"The Spark" of Creativity at Cirque du Soleil

One of my passions is the topic of creativity - especially how to spark it within a heavy manufacturing environment.  Another of my passions is Cirque du Soleil - perhaps the most unique art form available today.  The two come together in a book called CIRQUE DU SOLEIL® THE SPARK: Igniting the Creative Fire That Lives Within Us All.  Conceived by Lyn Heward of Cirque, and written by John U. Bacon, a journalist, the book is a thinly disguised fable that tells of Bacon's sojourn with Cirque.  While several Amazon reviewers were put off by the fiction/non-fiction confusion of the book, I enjoyed its reminders of the keys to a creative work environment.

My summary of the lessons of the book is fairly long.  If you just want the highlights, read the sentences in this purplish shade of red.

Ten lessons of The Spark

1. Never lose sight of the reason for your work.  Remember the story of the three brick layers who were asked what they were doing.  The first said he was laying bricks. The second said he was building a wall.  And the third said he was building a cathedral. To remind its 3000 employees that they are 'building a cathedral', Cirque hangs show posters and photos throughout its Montreal complex.  And when performers have a day off (perhaps because of an injury), they are given free tickets so that they can experience the show as the audience experiences it.  Translated to your business:  how can you help each of your employees feel the customer experience they are helping to create?
2. "Constraints on time, money, and resources are incredible motivators!" (Page 28.)  Budgets and deadlines force focus and creativity.  Even at Cirque, costs must be controlled.  And deadlines always loom.  On top of that, the culture does not accept compromises.  The shows must be 100 percent safe and 100 percent art.  That lack of compromise drives creativity.  Years ago, when I arrived in rural Oregon for my first gig as a facility manager, I was confronted with proof of this principle.  The chief engineer asked for $1 million to refurbish the mill car wash in order to meet new storm water regulations.  I refused - we had much better places to use that money.  I refused two subsequent proposals, each for somewhat less money.  Then I had to take a trip back to the corporate office. When I returned, I noticed the car wash was working again.  It turns out the engineers had found a way to refurbish the car wash for only $50,000.  Without my earlier refusals, they never would have found this elegant - and cheap - solution.
3. Creativity requires an irritant (like a grain of sand is to a pearl), imagination and discipline.  It's obvious what part imagination plays in Cirque's creations.  But they only work because of disciplines like engineering, fabric design, and physical fitness.
4. Draw from as many outside influences as possible.  Listen to new voices and to heretics.  You never know where such seemingly unrelated sparks will cause a raging fire of innovation.  Cirque teams people with different backgrounds and perspectives, because they know that will increase creativity.  And when they are on the road, they make a point of seeking out as many outside artists and performers as they can, in order to take in their ideas.  So often in business, we only hire people who already know our industry.  Think of all the ideas we lose by not - at least occasionally - hiring folks who are smart and talented, but haven't a clue about our industry.
5. Beware the dangers of Red Tape.  Especially be slow to say, "That won't work."  That is a quick way to kill creativity.  Instead, try something like, "Let's see how we can work with this." (Page 105.)
6. People will rarely work harder than the boss.  You have to be there.  You can't say, "Go find a solution," and then have a nice golf game while your folks are trudging along.  You have to be part of the solution.  At Cirque, an artistic director attends every show, even though he is not required on stage or backstage.  By being there, he is able to give meaningful feedback to the performers every night.  Similarly, riggers are required to hang in their own harnesses - partly to prove to performers that the rigging is safe, but more importantly to give the riggers a reminder that lives depend on them.
7. "If something goes wrong, that means maybe we didn't provide the right system for them to use." (Page 56.)  Things go wrong at Cirque just as they do everywhere else.  But you can't go looking to fix blame or find fault with people if you want them to continue taking careful risks.  Instead, look for ways to make the system easier to use in the right way.  Fix problems, not blame.  Find solutions, not fault.
8. Keep trying.  Persist.  "Anyone can be a home-run king if they just take enough at bats!"  (Page 56.)  "It's never my failures that I regret, it's the thing I pass up because I'm too scared, too safe."  (Page 120.)  "If you really want to make this happen, you have to be willing to crash!"  (Page 95.)
9. Get out of your comfort zone.  That creates the irritant, the sand in your oyster shell.
10. Practice the basics until they become second nature.  Only then can the creative juices flow.  In football, a team must have the basics of blocking and tackling down cold before they can succeed at creative plays.  Without blocking and tackling, no football team can win.