among employees. The book serves as a valuable resource for leaders seeking to create a more human-centered approach to business.
Leslie Grandy always wanted to be 'creative', but after discovering that she 'sucked' as a child at piano, painting, drama, dancing and so on she decided (to the relief of her teachers) that it simply wasn't for her.
Until she realized, in her corporate career working with visionary leaders like Steve Jobs, that creativity can also be defined as 'the ability to solve problems in novel ways'. And now she helps organizations - from major brands like Starbucks to early-stage ventures - navigate the challenges of innovation. Creativity, it turns out, is not an inbuilt talent reserved for the select few, but a practical skill that anyone can develop with the right mindset and tools.
And that's exactly what she provides in her book Creative Velocity: simple, everyday techniques for building creative confidence. She also tackles the role of generative AI, inviting us to see it as a partner that can expand our creative thinking, provided we bring structure and discernment to the process.
Leslie also discovered she could have filled a book with what she didn't know about publishing a book, and shares her insights from that journey too.
The Extraordinary Business Book Club 
