The mistakes of Pixar

Managing creative people is a whole ‘nother skill than just being creative yourself. The best practices for managing a group that is persistently creative and innovative is described in Ed Catmull’s bestselling book on Pixar. Catmull co-founded Pixar when it was a computer hardware company, and ran it through its glorious run of producing one hit movie after another. His book Creativity, Inc., recounts the many lessons he learned. I found it a page-turner because throughout the book he focuses on his mistakes, failings, and what he got wrong. Almost no one does that, and yet I found it irresistibly the most powerful way to teach. Get the newly released updated edition, where, true to his spirit, Catmull expands on what he got wrong in the original book! — KK