I strongly believe that if you are reading this book you have the honor and the obligation to tackle one of the gravest needs of the 21st century: Fostering creativity and innovation. Edward de Bono, a psychologist from Oxford University, said: “There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” This is the central focus of this book.
ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION?
You may ask, Why this book? Thousands of books were written on the topic and more will be published this year. Why add one more to an already crowded shelf?
Permit me to give you a little background.
Let’s go back to June 2019 to a lovely team dinner in Dubai. Throughout the evening, we had a lively discussion about the Alleem 21 sustainable development goals and the importance of them in today’s world. Our conversation centered on the list’s second goal, Fostering Creativity and Innovation, and a debate ensued around the importance of thinking big especially as the whole world is running at a breakneck speed. As soon as a got home I decided to write this book. The book not only includes heartwarming stories and motivational sayings about creativity and innovation, but also shows that we are all capable of making the world a better place on a massive scale. There is no better time then now to work together toward a bright future for all, despite our differences!
This book will inspire you to dream big. Though I trust you will find this book inspirational, motivational, and practical, it is not a ‘how-to’ book. This book is for anyone in any organization, from the CEO to young managers, who is responsible for addressing and solving creative business challenges and looking for innovative solutions to make a better tomorrow.
That may be what attracted you to this book! I strongly believe that if you are reading this book you will learn what it takes to drive innovation and lead organizational change.
So welcome to the world of creativity and innovation. Knowing the value of your time, I have tried my best to be precise and keep the chatter to a minimum. I am confident you will discover original and practical new valuable creative thinking tools and techniques you can use. More important, though, I hope certain ideas leap out at you. Work with those ideas first.
Another piece of advice on how to leverage the knowledge and the wisdom in this book to full advantage: Feel the words as you read them, dog-ear the pages, and highlight as you go. Make notes along the way on what interests you the most, and how you might apply it and share it.
At the end of each chapter, stop to think about a key insight you gained and how it can help you to create a more innovative organization. I like what Gary Hamel said, “You can buy knowledge by the yard today, but insight is still quite rare.” If you find valuable insight in this book, then I have achieved my goal in writing it.
I’m delighted to see this book reach leaders everywhere through the free download at alleem.com
Wishing you the best!
Respectfully,
Rashid Alleem
Sharjah, UAE
February 29, 2020