Resident IDEO storytellers Zena Barakat and Brian Janosch talk about the importance of stories in the world of business and innovation. Learn how to get started weaving stories into your work today with real life examples and tips for using stories in common business scenarios.

How might you become more resilient this year? As food for thought, we asked a few of our instructors and expert guests from the Creative Confidence Podcast to share one skill they think professionals should cultivate this year. We hope their answers inspire you to push the boundaries of your comfort zone and find your growth edge.

Here is Rochael’s advice for how you can bring more creativity into your role if you work in a functional area like operations or finance.

Rochael Adranly, IDEO partner and general counsel, has spent her career finding the balance between the rules-based world of law and the ambiguous, non-rules-based world of design. In this Creative Confidence Podcast episode, she shares how to bring out the natural creativity in others and encourage colleagues to be your partners in innovation—instead of your roadblocks.

As a venture capital investor at Collaborative Fund and Kindred Ventures, Kanyi Maqubela has invested in dozens of companies—including Lyft, Kickstarter, Beyond Meat, and Blue Bottle Coffee—and evaluated hundreds more. He seeks out founders and businesses that are not only addressing a market need, but have the potential to reinvent our future. In this episode of our Creative Confidence Podcast, he shares the elements he looks for to signal a strong business idea, an impactful leader, and a collaborative team.

Michael Hendrix is an IDEO partner and global director of design, as well as a lifelong musician and associate professor at the Berklee College of Music. Over his 25-year career he’s co-founded an art school for high schoolers, a professional design curriculum for undergrads, two professional design clubs, and three small businesses, as well as helping clients across all kinds of industries find innovative solutions to tough design challenges. In this conversation, he talks about the topic of his upcoming book—what we can learn from the shared mindsets of musicians and designers.

Looking for prototyping inspiration? Expand your definition of what a prototype is with these very different examples made by designers at IDEO.

Sheryl O’Loughlin says there’s a dark side to entrepreneurship, but it’s possible to run a startup in a healthy, joyful way. In this conversation, we dive into Sheryl’s vast experience as a CEO, founder, mentor, and advisor to pull out key lessons she’s learned at critical moments in her career. Walk away with tips for launching and growing a successful business while maintaining a fulfilled life.

Building early concepts of your ideas can help you avoid costly mistakes, and build something that your users will truly love. Brendan Boyle, partner at world-renowned design firm IDEO, explains the art of prototyping in more detail, and why it’s not just an activity for designers.

Tim Brown, IDEO Chair and former CEO of IDEO for 19 years, shares his perspective on the qualities necessary for creative leaders in today’s unpredictable business and economic conditions. He discusses what we can do to find the opportunity in ambiguity and design and build better systems to meet the needs of the future.

Workshops sound like a great idea...until everyone gets in a room together and the creative juices dry up faster than the desert in July. Why can it feel so hard to manifest creative ideas when the ingredients all seem to be there? Because the design of a workshop experience is just as important as the people you have in the room. 

Roger Martin is a bit of a legend in the strategy world. His book Playing to Win, written with former Procter & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley, is a favorite in business schools. And decades of work consulting with some of the world’s most recognizable companies have cemented his place as one of today’s leading business thinkers. In this conversation, get an inside look at Roger’s approach to business strategy.