Why are Pixar’s movies such a huge success? Creative successes might be more related to failure than you think. In this article on his book, Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull, President of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation shares his insight on managing a creative organization that thrives on innovation and embracing new ideas. In order to be truly open to new ideas, he argues, organizations must have a culture of trust.
“The antidote to fear is trust, and we all have a desire to find something to trust in an uncertain world. Fear and trust are powerful forces, and while they are not opposites, exactly, trust is the best tool for driving out fear. There will always be plenty to be afraid of, especially when you are doing something new. Trusting others doesn’t mean that they won’t make mistakes. It means that if they do (or if you do), you trust they will act to help solve it”
–Ed Catmull, Creativity Inc.
Does this culture of trust exist in your organization? How can you create pockets of this even in the most risk-averse organizational cultures?
