Articles and Essays by Todd Henry

Creating

Risk, Disney, and Banana Ball

How Jesse Cole went from being a “bored out of his mind” baseball coach to creating one of the most epic shows in sports, with a little inspiration from Walt Disney.

Creating

How To Deal With Complicated People

This week’s podcast featured some great advice from Ryan Leak and James Kimmel about how to manage workplace conflicts and grievances.

Creating

Ideas Are Easy, Making Them Great Is What Matters

Brilliant, impactful ideas are more like to be forged over time than to emerge in a flash of spontaneous inspiration. Are you dedicating the time and energy necessary to give your ideas their best chance at success?

Creating

How To Stay Optimistic

Optimism isn’t “wishful thinking.” It’s a practical, necessary, forward-looking element of doing brilliant, brave work. And if you lead others, it’s a critical part of getting others to follow you.

Creating

Why You Get Stuck: Definition, Motivation, Systems

Getting stuck when doing difficult, creative work is normal. However, staying stuck is a choice. There are three common, though not intuitive, places where you might be digging yourself into a rut.

Creating

Don’t Be a Collector, Be a Curator

Simply collecting interesting sparks is useless if you fail to deploy those insights in your leadership and creating. Here is a simple method for turning ephemera into creative gold.

Creating

How To Thrive In Uncertain Times

In uncertain times, the temptation is to seek certainty. Instead, you should focus on building rituals that help you find clarity.

Leading

The Magical Power of Strategic Indifference

Why choosing not to care can become your superpower.

Creating

Stop Focusing On Projects – Obsess Over Solutions

Many leaders and creative pros fall into the “deliverables” trap. Here’s how to maintain focus on what really moves the work forward.

Leading

The Trust Seesaw

Trust is the essential element of high functioning teams. Here’s how to build mutual confidence in creative organizations.

Leading

Innovation, Or Just Innovation Theater?

If you want brave work, the leader has to go first. Make brave decisions. Speak agency into your team. Paint a brave, optimistic vision.

Leading

What Is Strategy?

Three practical tips for thinking more strategically from the latest Daily Creative episode featuring my conversation with Seth Godin about his book This Is Strategy.

Leading

The Mouse / Mansion Maxim

There is a big difference between confidence and ego. When we adopt a posture of confident humility, it makes us a better human and a more trustworthy leader.

Leading

The Existential Overwhelm of the Moment

Are you ever alone with your thoughts? Do you ever find time to sort out the tangles and variant thought streams that result in stress and anxiety?

Leading

The Most Important Question You’re Probably Not Asking

It’s almost a certainty that your team members have opinions of your decisions and leadership. However, they are unlikely to share those opinions freely unless given a window of opportunity.