Jerry Seinfeld Explains Why Innovation Requires Doing Things The Hard Way

The right way is the hard way.

Jerry Seinfeld knows a thing or two about innovation.

After his successful show, Seinfeld, he created another successful show ’Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’.

Jerry was interviewed by Harvard Business Review about the topic of innovation, hard work, and productivity. Here’s an excerpt from the interview which tells a lot about how creative work has to be done the hard way rather than ‘scaling’ innovation.

HBR: You and Larry David wrote Seinfeld together, without a traditional writers’ room, and burnout was one reason you stopped. Was there a more sustainable way to do it? Could McKinsey or someone have helped you find a better model?

Seinfeld: Who’s McKinsey?

HBR: It’s a consulting firm.

Seinfeld: Are they funny?

HBR: No.

Seinfeld: Then I don’t need them. If you’re efficient, you’re doing it the wrong way. The right way is the hard way. The show was successful because I micromanaged it—every word, every line, every take, every edit, every casting. That’s my way of life.

In creative and innovative phase of your company, your product, your team, or even your process: you have to do it the hard way.

You have to experiment and see for yourself what’s working and what’s not working. Before you get to the ‘scaling’ and efficiency phases.

What are your thoughts on early stage creativity and innovation? Does it have to be done the hard way, or is there a better model?

#innovation #productivity #creative #creativity

Reference: https://lnkd.in/gAEv8HPZ